Learn how to get rid of skunks naturally using efficient tips and cost-effective skunk control products.
Skunks are shy, intelligent, and adorable creatures, but not when they spray. Some people may not be able to tolerate smelly creatures living under decks or sheds due to the strong odor and fear of being sprayed by a skunk.
However, skunks need such shelter when they are most vulnerable. These nocturnal forages can dig holes on your property while looking for food sources. If you have an odor, lawn damage, and upturned plants caused by skunks near the house, chances are you would like to remove skunks.
The following information will be your helping hand in finding the best skunk removal methods.
Skunk Problems
Diet: Do skunks eat tomatoes? Yes, they can eat tomatoes. In fact, skunks change their diet as the seasons change. These mammals eat both plant and animal material – insects, small rodents, eggs, rats – and even human garbage.
Problems: Skunks are beneficial to farmers because they eat a lot of garden and agricultural pests – white grubs, moles, cutworms, etc. However, a skunk-sprayed-under-house problem is not fun.
What Do Skunks Look Like?
Skunks are mammals, and they come in two varieties: the striped skunks and the spotted skunks. Skunks are nocturnal, which means they’re active at night. They’re also omnivorous, which means they’ll eat just about anything. Skunks have a distinctive odor that’s caused by their glands, which release a smelly liquid when the skunks feel threatened.
- Striped skunks
The striped skunks are the most common type of skunks. They’re about the size of a house cat, and they have black and white stripes running down their backs. Striped skunks are found all over North America, and they live in a variety of habitats, from forests to deserts. Striped skunks are solitary animals, and they only come together to mate.
- Spotted skunks
The spotted skunks are also a common type of skunks. They’re about the size of a house cat, and they have black and white spots all over their bodies. Spotted skunks are found in the eastern and central parts of the United States, as well as in Mexico. They live in a variety of habitats, including forests, grasslands, and scrublands. Like the striped skunk, the spotted skunk is solitary, and they only come together to mate.
Skunks are considered pests in many areas because they dig up lawns and flower gardens, raid garbage cans for food, fouling the area with their scent.
When skunk’s burrowing and feeding habits conflict with people these rodents become nuisances. People can experience the following problems with skunks:
- Skunks may burrow under buildings or porches by entering openings under the foundation;
- They can kill poultry and eat eggs;
- Skunks can dig holes in golf courses, lawns and gardens in search of insect grubs;
- Skunks can spray.
Skunk spray is a smelly blend of sulfurous oils that can cause partial blindness and sting the skin. Pets can often get sprayed by a skunk who has taken up residence in your yard. Skunk sprays have a lasting smell that can linger on clothes and other fabrics long after you’ve cleaned them away. Don’t know how to remove the skunk smell and get your house smelling fresh again? Get an answer here.
It’s best to avoid getting sprayed at all costs!
The most common way people get skunked is when they’re taking out the trash or walking by an open garbage bin outside late at night. Skunks will also occasionally enter homes if doors or windows aren’t properly shut against them. Skunks tend to be nocturnal animals but sometimes venture into human living spaces during daytime hours as well; this happens more often around mating seasons which occur from February through March.
If a skunk is spotted in your area, don’t approach it or try to scare the animal away on your own: there’s no way of knowing how the skunk will react when startled! It could spray you if it feels threatened enough and has been known to use its weapons even after being hit by cars.
Contact wildlife removal experts for help with getting rid of these pests. Most specialists offer free estimates about what needs to be done so that you can decide whether or not you want them to come out and handle your problem.
So let’s find out how to keep skunks away under the house, shed, and around your home.
How to Keep Skunks Away: Top 5 Effective Methods You Deserve to Know
Once you know the skunk activity around your house or in your yard, you can select the best skunk control method. You may choose to adopt more than one method depending on the size of the skunk population in the area and the type of damage caused.
The more methods you use, the more likely you will find success. Don’t know how to keep skunks out of your yard? Here is how.
STEP 1. Add Light
Skunks detest the lights and prefer to stay away from highly lit locations. Adding light in your yard is an effective deterrent - skunks like a dark location – that can keep smelly rodents from choosing your backyard as a nesting ground.
STEP 2. Seal Holes
Getting rid of skunks under the house, deck, and yard is not an easy-to-do task as these are prime locations for skunks to nest. You are to make sure any open spaces in these areas are sealed. Using solid-metal flash wire and quarter-inch screening are effective ways to cover the holes.
STEP 3. Reduce Attractants
Ensure your yard has no skunk attractants - pet food, garbage bags, water bowls, leftover vegetables, fruits, etc. These will not only attract skunks but other wildlife as well.
STEP 4. Place Motion-Activated Sprinkles
These products are a safe and natural way to keep smelly mammals away from your property. Place sprinklers close to locations where you suspect skunks might want to shelter.
To find out the best motion-activated sprinkler, go here.
STEP 5. Repel Them Off
Naturally, solve your skunk problem using effective repellents. Repellents made of active, natural ingredients work together to irritate and repel skunks as soon as they taste, smell, or touch the products.
Don’t know what type of repellent to choose for effective skunk control? Get the latest info on the best skunk repellent and deterrent products and crack your skunks’ problems right now!
How to Kill Skunks? Is Shooting Effective?
In my experience, shooting a skunk almost always causes a rodent to spray. Therefore, it is not recommended unless in the location where the skunk smell will not be troublesome. Shooting skunks near homes/structures is illegal in urban areas of Illinois. Moreover, the only time you can set lethal traps for skunks is in November and December.
Set-for-skunks lethal traps can kill other beneficial wild animals and pets.
What about gassing? Lethal gassing of skunk burrows can be used in some states like California, for example. However, gassing skunks near structures/buildings exposes people and pets to risks.
When it comes to skunk poison, it’s illegal and comes with many risks. Remember, the use of skunk poison is an inhumane way of skunk removal.
