Skunk Removal and Trapping in New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts & Vermont

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The two complaints we get about skunks are the tearing up of the lawns and the smell. If it were not for those two problems with skunks we would get barely any calls about skunks. Skunks are very docile and can often be carried out of the kitchen or other room, when skunks come in through pet doors, Skunks den up in borrows for the winter where skunks stay until around the end of January when the male skunks go out and search for female skunks to breed with. After the breeding season which can last as long as march. Skunks will den up again until the spring thaw. The baby skunks are born mostly in may but can overlap months according to the breeding season. gestation is a little over 8 weeks and they have up to 8 baby skunks per litter.

Baby skunks can spray the day they are born but do not find their powers until later when they start to walk around at around 2 months old. Baby skunks will spray for no reason at all but to test their glands and get used to the muscle action from the glands which are located next to the anus, one on each side. Adult skunks seem to only spray for 3 reasons : If they are startled, attacked or during breeding season. Many times I have found opossums denning close to or if not with skunks.

Once the skunks and any other animal is trapped out from under sheds, houses or other structures we can give a price quote for sealing the entire parameter of the area with a guarantee on the sealing.

Removing Skunks

If you have skunk problems or getting rid of skunk creatures is a problem then you’ve come to the right place. Removing skunks can be difficult so leave it up to the experts. We offer a quality skunk removal service.

Best Skunk Repellents for Long-Term Control

Skunks are solitary black-and-white mammals. They are best known for their extremely well-developed scent glands used to release a noxious odor when they feel threatened. 

Skunks pose several problems to homeowners. First off, they are notorious for building tunnels and dens under buildings, decks, sheds, and even concrete foundations. These burrows sometimes compromise the structural integrity of buildings. What’s more, they will not hesitate to spray pets and even humans under threat. Visit howtogetridofskunk.com to learn more about skunk repellents.

That’s why having them around is never a good idea. The use of repellent is one of the most common ways of getting rid of skunks, especially when trapping and relocation are not possible due to legal constraints. 

In this article, we explore some of the best skunk repellents we recommend at New Hampshire Animal Damage Control.

Natural Repellents

• Cayenne Pepper

Cayenne pepper is a very hot spice. When skunks come in contact with it, it irritates their eyes, nose, and mouth. To use this repellent, sprinkle cayenne pepper around your property – paying close attention to areas frequented by the skunk. 

• Crushed chili pepper

It works similarly to cayenne pepper by irritating the eyes, nose, and mouth of the skunk. Apply this ingredient to your property to deter pesky skunks. 

• Peppermint oil

This is another home remedy you can use as a skunk repellent. Simply mix peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle. Spray the solution in areas visited by the skunk, like along porches, dens, or trash cans. 

• Citrus peels

Citrus peels are also known to make life unbearable for skunks. Spread citrus peels around your yard or garden to drive skunks away. Another option is to make a citrus repellent solution. Mix equal parts of lemon juice and water. Spray the solution in areas you want decreased skunk activity. 

• Cayenne and Jalapeno pepper recipe

This super recipe is considered one of the best natural skunk repellents. To make, put five ground cayenne peppers, once diced yellow onion, and five ground jalapeno peppers into a pot. Then add six cups of water. Boil the recipe for up to 20 minutes and pour it into a spray bottle. Apply the solution around your garden and yard. 

• Predator urine

Skunks have several predators in the wild, including coyotes, foxes, bobcats, badgers, and owls. By applying the urine of these predators in your yard, you send a message to any skunk that approaches that a predator is close by. Any skunk that doesn’t have a death wish will promptly move on to another area. You can purchase predator urine from your local wildlife store.

A Special Note on Natural Repellents

Most natural repellents work by irritating skunks. With time or after heavy rainfall, these repellents wear off, and they lose their effectiveness. That’s why they need to be constantly reapplied to work as a long-term control strategy.

Other Repellents

Here are some other suggestions for repelling skunks from your yard:

• Motion-activated water sprinkler

This device ejects a jet of water on the skunk (or any other wildlife) anytime it detects movement. This, of course, startles the critter, and it runs back to safety.

• Motion detector lights

Works similarly to the sprinkler system but is more effective at night. The device turns on a bright light when it detects a skunk (or any other wildlife) approaching. This scares the animal, which then runs back to the cover of darkness.

