Infestations of skunks are one of the unique problems that come with living in the city that some people might not expect. People know these small, nocturnal animals by their unique looks and strong smells. They have adapted to living in cities, so it’s easier to see them than you might think. Understanding how skunks behave and taking preventative steps are important if you want to keep them out of your city home.
Figuring Out How Skunks Act
Before you start fighting skunk outbreaks, it’s important to know how they act:
Nocturnal Activity: Skunks are mostly nocturnal, which means they are most busy at night. This behaviour makes it less likely that you will see them during the day.
What they eat: Skunks are greedy omnivores. They eat many things, like bugs, small mammals, fruits, veggies, and trash from people. When they are in cities, they often find lots of food.
Skunks like to hide under porches, decks, sheds, and other similar buildings by burrowing and sleeping. In these places, they often build dens to rest and raise their young.
Signs That You Have a Skunk Problem
If you think you have a skunk problem, watch out for these signs:
- Sightings: Skunks are likely to be on your land if you see them often, especially at night.
- Skunk Odour: Skunk spray has a strong smell that can be used to spot it. If you keep smelling the smell, it could mean that skunks are close.
- Skunks are known to damage lawns and plants by digging in them to find bugs and grubs. If your yard or garden has damage like soil that has been turned over or small holes, it may have been caused by skunks.
- Disturbance to Garbage: Skunks are drawn to human trash. Skunks may be looking for food if you see trash cans that are upside down or trash all over the ground near your home.
Getting rid of skunk infestations
If you find that skunks are living in your city home, here are some things you can do to fix the problem:
- Find Den Sites: Look around your land for places where a den could be built, like gaps under decks and sheds. To keep skunks from making dens on your property, cover these places with hardware cloth or heavy-gauge wire mesh.
- Taking care of your lawn: Skunks may dig in fields and lawns to find bugs, grubs, and other food. Reduce the number of grubs in your lawn by taking steps to control pests. Taking care of your property in a way that skunks don’t want to go there can also help.
- Motion-activated lights: Put motion-activated lights in places where skunks are known to be busy. Skunks will stay away from your property if these lights scare them.
- Sprays: You can use commercial sprays to keep skunks away from your land. Skunks might not want to use these items because they have smells that they don’t like.
- Animal-Proof Trash Cans: To keep skunks from digging through your trash, use animal-proof trash cans with lids that close tightly.
- Professional Wildlife Removal: If the skunk problem gets too big or can’t be handled, you should call a professional wildlife removal service. They know how to look at your property and give you advice on how to remove it in a safe and gentle way.
How to Handle Skunk Encounters
Being careful and respectful is the best way to deal with skunks in your city home:
- Skunks are usually not mean, but they may spray if they feel threatened, so stay away. Keep a safe distance and give them room to get away.
- Techniques for Deodorizing: If you get sprayed by a skunk, there are a number of things you can do at home to get rid of the smell. There are commercial skunk odour neutralizers and a combination of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and liquid soap in this group.
- Professional Help: If you see a skunk that looks hurt or upset, you should call animal control or a wildlife rescue centre in your area for help. Do not try to get rid of the skunk by yourself.
- In the end, getting rid of skunks in your city home requires taking precautions, learning how they behave, and treating them with care when you do come across one. By following these tips, you can remove skunks from your property and live peacefully with these interesting animals in a city setting.
At Skunk Control Barrie,guarantees complete skunk removal using industry-standard methods that have been time-tested on numerous cases before and are approved by the federal and provincial governments.