The best tactic is to get rid of skunks naturally by trapping and relocating the rodent alive. It is much easier than it sounds, and skunk sprays are extremely rare.
Trapping: Best Way to Get Rid of Skunks
Want to remove a skunk from your property by humane methods? Using a live skunk trap is the best solution. But, how to trap this pesky rodent without getting sprayed by a skunk? These smelly creatures are less inclined to spray if they don’t see you and if they have an unobstructed, open escape route. When skunks don’t feel threatened, they prefer to escape rather than spray.
Trap and release a skunk to a far-away remote setting. Use fully-enclosed cage traps that are effective. When it comes to plastic box traps, they are superior to wire traps as they are completely enclosed. Thus, reducing the opportunity of getting sprayed by a skunk while removing them from the site.
Illinois law FAQ here.
A tip to consider: Bait a trap with peanut butter, over-ripe bananas, jelly, or marshmallows to avoid capturing neighboring cats.
Traps designed specifically for skunks are the best type to use, as they will contain any odor that is released. I suggest buying one of the following spray-proof skunk traps:
My Recommended Top 3 Best Skunk Traps Comparison Table
| PREVIEW | PRODUCT | |
|---|---|---|
People's Choice [tablepress_img id="16099" alt="Z Trap #6 Spray-Proof Skunk Trap review"] | Z Trap #6 Spray-Proof Skunk Trap
| Check Price |
| [tablepress_img id="16100" alt="JT Eaton Professional Catch and Release Trap review"] | JT Eaton Professional Catch and Release Trap
| Check Price |
 | Spray-Proof Skunk Trap
| Check Price |
1. Z Trap #6 – Best Spray-Proof Skunk Trap (People’s Choice)
What can be more unpleasant than the foul odor of a skunk? Those who are tired of dealing with nocturnal animals can crack the skunk problem using this Spray-proof trap. It’s made of sheet metal and PVC.
Benefits:
- The product protects you from scratches, bites and the skunk’s most famous defense – the spray.
- The trap is humane and lets you dispose of wild animals humanely if desired.
2. JT Eaton Professional Skunk Live Trap
JT Eaton trap is 100% effective in catching and transporting smelly skunks without spraying. It is easy to use and includes detailed instructions. An ideal choice for trapping skunks because it is completely enclosed. The trap is great for trapping skunks in highly populated areas because it protects both rodents and people passing by.
Features: This covered plastic skunk trap is a high-quality, easy-to-use trap that protects trapped wild animals and protects you from skunk spray.
Benefits: Safe and humane cage release. The fully enclosed JT Eaton trap offers you safe, clean, and stress-free transportation of the trapped animal.
Professional wildlife control operators have all the necessary equipment and experience to trap and dispatch a skunk.
3. Spray-Proof Skunk Trap
Effectiveness: This innovative enclosed skunk trap allows customers to release a skunk without getting sprayed. The trap is made of sheet metal. It’s cost-effective and has a simple design.
Benefits:
- Handle for convenient transportation.
- Locking door with sensitive trip pan.
- Tube-style enclosure.
Where to Place and How to Set the Trap
Where to place the trap: Place it in an area where the skunk frequents or where you have seen the most skunk damage. Skunks may be found in various places such as:
- tree hollows,
- brush piles,
- hollow logs,
- porches,
- burrows,
- underneath structures.
The trap should be placed on an even, level surface to ensure stability.
How to set the trap: Set your trap in the evening – as skunks are nocturnal animals. If the cage is empty in the morning, you are to close it – so that you don’t catch any unwanted critters – and set it again in the evening.
Professional Baits to Make Skunk Trapping Effective
Skunks are generally not difficult to trap. However, when these smelly rodents are grubbing they can be near impossible to catch. An ordinary skunk or skunk trap avoider – you will easily catch any of them while using professional baits.
Here is the list of working and effective skunk attractants:
1. Dunlap’s Skunk Lure
This food-type lure reach-out skunk paste bait holds the skunk’s interest. The product contains an attractant that effectively attracts skunks.
2. Skunk Lure by Russ Carman
The bait is heavy, durable, and attractive year-round. This lure is made of a complex blend of food call ingredients with an added-for-a-push sharp side odor. The result is a natural aroma irresistible for skunks.
When approaching a skunk’s live trap or den, you are to wear gloves and eye protection.
Fencing Solution to Exclude Skunks from Your Property
Can skunks climb fences? Skunks are not skilled climbers. That is why fencing is a good method of skunk removal. Fencing should extend below the ground – as skunks are designed to dig – to prevent the troublesome rodents from getting underneath. Some tips to consider include:
- Bury fencing one or two feet below ground level;
- Note: fencing should stand at least four feet above ground level.
To cover openings in your building or underneath structures, you can also install mesh fencing. If skunks are currently underneath your porch/structure you are to drive the rodents out before completely covering the holes and openings.
Conclusion
Skunks are a nuisance for some people, but they can be taken out of your property with the right approach. I have outlined several methods here on how to get rid of skunks, and you can pick whichever option works best for you.
To remove skunks, use preventive measures, like removing attractants around your house, in combination with skunk deterrents and efficient skunk control products. Remember, the interaction of 2 or more products – traps, motion-activated sprinklers, repellents, etc., will make your property inhospitable to these nocturnal animals.
I recommend trapping them if you know where they’re living. If you don’t have those skills, then skunk repellents may be your best option, as they can deter skunks from entering your property without harm. And finally, consider fencing in all areas where skunks roam so that it’s impossible for their scent to get into your house.
No matter which way you decide to go about it, make sure that you take the necessary precautions to keep yourself safe and avoid any potential legal issues.
Good luck!
how do I know if there are no skunks in the den, and how do I get them out before fencing around there den
Skunks are nocturnal. Spread some flour around the den in the evening. After dark, check for footprints leaving the den. Fence.
