How To Prepare For Skunk Season

When looking to get rid of skunks from your home or property, it is important to take matters seriously and modify your approach accordingly. This means that you need to understand that the absolute best solution for any skunk invasion is to seek out professional help. Prevention also plays a huge role in keeping the fuzzy critters away from your property and it involves getting better acquainted with the skunks general behaviour. Keep reading to learn more about them.

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SKUNKS?

First and foremost, you should understand that skunks are nocturnal, solitary creatures. They generally stay out of sight and out of mind, despite thriving alongside humanity. People usually think that smelling skunks all the time would be nothing out of the ordinary; but, skunks only use their spray when threatened or as a last resort. In fact, their survival depends on them being secretive.

Early spring is when striped skunks give birth to a litter of young. The young are called kits and are born blind, naked and pretty much helpless. Until the baby skunks are two months old, the mother skunk goes out hunting and foraging, bringing food back to the den. After two months, the kits start joining her on forays where they learn to dig for insects and find their own food. The reason why you typically see a lot of young inexperienced skunks roaming around in the summer is because they are solitary and usually disperse after learning how to take care of themselves.

WHY IS IT I’M ABLE TO SMELL/SEE SKUNKS IN FEBRUARY?

February is skunk mating season, making it an important time for you to research how to get rid of skunks from your property. At this time of year, male skunks are fighting amongst themselves and females may be shooing away males they don’t want to mate with. They do this by spraying them with musk, causing much more of it to be deposited when compared to other times of year. So, if you do detect a slightly skunky aroma coming from under your shed around February, it’s safe to assume that the cause is skunk activity.

CAN I GET RID OF SKUNKS BY TRAPPING THEM?

The short answer is no. Trapping and relocating wildlife to other places is not an effective control method. For a start, there’s a high probability of you or your vehicle being sprayed in the process and beyond that it does nothing to address the root cause of the skunk problem. If you have skunks living on your property they’ve likely found a place to den below a structure like a deck or shed.

• It is not a long-term solution as other skunks in the neighbourhood will likely come and re-occupy the space the previous skunk lived in. If your deck, shed or porch was attractive to one skunk, it will be attractive to another.
• Trapping and relocating adults during the birthing season may leave babies orphaned in a den.
• Trapping animals puts them under a huge amount of stress and they may seriously injure themselves as they desperately try to escape.

TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR PROPERTY

As skunk season arrives there are plenty of steps you can take to protect your yard and property before a pregnant skunk makes a cozy den under your deck to raise her young. The sooner you act, the more likely you will protect your property.

• Inspect deck, porch and shed for any signs of damage that skunks may use to their advantage.
• Regularly trim grass and treat the lawn for grubs.
• Eliminate food sources – cover the garden with chicken wire or place in raised garden beds, purchase wildlife-proof garbage bins and keep pet food indoors at all times.
• Install motion detection lights.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF THE SKUNKS DON’T LEAVE?

It’s simple: call a seasoned and reputable wildlife removal company to get rid of skunks for you. This is the safer and easier option compared to DIY skunk removal. When looking for a company that focuses on humane skunk removal methods, look no further than Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control. Skedaddle has been in the skunk and wildlife removal business for nearly 30 years, pioneering and perfecting a number of humane removal methods.

Skedaddle is the perfect choice for removing skunks from your property humanely and allowing them to continue their lives in another location by preventing their re-entry where they won’t cause any more problems for other homeowners. Call Skedaddle today and stop worrying about skunk invasions 1-888-592-0387