Hi lovelies,

You may have noticed your yard dug-in, a strong smell around your house, or holes under your deck or patio. You do not have an intruder. You may have a skunk. This could be a huge problem if you have pets as they tend to defend themselves when encountered by our dogs or cats.

Skunks are fairly easy to identify. They can be anywhere between 1 to 14 pounds, depending on the species, and can be between 22 to 27 inches long. Their tails can be 7 to 11 inches long alone. Their signature is the white stripe on their head and neck. A skunk’s habit depends on the season. In the spring they will eat insects, mice, frogs, birds, and bird eggs. In the winter they eat mice, voles, and shrews. Skunks will dig up you lawn looking for insects.

One way to keep skunks away is to kill their food supply. Treat your lawn with an insect-killing pesticide and the skunks will not have anywhere to graze. This option usually takes 10 to 14 days to see an immediate change.

Another way to tell if a skunk is residing near your home is its smell. As a defense mechanism, they spray an oily malodorous yellow musk from glands underneath their tail. Their spray holds sulfur compounds that smell foul and irritate the eyes and sinuses. This can cause headaches, tearing, and temporary blindness. Encountering a skunk is not a pleasant experience.

Luckily, skinks give warnings before they spray. You just have to know their warning signs. They will stamp their front feet, raise their tail, start hissing, will make short forward charges and twist their hind end around in your direction. Spotted skunks will get into a handstand. The best thing to do when you encounter a skunk is back away slowly and silently. Any sudden movement and they will spray.

To avoid any encounters, secure your trash cans. Not only will they eat bugs and small rodents, they will also eat your garbage and pet food. Feed your pets indoors, and if you have to feed them outside, remove their food after your pet eats.

Skunks also like to den by sheds and openings under porches decks. Loosely fill in those holes with leaves or straw. The skunk will either move somewhere else, or you may have to take a more aggressive approach. Adding light and noise can help make a space unattractive for a skunk to live.

If all of those options do not work, you can opt for repellants like kitty litter. The best way to use this is by placing it near or inside the den. Commercial or homemade capsaicin or castor oil may also be a good repellant, according to the Human Society. If you want to get rid of the skunk humanely, it is best not to use predator urine.

You can easily get rid of the skunk by contacting animalcontrolspecialists.com.