I always wire 16 Gage around a porch L shaped, install a one way door or a exclusion and then you can come back later..a few warm weeks and take out the door and finish with wire all screwed down.
You can fence anything off as long as you make a exclusion in the fence so animals can leave but can not get back in. Always make it big enough for the animal to get out.
I have skunks under my mobilehome! I poured cement in an area where they were diging under the house from. But they’re back!
I think I have them under a small shed. What if I put a drop light under temporarily one night after they leave. After a day or two of constant lighting, will they? Or maybe solar-powered LED lights?
I have one trapped at the moment and wasn’t sure how to deal with it. I’ve been keeping chickens for the past five years, and honestly, this is the first skunk I’ve gotten. Lots of raccoon’s trapped and dealt with, but never a skunk. I appreciate the information your site provides.
Can you feed it to another wild animal? For instance a Coyote?
About the only predator of a live skunk is a Great Horned or Barn Owl. Buzzards may or will eat them when found dead. Be careful when handling due to skunks are known to carry the rabies virus, plus will spray if threatened.
Most City and County local animal control can assist or direct what and how to handle if captured.
I have skunks under my shed and there are dozens of coyotes around. I wish they would eat the skunks. Problem is skunks can clime trees.
I suspect there could be skunks under my daughter’s house. We smell their order in the mornings. I closed up a possible entry area 5 months ago. I do not see any possible entry point around the entire perimeter of the house.
How long could they live there without water sources?
If there is an exit for them, can piercing and/or persistent loud noises be used to deter skunks?
I am a professional trapper and you should have a licensed trapper do the work or your daughter’s house could stink for a long time. Pay now or pay later
We had pro trappers and they caught the neighbors cat three times. How can we avoid this?
Call local animal control next time you catch a cat. Your neighbors are irresponsible for letting the cat outside.
Cats are not allowed outside? Haha that’s news to me!!
Some communities have leash laws for cats. Have you ever tried to leash a cat? It’s hilarious. They either freak out or act like they’re dead. You can’t walk a cat, maybe drag one.
Hi anonymous,I walk my cat on a leash all the time. it’s not the cat that doesn’t understand, it’s the trainer who doesn’t have the patience to make the animal understand. Any fool can train
a dog on a leash. If you want a real challenge try training a
cat to walk on a leash. I’m living proof that it can be done.
Thumbs up….i trained my cat to sit,come and to wear a harness and to walk with a leash
You can walk a cat. I put a halter on my boyfriend’s 18lb tabby, he takes him for long walks all the time. Poncho loves it!
If it wasn’t for cats, the neighborhoods would be crawling with mice, rats, moles, and chipmunks (ground squirrels).
And dont forget those pesky birds! Those things suck!!
Oh and lizards & snakes will all be dead too!
We dont need those pesky critters! Just cats every where will be good!
If your county has a leash law cats or dogs must be on a lesh at all times outside. I don’t like it but the law.
Yep, cats are awesome and we need them more than people know
Animal Control DOES NOTHING relative to cats, and have had to handle ourselves with ZERO HELP. Our neighborhood has a HUGE cat problem, but if a dog barks they want to fine you….it is absolutely CRAZY the lack of accountability from the governments response to the people feeding strays!
Or you could follow the instructions above and save the time and money by doing it yourself. It really isn’t that hard. Use a bait that cats don’t like, or actual skunk attractant. I have a skunk problem but I’m positive I won’t after reading this article. By the way, this isn’t directed at you but there seems to be quite a few idiots in this comment section. It’s as simple as actually reading the article.
I was thinking about hiring a professional trapper, but after reading your comment, “Pay now or pay later”, I have changed my mind.
lol are you serious? He was trying to help bro.
I for one was on the fence and after seeing his comment will 100% hire a trapper.
Our local trapper charges $100 per trap just to set the trap, and another $150 to haul away the animal once it is caught in the trap. We just found a whole family of skunks under our barn, I think I will attempt to repel them first before I pay several hundreds of $$$$ to remove them from the barn.
I do have skunks under my house, I set a trap to catch an armadillo, and I have caught 3 skunks 3 different times! Do I just keep setting the trap to see if they will come out? And how do I know when they are gone? How many can live under one house??
Hi there..It would be smart to seal up the hole with wire L shaped screwed down buryed in ground..with a exclusion..one way door..big enough for all animals to get out but not in..and if you dont understand then you should get proper help..skunks have about 6 babys per year and may not move in cold weather keep trapping and cover your trap.
No you don’t keep resetting the trap…nope not at all, the traps will just drive themselves to an appropriate location and set the skunk free, then will travel back to said location on auto-pilot, and then it will return to it’s last known location, and then bait and reset the trap all by itself…you only have to set it up once and the smart trap takes care of the rest….thanks for such a wonderful, well thought out question…and don’t forget to check out ACME self setting SKUNK traps, and make sure the trap doesn’t confuse the smell of the skunk with the smell that seeps out from between your mothers crusty legs…. – Thank You Sincerely Jason Genova
To h8raid You are such an inferior thing i cant call u human that be insulting humanity you’re so upset at life cus nothing goes ur way stop being so useless ur not even funny go beg for money maybe u can rent a life and crawl out of your miserable existance even a rabid skunk is worth more thanu
38 skunks under the neighbors hse. They had an old floor furnice and they dug five dens down under the floor furnice and visited our hse ever night. What a mess.
I read that skunks hate lights, so put some bright lights aiming their way and keep food sources away…
What about mothballs or ammonia spraying, or predator urine?
Mothballs do not work, nor does pepper.Lights do not do much either except give them a better view of your yard,really!
Lights won’t work? Just curious to ask this question because adding bright lights was suggested here. I was thinking of adding light. We smell the skunk spray probably after 10 or 11 pm, but not every night. We still don’t know where they are.
