What do you know about SKUNKS?

[Bess Kelly]

:new_shocked: WOW, it's just been found tonight. :new_shocked:

While putting out some hay about an hour ago I heard something quickly scuffle along next to a barn/shed, near a stockpile of lumber. I turned to see the furry body hurrying onto & into the wood. At first I thought I'd see what I thought might be a groundhog (there has been some evidence that "something" was scuttling under there) and then see obvious black/white spotted back & butt. Then I think, golly that is a huge cat and long haired, too --- and the thing then turned it's head to me --- NOT a cat, definately a SKUNK. In the 5 seconds that it took for this to happen, I am eternally thankful that no one was sprayed! I quickly and quietly went on away.

The horses were walking with me from the shed to the hay trailer as this transpired. Apparently it didn't have time to think more than the usual horses being there, as they usually are.

OK -- now I am wanting the visitor GONE!!!!!!! I'd say it's a good sized adult.

I'll contact animal control for a cage and directions on how to get them to come collect it, etc. I sure don't want THAT job.

: Anyone know how to encourage it to leave? I mean, things they avoid? A spray product or such? Moth balls?

Any concerns about them and the horses -- other than the obvious spray/smell :lol: ?

I've noticed small, shallow "holes" being dug around this area.....or 100 feet out, etc......which looks like something is digging up something

: It's a mess in that you have what looks like a kindergarten class was given some spoons and told to dig a 1/2 cup of dirt, and about 50 of them did! Been wondering what has been doing this. Do they eat grubs, etc.? I'm suspecting this visitor is creating the holes.

Thanks all............

 

[carolcrit]

:new_shocked: WOW, it's just been found tonight. :new_shocked:

While putting out some hay about an hour ago I heard something quickly scuffle along next to a barn/shed, near a stockpile of lumber. I turned to see the furry body hurrying onto & into the wood. At first I thought I'd see what I thought might be a groundhog (there has been some evidence that "something" was scuttling under there) and then see obvious black/white spotted back & butt. Then I think, golly that is a huge cat and long haired, too --- and the thing then turned it's head to me --- NOT a cat, definately a SKUNK. In the 5 seconds that it took for this to happen, I am eternally thankful that no one was sprayed! I quickly and quietly went on away.

The horses were walking with me from the shed to the hay trailer as this transpired. Apparently it didn't have time to think more than the usual horses being there, as they usually are.

OK -- now I am wanting the visitor GONE!!!!!!! I'd say it's a good sized adult.

I'll contact animal control for a cage and directions on how to get them to come collect it, etc. I sure don't want THAT job.

: Anyone know how to encourage it to leave? I mean, things they avoid? A spray product or such? Moth balls?

Hey you can get them gone two ways set your live trap with eggs they love them than throw a heavy blanket or trap over the cage supposedly thy can't spray if tail doesn't go up . then you have two chooices take them far away i was told over two creeks or tie a rope on your cage and throw it in the lake river water tub come back later and get it one year i moved or got rid of 19 shucks they really are good in the right places have fun hehe

Any concerns about them and the horses -- other than the obvious spray/smell :lol: ?

I've noticed small, shallow "holes" being dug around this area.....or 100 feet out, etc......which looks like something is digging up something

: It's a mess in that you have what looks like a kindergarten class was given some spoons and told to dig a 1/2 cup of dirt, and about 50 of them did! Been wondering what has been doing this. Do they eat grubs, etc.? I'm suspecting this visitor is creating the holes.

Thanks all............

 

[Doobie]

I had a similar experence just last month....

I was in the barn, had just brought the horses in and was talking to the rabbits.

Under thier pen is my exta water buckets piled upside down.

I look down at my feet and thought a cat had walked by and it was a skunk going under the buckets !!!!

I tried to convince him to move out but he would not and my son had to shoot him.

I have heard that moth balls will work ... but it can take a lot of moth balls to cover all the areas.

Try making sure there are not places for him/her to make a home ... (I picked up my pile of buckets and built them a shelf!!)

Good Luck !!!

 

[pamk]

Hi. Skunks are cute, but you do not want them around! If you ever see a skunk out in the daytime BEWARE, sometimes they can be rabid! I had a rabid skunk (confirmed by the state health department) in my backyard, chasing my dog!

When you get the humane trap from animal control, and get it set where you want it, put a large heavy duty trash bag around it so it will help contain the spray when it traps the shunk! (It will still work). You can baite it with some really smelly cat food.

Good luck! Pam :saludando:

 

[Lauralee]

Skunks carry rabies.

They might even carry EPM, but not sure.

I'd get rid of the intruder immediately!

 

[Steph_D]

We have a lot of skunks around here because of my neighbor's chicken houses. We had one in a dirt pile in our back yard (the leftovers from digging a new septic tank) a few years ago. I tried moth balls, flushing it out with water, and a lot of other things to get rid of it. Nothing worked. It stuck it's head through my backyard fence once. It only happened once because my dogs were nice enough to remove it for him (his head, EEEWWWW). That was smelly!

A few months ago, I'd let my inside dog out to go potty. She dashed straight down to the shed where my horses used to be and started trying to chase a "cat". I don't know how she managed to NOT get sprayed. It was a cute little young skunk and it went on it's merry way once we got her back in the house (after making sure she hadn't gotten sprayed).

Good luck getting rid of your furry friend!