Wrap Up

Dealing with a skunk infestation on your own can be challenging because of the skunk’s unique defense mechanism. To guarantee your safety and bring a long-term end to your skunk infestation, promptly contact us at New Hampshire Animal Damage Control today.

How to Remove Skunks Under Shed

Ah, the infamous black-and-white stinky bandit! No one wants to discover skunks living on their property, largely because they don’t know how to approach them, and whether they will be sprayed with the unpleasant odor themselves.

Well, while it is true that skunks are largely unchallenged in the animal kingdom thanks to their awful stench, there are ways to remove a skunk on your property. Even better, we’ll show you some ways to get rid of a skunk naturally and humanely, so that the animal doesn’t feel threatened or provoked, and so has less reason to spray you.

Alternatively, you can call a professional wildlife removal team to remove skunks under your shed. They’ll be able to do things swiftly and expertly, not to mention in accordance with local laws and regulations. Do make sure you check these before attempting to remove an animal on your property, since improper removal or disposal may get you sanctioned.

So how can you remove skunks from under the shed?

First, we need to understand the reason why skunks want to move in under the shed in the first place. Well, the main attraction of the space underneath your shed is that it is dark, and difficult to reach. That makes it a great place to set up a nest, as it’s protected from larger predators (including you). It’s also a quiet, peaceful place for skunks to bring up their young. And most importantly, it allows easy access to food and water (most likely abundant on your property).

So the way to get rid of skunks is to address these issues. You can do this using light and sound to make the place as inhospitable as possible. To achieve this effect, you can either place a light at the entrance of the den or use a special wildlife deterrent. Most of these deterrents are motion-activated and placed at the entrance of the den. In time, the skunk will begin to feel harassed by the light or sound and may decide to leave on its own.

Another important step you can take is to keep a lid on your trash cans. Remember that the number one reason skunks (and other wild animals) are flocking to your property is that they want food and water. And what’s a better source of food than your garbage? 

A great wildlife prevention idea is to invest in sealable trash cans that can only be opened by you (and not through jiggling or toppling, since some animals may resort to that).

If you’ve decided that the problem isn’t the trash cans, you may want to look for other potential culprits. Are there pet bowls left out in the open overnight? Is your yard abundant in fallen fruit, or do you try to grow your own vegetable patch? Do you have bird feeders or a pond? All of these might be what’s attracting the skunk.

Tip: the presence of skunks and other wildlife near your shed may also indicate the presence of small mammals (mice, rats, etc.) inside your shed, since some of these larger animals do eat rodents. So if nuisance wildlife is a persistent problem on your property, look around for small, furry culprits.

Last but not least, a great idea would be to install a fence around your yard. Buried deep into the earth (so as to resist skilled diggers), a fence can provide the ideal protection from skunks, and a host of other wild animals. Moreover, the more closely knit the fence is, the more animals it keeps out, so don’t skimp on a sturdy fence.

How to Keep Skunks Out of The Garden

Skunks are famous around the world for their pungent stench, that eye-watering spray they release to ward off predators. And for good reason, since the skunk is largely unchallenged across the animal realm precisely because of this spray. The way a skunk is able to scare off predators much larger than himself simply through the threat of a stink is, undoubtedly, impressive, and should tell us a lot about attempting to remove skunks.

That’s why we generally recommend calling a professional wildlife removal company if you’re dealing with a skunk already on your property. Trust us, you don’t want to risk the stench only to save a few bucks.

But that’s not to say there aren’t some great ways to keep skunks out of your garden, aka skunk prevention. 

• Use natural deterrent spray.

Many wild animals that we consider pests have strong reactions to strong scents, like garlic, lavender, or in this particular case, castor oil. Thus, a mixture of castor oil, water, and dishwasher liquid can prove to be just what the doctor ordered to keep a skunk off your property. 

For best results, you should spray the mixture around your yard and fence at night, when skunks are foraging.

• Try ammonia. Or citrus.

Working off the same strong scent logic, ammonia-filled rags placed strategically around the yard can have a similar effect to the castor oil mix. However, it’s worth mentioning that the rags will require regular replacement in order to maintain their effect, and in the long run, that might prove difficult to maintain.

Alternatively, you might want to use orange and lemon peels around your fence and yard, since skunks are also put off by the strong smell of citrus. While these natural repellents may not be 100%, they’re definitely a cheap, and a pretty much as effective alternative to store bought repellent.

• Light it up.