We’re at N. California. Really want to get rid of the skunks… just to keep skunks away from our house. Help~~~
I watched a skunk hanging around my patio last night, and all the motion sensor lights were on bright! So lights didn’t bother this one!
I used to use moth balls untill I found out they are toxic and poisonous
Doesn’t make sense, considering moth balls are made to use IN the jouse
So many people say skunks hate light, but I have found that isn’t the case. Maybe they have a preference for the safety of darkness, but we have a huge double street light in our back yard, put there by the electric company at the request of the previous owners. I can literally read a book within about a 200’ radius, which covers 3 sides of our house. Their favorite entry spot under our house is about 8’ from the pole. They don’t mind it at all.
I have a skunk, I’m pretty sure there are babies too, under my house. If the skunk is caught, how do I get the babies out?
I have one in my yard that hides under the truck. It’s out in daylight and my dog chases it to the woods but it comes back. My old dog is half blind and can be but since she can move fast. How can I get rid of this skunk best without my dog getting hurt or us getting bit?
Hi Debbie,
Where are you from? Is some reason the skunk likes your truck? Is a old undriven truck or a daily driven one? If you see skunk tracks every day or so, it needs to be trapped and removed.
Keep your dog put up until it’s caught, because it is a matter of time before someone gets sprayed by a skunk. If you’re unable to do this have a respectable company do it for you. This is one of those times where you can not afford to make a mess that stinks for a long time or getting bitten by a dangerous animal.
Tom, where in Ohio are you? We have a skunk that keeps spraying, we think now in Feb because of mild weather.
Hi Sandy ,
New Philadelphia.
Thomas,
Twice this week we have had skunk smell in basement. We don’t smell anything outside. We do have a bay window in kitchen that I had blocked opening between wall and ground with bricks. Some of the bricks have shifted. Wondering if there is skunk under bay. We don’t smell it in kitchen and I am thinking we would if skunk is under that window. What should we do? We live in Columbus, OH
sprinkle flour where you suspect they might be using in the pm and look at the footprints in the am
many years ago, we had a momma skunk nest in the cellar window well. My dad and his friend threw planks and chains in the driveway along the window. Eventually, the noise made them relocate – but it took several tries.
Make sure it’s skunk you smell and not flowering pot plants hidden in your basement.
I have delt with this 5 times in 2 weeks..I believe you have a skunk that sprayed at something and is alive or a dead one ,hit by car or trapped inside that hole..if it is 4″
Hole a skunk can get in.
Put a trap there for a week… spray in side the hole with sprayer of chemicals peroxide baking soda and soap… The smell is wafting threw the house… I use a 15Gal weed sprayer, not sure about your foundation or a crawspace.
This work is not something you can just explain easy. And not anyone can do. I have expensive equipment, inspection camera. Good luck.
Tom, I live in Maple Hts, the animal control officer here does not do skunks. Do you know someone in my area, we have one that wanders in and out of my yard and around the neighbor hood, I am wondering about how much it costs to get rid of these animals.
Yesterday we bought 2 cheap wire traps for $20 and caught a skunk in each one ! Very happy ! STILL havent caught the huge male-Mr Stinky is what we call him because he reeks so bad whenever hes in the yard somewhere we KNOW it. Hes not spraying-he just REEKS-strong enought to wake you up in the middle of the night when hes just passing by !
Resetting the traps tonight as he is our main goal-tired of his awful stink ! Anyway, point being-the traps work !
Hi. We have a skunk too….it’s driving us crazy. What food/bait did u use to trap your skunks?? Thanks!
Peanut butter go to bait but i going to try bananas also..place where he walks all the time..loke at hos hole.
What kind of trap?
how far away should you release a skunk from the hay barn it was captured in
No releases..must humanely put down..sorry DNR rules
FYI it is ILLEGAL to release a skunk any where except where it is trapped !!
what do you do with them if they are trapped ?
Live in Northern VA, simply can’t afford for the local guys to come out at 300-600$. I’m trying this on my own… and these things are freaking me out. If one gets in my garage when the door is open I’m screwed. Dad has a trap I can use. But what the heck do I do with it once it’s in there? I’m ok to let it sit in there and die on it’s own. But would that take days or weeks; cause meanwhile I could be baiting for more.
The one I saw last night was big and didn’t seem to care to avoid me heading (frantically) to the car.
I didn’t see any replies about the ammonia usage type questions.
I live in a relatively dense neighborhood so can’t just run it out, the problem will surely be back.
oh, I don’t care if a skunk is technically a rodent..they are hated just the same:-)
Signed…Big Chicken.
Calm down…
You have to know the short falls of being a skunk..I cant see well, and will not spray it self inside covered cage…..
Cover cages heavy tarp..or i can sell you trap plastic covers for 10.00 plus shipping..about 15.00 dollars ..these last for years and are cheapest on market..
Make sure trap action works..then peanutbutter behind trap pan , smear the peanutbutter on out the trap. Place in location of trap and make it easy to pick up ..once it is in the covered trap you can pick it up and like i have before drop it and it wont spray..place in truck with heavy gloves.. Take to a safe shooting area ..Skunks have a LARGE chance of rabies and you can die only when in contact with mouth.. When you cover it make sure your handle is there..bunge cord work well..and when you catch one take it and shoot it point blank with 22 bird shot in head .. Peak under cover in cage with barrel it will spray but most the time they will not get on you bad ..it will mostly be in covered cage..Make sure hes head is pointed away..And if you cant stand the spell spend the money to hire out..
Thats all i got for you now ..just man up or pay for a Local DNR trapper its cheaper..
Peace out.. Nuisance Wild Animal Control and Recovery.
