[QM]

I'm having a stinky problem, and I really need help!!!

Last Friday morning our house started to stink of skunk; the outside of our house (i.e., the neighbourhood) didn't stink of skunk...but our house did. When a daycare parent dropped off their child, he thought that the skunk might be living under our front porch since there's a little tunnel leading from outside to in. We've been keeping our eye on the front porch area.

Then on Sunday night our house started to really stink again of skunk. Again...the smell is mainly inside the house--not outside. We started wondering if the skunk might be in our walls--not that we've heard anything, but who knows?

Then this morning DH saw (from his car on the street) the skunk digging up the edge of our garden and a shrub this morning. DH phoned me and told me to open and slam the door so he could see where the skunk heads. When I did that the skunk ran towards the neighbours property and went under the fence.

What do we do? :thud: I've heard exterminators cost hundred of dollars; the person telling me thought $700. Is there a more natural, cost-friendly way to rid the skunk from his home...which is probably under our front porch.

Another daycare parent suggested throwing moth balls in it. Will that really work enough to make the skunk (and maybe his family if there is one) leave for good?

I need suggestions. We're willing to try anything and need all the suggestions/advice we can get! Thanks in advance!

 

[Russ]

I'm no expert by any means but hereis my suggestion:

I believe it is too early for them to have babies so I would block off the entrace to his/her little hole after they go out at night searching for food.

Or....

You could buy a live trap, put an old blanket or tarp over it and relocate it.

 

[max915]

We had the same problem a skunk was taking her small ones under our back steps call aminal control and since we lived out in the country they couldn't do anything but that we should throw moth balls under there...it worked we haven't had them since...it smelled like moth balls but that was better then skunk..

 

[pinetree]

We had a skunk under our shed, D.O.W. told us to block everyplace they could get in, but do it at night time after they leave, so you dont trap on inside. They also said to soak rags in ammonia and lay around the entrance,or where you think they might dig to get in. some people soak tennis balls. (The moth balls didnt do a thing, its like it couldnt smell them.)

We havent seen him since. You can call your division of wildlife and see if they can help

Also they told us that it is illegal to trap and relocate skunks.

 

[Russ]

Also they told us that it is illegal to trap and relocate skunks.

If you get caught.

 

[frugalfranny]

We've been keeping our eye on the front porch area.


What do we do? :thud: I've heard exterminators cost hundred of dollars; the person telling me thought $700. Is there a more natural, cost-friendly way to rid the skunk from his home...which is probably under our front porch.

Another daycare parent suggested throwing moth balls in it. Will that really work enough to make the skunk (and maybe his family if there is one) leave for good?
e!

They must have really proliferated last year. I just talked to my sister about this..........big problem there.

I got some info off a garden site but some things work for some people and didn't for others.

Here is what was mentioned:

The moth ball thing was mentioned..........put them in a container with holes poked in the lid and put them out where they are going.
They KILL PLANTS so don't put them out just bare. (also harmful to domestics)

They are a nocturnal animal (and I don't think, have great eyesight)....so keep the area where you think they are going VERY WELL lighted..........do this for a week or more.

Another one ---if they are going under the porch.......cover the entrance...but don't do it in daytime........they could be sleeping there.

All of these ideas have worked for some.......and not others.

They seem to be extremely hard to get rid of once established. This time of year they could JUST be looking for a place to have babies.........but you have to stop it before she has them.

Good luck.........remember.....they are nocturnal..........and the babies won't spray until a little older.........the big ones spray.

Try googling the info.........

AND IF YOU FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS............PLEASE......
post back here. My sister has been fighting them for two years or more. A mommy with five babies was right up by her back porch last year. :yikes: I didn't even know they had that many!! YEOW!

 

[zakity]

I heard that urinating by their home works. I don't know if you want that around your porch or not though.

 

[jas]

We had a skunk get into, of all things, our dryer. It crawled in through the vent leading outside. Dh hubby heard the thing, I didn't. He wrestled the dryer outside the garage and could see its eyes. He thought there was a mama and her babies.

We called what we thought was a humane trapper. When he got there and he said he had to shoot it because of rabbies. We live in a typical neighborhood and he calls the police and reports that he is at blank address and is pulling out a firearm, blah, blah. He kicked the side of the dryer and the poor little critter poked it's head out and that was the end of that skunk.

Dh and I stood there with our mouths wide open and our eyes bugged out of our heads! We had no idea he was gonna do that. We called for a humane trapper. He said with skunks it was the law. When he shot it, then it let loose all of its stink.
He sprayed some stuff all in the dryer. The skunk was not in the drum part where you put your clothes, but the part around that. Dh hubby had some major cleaning to do.

It was a very traumatic experience for us that is for sure. I think if there were any more skunks in the vicinity they got the message not to come near our yard. And dh covered the dryer vent so nothing can find its way in again.

 

[Moonrising]

We had one in the city under the front of the apartment building walkway. They had an idea of where it was living so they just waited till late at night...got down to the hole and shone a flashlight in it to make sure there were no babys and then they put a rock in front of it. Problem solved. Hope yours is as easy!

 

[Russ]

Russ is now planning to cover the dryer vent.

 

[nodmicks]

I'm with Russ's advice. We have relocated skunks and racoons.

 

[frugalfranny]

I heard that urinating by their home works. I don't know if you want that around your porch or not though.

Fox urine --that you can buy---is supposed to work and was mentioned
on a website........but...is supposed to be expensive.....and doesn't always work.

I keep hoping someone will come up with something good.

Yeah, I guess skunks are pretty notorious for carrying rabies. But they couldn't have many more diseases than opossums and I have those crossing my yard............though better than a skunk!!

 

[Nana2two]

We had this problem last year also. Moth balls worked. But after a good rain they were gone. Then we got ferel cats in spring and that was worse then skunk. They would mark everything.Damaging so much.We would trap and release way in the country until the lady next door called the cops. I mean we were not hurting them just letting them go were they belong in the wild.