Skunks are, by nature, nocturnal creatures. Which means they really don’t like bright lights, especially near their homes. So a great way to scare off a skunk is to light up your yard. For some properties, this might mean keeping on the porch light at night, while for others,this effect may be achieved with a special wildlife deterrent.

Most of these professional deterrents are motion-activated, and light up when they sense activity. Since the light hurts the skunk’s delicate eyes, he’s not likely to hang around for long.

• Get a pet. Or a predator.

Dogs are an excellent predator for a host of wild animals. Which is not to say dogs should be allowed to actually fight or attack said animals. Usually, the presence of dog hairs and urine in your yard is enough to ward off wild intruders, and skunks are no different. At their core, skunks are much more of a “flight” animal, than a “fight” one. So they’re looking to avoid an altercation as much as they can.

Alternatively, you can buy predator urine (dog or fox) at specialty stores and scatter that around your property to give the impression of a predator nearby.

• Seal off your garden.

A huge attraction point for skunks, and other nuisance wildlife, is your garden patch. You might want to use a fence to seal off that source of food. Alternatively, you may want to use plants that repel the skunks, like squash or stinging nettle, to keep skunks from reaching your garden. If they can’t reach their main food source, the skunks are likely to leave on their own soon enough.

Also, make sure they don’t have access to alternative food sources, like exposed trash cans, or pet food bowls!

5 Easy Steps to Get Rid of Skunk Smell

One of the biggest reasons why property owners dread the potential skunk infestation is the notoriously smelly skunk spray. While skunks aren’t overly aggressive creatures, they do have that one mightily potent weapon in their arsenal, which leaves them largely unchallenged, in the animal realm.

At Creature Removal, we specialize in the humane removal of skunks from your property. Down the 23+ years of experience at our backs, we have seen a lot of different approaches to getting rid of the skunk smell. Some are effective, others not. In this article, we set out to talk to you about the skunk smell, and what you can do about it.

• Why is skunk spray stinky?

The first thing to understand is what makes up the repugnant nature of skunk spray. Well, the reason skunk spray is so stinky is that it has a high sulfur content, which makes the smell powerfully acidic. The sulfur also accounts for that burning sensation, when you come into contact with the skunk spray, especially around sensitive areas like the mouth, eyes, or nostrils.

• Is skunk spray dangerous?

Despite the intense burning sensation, skunk spray actually causes surprisingly little harm, in the long run. You’re unlikely to be left with permanent damage after a skunk altercation, although getting sprayed directly in the eyes can lead to temporary blindness.

As such, a skunk altercation is most likely to cause you trouble in the short term, but leave you more or less okay in the long run.

• How can you get rid of the skunk spray smell?

That being said, once sprayed, everything else seems to pale in comparison to getting the monstrous smell off you. Here are some effective ways to remove skunk smell from your clothes, hair, and the fur of your pets.

Step 1. Soak in the bath.

If you’ve been sprayed, your first stop should be the bathroom, for a long soak. To thoroughly cleanse your body, it’s recommended to prepare a hot bath with detergent soap. Failing that, you may try using dish-washing degreasing soap, to cut through the skunk spray.

Alternatively, you may opt for a baking soda bath (2-4 cups), and soak in that for at least 20 minutes. Baking soda is a great natural deodorizing agent, which makes it well-suited for removing strong scents.

Step 2. Wash your hair with special shampoo.

If you also got skunk spray in your hair, you want to wash that thoroughly with a shampoo specially designed for oily hair. Since that contains extra lathering agents, aimed at removing the excess oil, it’s also well-suited for skunk spray.

Step 3. Take care of your sprayed clothes.

Once again, it’s baking soda to the rescue. You can opt for another simple baking soda bath, or mix it in with regular laundry detergent, and leave your clothes in the wash.

Step 4. Deodorize the home.

If the spraying happened near or inside the home, it’s possible that the home now smells, too. In that case, you want to ventilate your home thoroughly. To remove the skunk smell, 

you should use vinegar bowls in each room, to get the smell out. While doing this, also make sure you allow plenty of sunlight into the house, as that will also work to neutralize the skunk smell.

Step 5. Make sure the skunk is gone.

Last but not least, you want to hire a professional like Creature Removal, to make sure the skunk is effectively and humanely removed from your property. Otherwise, you just risk having to deal with new spraying in the future and having to go through that entire process again.