The ads make your website unusable. This is a great way to have someone never ever visit your site again. Oh, and most states don’t allow transport of wildlife. Nut up and shoot it, ya hippie.
Not sure what your talking about I am a commercial trapper that euthanize animals every day . So what you’re saying is garbled and what ads are making my website unusable. Sorry if you were miss informed but you can move the animal to euthanize it .
There’s an opening Under the deck to the crawl space which the cover came off!! You have to crawl on your belly to get to it!! Smell the skunk or skunks early hours of morning!! I can’t afford $500 or $600… Recently Divorced here!! Lol you going to say Sorry about your luck then??? Please Help!! Lake Waynoka, Ohio. Sardinia, Ohio
I live in Ontario Canada and we can not kill them here. If we move them it can not be more than a mile from where we catch them. Living near a river I have a rather frequent problem with them any year we have high water in the spring. In the past 5 years I have caught and moved more than 200 and have never had a problem. Best bait I have found is Kentucky Fried Chicken. It never fails. Remember to keep your trap covered with a towel or tarp and getting sprayed is not a problem
Wow..thats great fried chicken ,I would go broke… Just put trap right in front of hole. Then take the skunk to the Downtown , were they make the laws and let them in joy them… Peace fellow trapper.
Move them !/2 mile away to the river bottom!
What a joke none of you know what to do! Nothing works! I need a new idea!so what’s your great effective answer?
You sound condescending, If you asked nice I will help you. But with wild animals thing don’t always go as planed What is your problem?
I had a skunk spray under my house and the smell is coming up thru the vents in my house. What can I do or who can I call? I’ve never had this happen before.
Hi Lisa,
Where about are you located. You need to keep the smell from wafting thru the house (block it off) by mainly find if it comes from a hole, i would spray baking soda, peroxide and dawn dish soap by the gallons all over and in the hole. Fill the hole with loose dirt and but make it if it is alive he can dig out and if it is dead the hole is covered(not a bunch of rocks). If this is a crawlspace you need to find out where the smell comes from and spray it with a lot of that solution. And all ways make sure a crawl space is not open to basement, skunk can fall into basement. Also wire around places that skunks can dig under, I describe this before( like decks). I wish you luck, and you need to prevent the next problem from happening.
We had same problem, we found a very simple solution to get rid of the smell. Just put several bowls of vinegar around the house interior & pour vinegar outside where ever you detect the origin. It worked amazingly for us & it’s cheap & non-toxic, hope it works for you too.
My dog got sprayed twice last year, and there are no visible points of entry in my back yard.. My guess is the little bugger got in through the crawl space under the house that leads to the back yard. This year I’ll just make sure that the lid is extremely secure! I love most all animals and my heart breaks when they are hurt or abused, BUT after waking up to a full spray just underneath the Windows swamp cooler to my bedroom has me whistling a different toon! Anyhow, good luck to any and all of you who have pets that might get sprayed and come runnin in the doggie door sneezing and choking at 4am and jump on your bed like mine did =P
We are paying a guy to trap our skunks and remove them because we have so many move in under our porch every February. He uses marshmallows and jam and has caught 8 in the past two weeks along with 4 possums. Great bait but expensive venture. We are getting ready to close in the area under the porch so we can stop paying to trap them.
However, you close it off, you will need 16 gauge wire on bottom L shaped in the ground about 10″ down, and out about 8″ in-ground but away from the porch (Hence the underground L shape). This will keep skunks away from digging under.
Thanks for all the info. My dogs were sprayed last night. Our first unpleasant skunk encounter. Lots of fun….not. we live in NM. Gonna call the local sheriff’s. Department for traps. Thank you all.
We can not smell skunk outside the cabin, but open the door to inside and it is very strong! Not sure if the skunk is dead or alive under the cabin crawl space. We have a live trap placed by a hole which is probably the entry. Meanwhile, I need to get rid of the terrible smell in the living space. That is my question, how do I remove the smell from my cabin home living space?
Wildlife supply company has many different stink absorbents at a good price.
Thank you for all the advice you are giving. I have 3 skunks under my porch. They sprayed twice in the past 3 days. Its horrible and with a 2 month old. ..scary. I want to fence the holes in. What solution can I put into the hole to get them out first? I read the ingredients you mentioned, but how much of each product do I use? I was told previously if I pour ammonia on rags and throw them into the hole, the skunks will leave. Is that accurate? Thank you!
Incense, sunlight, open windows… Some times we even have to put something to slow cook in a crock pot. Good luck
We had the same issue when our dog got sprayed and then came back into the house. A mixture of Hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish liquid eliminated most all the smell from our dog. For the house, I filled some aluminum throw away pie pans with liquid Mr. Clean. It absorbed most of the odor out of our house. After a few days, it was totally gone.
we have had our dogs sprayed twice. The ONLY thing that took the odour out of our house was placing small bowls of vinegar all around the house….on both occasions within 2 days the smell was gone.
Product named Odor Xit works great, even on cat urine in carpet. Retired Realtor!
A product named Odor Xit kills all odors. Even skunk!! They say even cat urine in carpet, etc.
I am smelling a skunk smell in my bedroom on the second floor and my bedroom is right next to the wall with the garage attic on the other side of the wall. Can skunks get in an attic space above a garage? That the only place I’m smelling it. If so, how do I find out if there is one and how to get rid of it? Please help, I have medical problems and this will not help me.
I know there is a skunk under my deck. I can pretty well determine where it is, but I can’t see it. My deck is too short for me to get under, plus I don’t want to. I think it has dug a hole that it lives in. Would blasting the hose in the direction of the smell help discourage the skunk? I can set a humane trap. I’m just concerned about leaving a littler to starve. I guess that if I can look under the cage, if I catch it, I could see if I have a male or a mama. What do you think?