 

[Warpony]

I have this problem as well. My dad suggested hooking a REALLY long rope to the trap to use to drag it out of the barn without getting within spray range. He said my uncle swears up and down that a skunk in a cage type humane trap won't spray you because it can't get it's tail up over it's back.... but I don't buy that for a second. I know my uncle well enough to know that he'd think me getting sprayed by a skunk in a cage would be really funny, so I don't trust a word he has to say about it. lol.

 

[Westwood Farms]

When we moved here, there was one living under the house, ok, we stunk, I admit it. WE eventually ran him off with oodles of moth balls. Apparently he did not like them so much. There for a while he would return just to spray the house, Um, thanks a lot, then he moved under a storage box we have.

He stays on his side, and we stay on ours.

WE bought the huge boxes of moth balls, and put hundreds under the house. That is the only thing that worked, aside from moving again.

 

[mountain_waif]

....

 

[dixie_belle]

I am not a skunk expert but you really gotta get rid of them, quick! My only experience was recently. One evening I was out in the pasture with the boys. It was almost full dark and my husband came out from the house to take the dog for a walk on the leash. (we have a great pry) So I can see the two of them backlit from the house. I see Cinnamon going nuts and I hear my husband saying "Cinnamon, stop that! Come back here!" Then, also backlit from the house I can see a tail walking every so slowly away from them. Then I heard my hubbie going ewwwwww and yuck. So I come out of the pasture and the dog had gotten a direct hit in the face. Well, if you think skunk is bad when you drive over an already dead one, you would not believe how bad a direct squirt to the face smells. So, here we are with this HUGE hairy dog covered in skunk smell. I tell hubbie that I'll take her into the tub and i send him to get old towels. So i remember that tomato juice gets the smell out. Naturally I do not keep a ready supply of gallons of homato juice so i send hubbie to get some tomato sauce (same thing, only thicker is my way of thinking) anyway he comes back and says "what brand?" like it matters (typical guy) at this point, eyes watering, gagging, i remind him quality doesn't matter it is quantity i am looking for. I'm naked in the tub with this stinky dog and i'm pouring tomato sauce all over her when she decided to shake. OMG i could hear the tomato sauce splattering all over the bathroom and all over me and the windows and the ceiling. geez. And to top it all off, when we were done, she was PINK! And she stilled smelled like skunk parmesian! Took a good week for the smell to fade enough to let her back onto the furniture.

Shelley

 

[Bess Kelly]

:lol: I love the "what brand" of tomato........a man would ask that!

:

Here's a "recipe" that was posted on here a long while back and I saved it "in case" I or anyone else needed it ............sorry I didn't note who posted, but here it is:

1/4 cup baking soda

1 teaspoon blue Dawn dishwashing liquid

1 quart hydrogen peroxide (3%)

Mix and bath animal/person while still foaming. Discard any leftover mixture!

: Sure hope I don't NEED to use it !!!

I definately want it gone -- spraying isn't my idea of fun -- and I've never seen it but this one time. However have suspected something was living under there for a little while. It's outside but, I will roll a few moth balls into the entrances to the den, and throw a few around the general area of it, hoping it will leave on it's own. If I see evidence of the thing remaining, I'll have to go the trap, etc. It can't get into the barn and feed rooms. The one it is next to is actually a 3 sided shed which houses equipment at the front and a horse run-in area at the rear....with two side entrances on that portion. This just isn't what I want to encounter at night and I do feed after dark most evenings now that daylight saving time has ended. Surprise this one and I could have a real surprise myself.

Thanks for the replies --- I've seen holes dug for about 2-3 weeks and guess that's when the intruder decided it was a good place to live. :no: It's not welcome but I'd live to say it -- well, safely.

And yes, I'd be VERY concerned if it was out in daylight and/or aggressive. SSS would prevail.

 

[Warpony]

:lol: I love the "what brand" of tomato........a man would ask that!

:

Here's a "recipe" that was posted on here a long while back and I saved it "in case" I or anyone else needed it ............sorry I didn't note who posted, but here it is:

1/4 cup baking soda

1 teaspoon blue Dawn dishwashing liquid

1 quart hydrogen peroxide (3%)

Mix and bath animal/person while still foaming. Discard any leftover mixture!

This recipe WORKS!!!!! In fact, you can use any dish soap, and the mix does not need to be exact. Our dog took a direct spray in the face, and after a good washing with this she was able to sleep on the bed with us that night. I highly recommend lathering the animal or person up and letting them stand there with it on them for a while then rinse really well, and repeat. It works better then tomato juice, and better then the store bought skunk spray remover stuff I had tried before as well.

 

[tagalong]

Get an enclosed live trap from the hardware store or the animal shelter. Skunks will NOT spray in such an enclosed box - I have moved many of them this way in the past... and even in open wire cages - they did not spray.

Set the trap up where you have seen them - you can use a glob of cat food - and carefully cut the top off of a raw egg - so that it is like a little egg cup - and prop it upright in the cat food. Skunks love the eggs.

When you find the trap sprung...you can raise the door a little bit to make sure you have a skunk and not a barn cat (you only need to see his claws to know you have a skunk)! Although if I caught a cat by accident - said cat was usually very vocal about his predicament...

When you release him.... pick a downhill slope and/or stand on the tailgate of a pick up to do it... you may need to stand the cage on end and shake him out... and sometimes the skunk will turn and march at you to express his displeasure...

But take it from a veteran of Skunk Wars - this works!

:

 

[billiethekid40]

I have no experience, but have heard that putting a rather lound, annoying radio where they have "taken up residence" can help. Maybe leave it on static and turn it up loud. I guess I wouldn't be long moving out of a place either if all I could hear was buzzing all day!