Because of their unique looks and smell, skunks have learned to live in both cities and suburbs. Even though they help get rid of pests by eating bugs and small mammals, they can be a bother to homeowners, especially if they move into your garden. Here, we talk about what to do if you have skunk problems in your yard and how to deal with possible problems.
Figuring Out Skunk Problems
Before you do anything, you should look for signs that you have skunk problems in your area. These are some common signs:
- Sightings: If you see skunks in your garden a lot, especially at night, it may be a clear sign that they are there.
- Skunk Odour: It’s impossible to miss the strong, unpleasant smell of skunk spray. If you or your neighbours smell this smell a lot, it could mean that skunks are close.
- Animal Damage: Skunks are known to dig in gardens and grounds to find bugs and grubs. Skunks may be to blame for damage to your lawn or yard, like soil that is turned over or small holes.
- Disturbance to Trash: Skunks are drawn to human trash. Skunks may be looking for food if you see trash cans on their sides or trash all over the ground near your backyard.
What to Do When Skunks Cause Trouble
Once you know there are skunks in your garden, here are some things you can do to fix the problem:
- Find Den Sites: Look around your land for possible den sites, like gaps under decks, porches, sheds, and other similar structures. To keep skunks from making dens on your property, cover these places with hardware cloth or heavy-gauge wire mesh.
- Secure Your Garbage: To keep skunks from digging through your trash, use trash cans with lids that close tightly. This will make it harder for them to get to a possible food source.
- yard Maintenance: Get rid of pests that are eating grubs in your yard to keep skunks from getting too many of them. Quickly pick up any dropped fruit to make your garden less appealing to them.
- Motion-activated lights: Put motion-activated lights in places where skunks are known to be busy. Skunks might not want to come into your backyard as much if these lights scare them away.
- Repellents: You can use skunk repellents that you can buy in stores on your land. Skunks don’t like the smells in these items, which can keep them from coming near.
- Professional Animal Removal: If your skunk problems get out of hand, you should talk to a professional animal 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
If you see a skunk in your garden, you should treat it with care and respect:
- Stay away from skunks. They’re not mean by nature, but they may spray if they feel threatened. Keep your distance and give them room to get away.
- Deodorization Methods: If a skunk sprays you, your pet, or your property, you can get rid of the smell in a number of ways at home, such as by mixing hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and liquid soap. There are also commercial skunk odour removers that you can buy.
- 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.
The best way to deal with skunk problems in your garden is to take preventative steps and have a respectful attitude toward these unique animals. You can keep your backyard and your connection with the skunks that sometimes come to visit if you understand how they act, know what to do when something is wrong, and follow the right steps.
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.