I live in a mobile home in upstate NY I have paid the wild life guy over 500.00 still they are digging under my home I live on a very limited budget and can not afford any more visits from them. they caught 1 and installed valves so they can get out but not back in. because of frost I can not dig down enough for wire fence how can I get them to stop digging in different spots? how do I repell them?
Dale,
You only need to dig about 8 ” deep..bend the wire L SHAPE PLEASE READ OTHER POSTS..
TOM the Animal guy
Will insect fogger drive skunks out of crawl space???
No ,I don’t believe so..They live in a hole..use traps and close off the hole..
Are there any stores that sell effective traps?
I have a skunk underneath my cement front step and stoop (landing in front of my front door). I thought he had left because I covered the entry with our decorative rock and he didn’t got back in the same way. Instead, some leaves had blown into the corner where the step and the stoop meet and he is going in there covertly.
I am trying ‘Critter Ridder’ to get rid of him as of today. I have had excellent success keeping all manner of mammals out of my backyard including: skunks, opossums, squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits, gophers, field mice, etc. My two large dogs don’t seem to mind it at all. They don’t go out front very much. I haven’t applied it out front for some reason, so we’ll see.
Hello, I have succeeded in relocation of skunk from our house, you may watch some details in my video:
I read that moth balls are an excellent skunk repellant!!
I fill 4 old socks with 5 or 6 moth balls and place one at each corner of my property, but this year in California, after 5 years of no rain, then suddenly we got a lot of rain this season , and the skunks are back in force!!!! And very early.
Should I increase the number of socks full of mother balls?? Maybe double them and place the 1st 4 directly to each corner of my home, and work my way out 20 ft
For the next 4??
Mothballs are a poisonous waste, you would need to throw them everywere. Trap the skunk and have someone move it and euthanize it.
The Skunks dont eat the balls. They won’t get near the stanky balls they hate the smell like you and I hate skunk spray, You actually thought I was dumb enough to try to make skunks eat the balls that to them stink like Skunks stink to humans. Now I have really good heard everything, I wonder how socks of moth balls tied closed could have made anyone think they were bait. The repel the disgusting stanky ass skunks. If you want to feed moth balls to a skunk, you can get to it. WOW THAT’S THINKING INTELLIGENTLY L.O.L.
They are also toxic and dangerous. If you have any concern for your own health, neighbors, children, pets or other wildlife I would try anything else.
Can you recommend a trapper in Dayton Ohio area? Thanks
i am in canada my neighbor spotted a mother and 6 babies crawling under my house…i asked online and most ppl in my area say city wont do anything and we dont have a pest control person around here so i need some kind of home remedy…
No home remedies. Trap or shoot.
The best way to kill a skunk is to trap it and a wire have a heart trap, cover with a tarp (skunk will chill out and not spray), attach a shopvac hose to the exhaust pipe of your car, and stick the other end of the hose under the tarp. To make it more exffective, place rocks or bricks around the edges of the tarp to get a better seal. Rev car a few times to get the exhaust going. Wait 10 minutes. Skunk falls asleep and never wakes up. Easy peasy.
OMG how evil!
its a skunk
really good idea! I am not good at shooting an innocent animal no matter how stinky. Go to sleep not wake up best idea.
We have an inground pool. First rabbits burrowed beneath it, now we have skunks and/or grounghogs. Everytime my husband fills in their burrow, they dig it back out. They now have two burrows on opposite sides of the pool and we are at a loss at what to do? Any suggestions?
The hole for the skunk is under my deck, I can pour cloxic down from the deck into hole, think it my work??
I heard skunks don’t like the smell of moth balls. Should I drop a few of them in the opening to their den?
Dam It.. I just found a DAM Skunk.. on my driveway after coming home from Movie Theatre.. I am in Southern California.. I am thinking of contacting the Sheriffs Department or someone to help me.. I do not like this. at all. I do not want this Skunk on my property.. thank God I do not own a dog at this time..
Did you call the Sheriff? Curious what they had to say about skunks..
A baby skunk wandered in open back door. Cat food, I presume. I awoke to the sound
.at my bedroom window ting to get out at 2 am. Think it’s under the bed right now. I pried open the screen, will it leave? My cat lives here too.
I have two large skunks and two baby skunks living under my front porch. How/when can I have a company trap them without the babies getting stuck under my porch and dying there?
22 and patience
I live in Bartlett,IL Cook County. I have a skunk(s?) under my cement stoop. I am on disability so I have no money to pay for a trap or professional removal. Any ideas?
I have an issue. 5 cute baby kittens and a few skunks keep going under the shed in our back yard. We feed the kittens. But now wouldn’t you know, we caught the damn skunks eating the kitty food. The cats rely on is now…what to do with the skunks. I think they live under the neighbors enclosed deck underneath there house. We have window air conditioners and in the early am we smell there spray…not pleasant to wake up to,it’s like the skunks are in our room with us! Ugh!
Please people have a heart do not shoot or choke skunks with truck exhaust. I have an issue with them too but it takes a real sadist to choke, toxic poison, or blow the poor things head off!
Then what do you suggest? It’s not like they can be rehabilitated. Shooting them seems to be the kindest way to execute them.
I heard that leaving milk out, skunks drink it and it does something to shrink or dry up the glands or whatever it is that produces the horrible smell. Anyone ever heard of that? I’ve got a bold skunk who waltzes right up to the front stoop where I sit in the evenings looking for pet food I feed my outdoor cat. I now remove the food bowl as soon as she’s done so there’s no temptation for Mr. Stinky Skunk but he still shows up. I’ve got lights on and hold a flashlight for deterring skunks, but they are still showing up.
I live in SE Massachusetts.
H8raid. How rude. I thought this was for help not dome smart azz . You are about as detestable as the dmell of the skunk problem I have. Thanks for all the good information. This clown is sad individual needs crawl back in his piehole
Oops some and smell. My auto correct is about as bad as you
My 24 hour surveillance cameras see Mr. Skunk make his nightly rounds. Quite predictable pattern. I could catch and kill him in many ways but why bother when my neighbor is a freaking moron that has open holes all over his foundation and is no doubt breeding all sorts of vermin. Yup you guessed it, California, Mexicans. They have a tree on top of their 60 year old roof. My house is secure. Can’t imagine the kind of filth, fleas, disease, feces, mites, insects, rats, opossum, skunks, squirrels etc that live in, on, under and about that POS house. Unfortunately I have to share the same street.
I don’t understand why so many people are against the idea of shooting or gassing a nuisance animal that spreads rabies and injures pets, while at the same time furthering Reverse Darwinism by breeding. The world needs no more stupid people. Use a condom for Pete’s sake. The skunk is in your yard because of human encroachment in skunk habitat not vice versa. The glove has already been thrown down, and you did your part by buying a house in a previous skunk ecosystem. So your solution is relocation – out of sight out of mind. Do the world a favor and gas yourselves.
Use a .22 rifle or a .38 hand gun. 1 bullet and its problem solved.
Well, I live in Naches, WA and my dog has been sprayed twice in less than two months. This time, the little bugger stuck around to watch the antics of me trying to catch my dog to put him in tub. I will be doing the whole peroxide bath thing. What I would like to know. Does the light thing work. I have 1/3 of acre fenced in and do not have time to dig a trench to put more fencing around. Was thinking more in the way of solar LED lights and placing them along the fence. Would that work zero it’s either that or go buy a lot of Cayenne pepper and put it all along the fence line
so I have come to the conclusion the best way to keep small animals and rodents out of my yard is a deer fence put under the ground at least 2 feet then at least 3 feet above ground. That is fine for my back yard however that does not help in the front where we see skunk tracks quite often. I am at my wits end about this because my dog has been sprayed once and like every 3 nights they seem to spray outside my windows, I have asthma so this makes it really hard to breath. I do not want to kill them because they are just doing what animals do but dang I need to breath. HELP
Do the ultrasonic devices like the Birx_x yard guard work to drive the skunks away?
Sorry, I mean Bird-X yard guard.
Am I wasting my time putting a radio on my patio at night? I have it tuned to the jazz station and it’s on fairly low, but I’ve read skunks don’t like constant noise, so I thought I’d give it a try before more drastic measures come into play.
BTW, how/where do you dispose of the skunk corpse?
Any kind of noise will keep skunks away. If you don’t have neighbors right next to you, you could try putting a couple of radios around your yard on a timer to come on at dark and go off at day break. Have the volume turned up over half. You’re Welcome and there’s no charge !
Sound is not going to work with most skunks. I have a family of them that lives under my front stoop and my 23 piece drum set is maybe 4ft away from that location. Even though i play almost every day for 2 to 3 hours they move in every year like clockwork. So either sound is very ineffective or i have a family/tribe of headbanging skunks that like my stoop. I never bother trapping them since they never spray near my house, except for about a week or two after the babies make there way out into the world.
We lived on S. Ca. and had an army of skunks. They came from next door. My husband bought an inexpensive Tramp, Set it with PB. When we woke up the next morning we got two. Now what to do with them. Well, we had an empty large garbage can and filled it with water and put the whole cage in the can. But first we covered the trap with a small tarp so we would not be sprayed. It worked, by the end we caught about 7. We won the war. No more skunks for several years. Now if I can get rid of Moles in N. Ca. Skunks hate strong smells, fish, cayenne pepper, pepperment, I make a love potion #9 with garlic, all types of pepper red hot, grew onions. Help It help for a little while, but they come back.
Use 1/4th cup of Ammonia or more, 1 or more squirts of dish detergent. Dilute with water. Put in a spray bottle and spray around the perimeter of the dwelling where you wish to repeal Skunks. Repeat when Skunk(s) return. Google for exact amount of water to use.
I have one under my work shed, it had several holes dug, I filled them all with cement and the dug through one of them. Since then I have used ammonia buy taking little tennis balls and filling them and rolling them down the hole once a day for three days. After the third day I poured an entire gallon down there. The next day, about 3 or 4 i cemented that hold shut thinking he would be gone. I guess the cement did not dry all the way and last night he dug through it and once again the hole is there. I dont want to kill it under there that is why I keep trying to get it to move. I hear skunks hate light, so tonight he gets my drop down fishing light put down there around sun set along with another gallon on Ammonia. He, or she, has gotten my dogs twice now and they know he is there so each morning they run over, smell and roll around the ground. One thing for sure these dogs are the cleanest dogs in town because they get a bath every day. The thing is driving me nuts. I would set up a trap but we have to great looking foxes that live here and I dont want to trap one of them. Here is Texas you cant move wild animals if they are caught they kill them period. The local Animal Control people will come by and set the trap and haul it off to kill it but once again I dont want to screw up and catch a fox. I had considered putting a glass of muratic acid at the top of the hole, I am sue it would spill it but then I got a wounded mad skunk hanging around town lol. I would say this if fun but when it gets the dogs it is quite the pain in the ass
Honestly, after reading all of these comments, I suggest just have a trapper do it and work with them to make sure they use bait cats or dogs may not like, and to make sure they don’t make off with your or someone’s small pet. It’s really unfair to my ferals that a damn skunk is moving in on their shed and I don’t even leave food sources in the shed!! If my measures don’t work, (lights and blocking stuff off, moving food/picking up their food earlier and vigilance,) I’ll call the trapper. Screw all that putting even an “odor free” trap in my car. Odor free. HAHAHAHAH yeah right. P.s. you guys are great but I hardly ever check this email. Pieces!
Our home has been sprayed ….I see a lot of questions about trapping them but what is useful In deodoratizing the home? It’s on our clothes, closets, shoes furniture etc. Vinegar tomato air fresheners aren’t working!! It smells so bad at work they were able to notice HELP
I do not have unleashed outside dogs and so I just leave the skunks alone, they keep the grubs and rodents under control and don’t bother anyone unless you bother them. Easy to remove if you need or want to. Set a Have-a-Hart trap using canned cat food, bread and peanut butter, or marshmallows. Slowly approach the trapped skunk with something to gently drape over the cage. Move slow and they won’t spray. Place the cage in your truck or trunk, drive to a suitable release spot and off he goes. Its not rocket science. If you catch the neighbor’s cat by mistake, let it out and reset. If it’s “illegal” (Oh no! Gasp!) to release in your state, drive to a remote area and release it when no one is looking.
At least 2 skunks have moved in beneath the house I rent.
Spraying Cayenne Pepper Spray around the skunk den entrance was a joke… My skunks merely *laughed* at my spray – & then asked me where the chicken wings & the ranch dip were. They could not have *cared less* about the Cayenne Spray – it did not even slow them down.
A Game & Fish Officer brought me a trap. We set it up with Peanut Butter by the den entrance. They totally ignored the snack & the trap, promptly went underneath the house to mate, which involved someone spraying 3 hours worth of eye watering nasty in the heat of passion. I expect that by March, small impossible to retrieve babies under the house will soon be added to this picture.
“Rave Music” was temporarily successful – but they came back just as soon as the music goes off & the House Party ends.
My landlady thinks throwing moth balls under my floors is going to do more than drive me & my cat out – but all information on the internet indicates that a crawl space or large deck contains too much air space for things like moth balls & ammonia to be a real deterant. They will just go somewhere else under the entire house.
What is conspicuously missing here are posts where some proud chest-beating braggart says, “Here’s how I got rid of *MY* skunk!!!” I see no one but professional trappers bragging about actually getting rid of them for good. And I wish my perpetually “on-the-cheap” & “why-face-reality?” land lady would take that hint. The one who was too lazy & avoidant to wire the hole in the vent shut before these things ever moved in.
I’m with Tom on this one. We have a weird skunk in the hood for 5 plus years now. It’s white with a black stripe, Now have 2 juveniles roaming the hood…houses are very close together, animal control is useless. Collectively, over the years, the hood residents have easily paid over $800 to local animal control. Only to have the same albino skunk return! Ruining our gardens and spraying every night. A 22 seems to be the right solution. Made a pact with neighbors…collect all bottle rocket sticks and spent casings. When cops show up to ‘shots fired’ call, “No, it was just a few bottle rockets!”
If you or your pet ever get sprayed by a skunk. Simple Green is the best way to get the oils off, from the skunk spray. For pets, wash them with Simple Green twice. Then bath your pet with their own shampoo. After your pet’s bath. There will be no sign of your pet being sprayed. Ut also works for yourself. Simple Green costs about $10.00 a gallon and removes the oils of skunks spray.
Simple Green is a country’s girl’s best friend~
Also, to get rid of skunks, use mothballs around their home. They don’t like the smell of mothballs & will relocate.
Farmers use Golden Marlin. You take a pie pan, mix Golden Marlin with coke a cola. Place the pie pan near the skunk entry point. Skunks will drink this mixture & it will kill the skunks. The coke a cola makes this mixture sweet & that’s what all problem wildlife likes. Works like a dream. Please remember, keep this mixture away from your pets. It kills everything that drinks it.
I have skunks living under my shed. And I have a dog. For those of you who get frustrated by skunks spraying your dogs. Why do you let them out after dusk when you know there’s a skunk out there? Mine can go out during the day but after dusk I take him out on a leash. I make a lot of noise just in case they’re out there and I have no problems. I like having them because they keep the rats away. I have chickens and live not far from a waste transfer station. So rats were a problem but not since the skunks moved in. And they don’t bother my chickens. They eat the eggs but I have plenty so I don’t mind. I’ve chosen to adjust to living with the skunks and it’s working out just fine.
If anyone else is reading this thread in 2019, Rural King sells a nice spray proof skunk trap for $30, half the price as the one on Amazon. It works very well for smaller skunks. I’ve yet to catch the large one though in my yard. I think she may be too big for the trap due to tail keep door from locking but not sure yet. With this trap, they can’t see you as it is solid black. Just take them somewhere in a remote area and let them out. Yes, it is “illegal” but so is speeding. To me, I would rather do that compared to killing them. When letting them out of the trap, you have time. The skunks are not aggressive and are slow to leave the trap. Set the door side of the trap away from you and best if on a slope, to allow gravity to help the sunk leave the trap. They will leave and wander off, in my case down hill. Then slowly grab the trap, put back in truck or trunk, leave. Peanutbutter on left over sweet corn has been killer bait for me. Also it is very cool to set a security camera out there by the trap. It is crazy to see not only skunks, but the racoon that come in to your yards as well! It is like constant action in my yard all night long, well in to the morning.
Trap them and take the trap with the skunk to the pond for a 5 min underwater dive
Traps Work – When the skunks are under the house and spray And the smell comes up thru the vents the only thing’s that work are Fresh Air (Open windows/Screen Doors) Use Fans/HVAC, spray ‘Ozium’ on Air Filter (With Fan Running) and thru out house, pour a SMALL amount (1/4 cup) Bleach down a vent, then after an hour pour 50 to 80% Rubbing Alcohol down all vents (1/2 cup each) and Repeat every half hour for 6 to 12 hours (You should wait Outside while house/vents are being cleaned), Replace Air Filter (Spray with Ozium) When skunks breech your house and treat it like a Hotel ‘They will return’ For 20 years I never had a problem with skunks NOW it is a ongoing Battle.
how do you remove when the animal is alfready in the trap.
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