Skunks are relatively communal animals in the
sense that they like to co-exist with other
skunks. They take up residence in people’s homes
and compounds. This is a common trait in them,
especially when the winter season is about to
start. They look for warm places with an
abundance of food to shelter them from the harsh
winter season. So it is normal for a resident to
come across a nest of skunks near, around or in
their compounds. A person cannot be faulted for
trying to kill or exterminate the skunks. They
are intruders after all. But when you come
across a nest carrying baby skunks, one is
forced to think twice. Even the most ruthless
person will hesitate to think about inhumanely
killing these skunks. As much as they cause
problems for the residents and are a nuisance to
them, it is important to get rid of these skunks
in the most humane ways possible.
How to Get Rid of Baby Skunks
If you want to avoid any measures that will
involve the baby skunks losing their lives, then
an effective step to take would be to set up a
trap for them. In the past, a cage trap has
proved to be quite effective in controlling
skunks.
Cage traps can be of two types, namely, the
gravity-door cage trap and a spring-door cage
trap. They are similar in appearance with only
one slight difference, which is the mechanism of
how the door works. Bait is normally set up
inside the cage and this draws the skunks
towards and into the cage. As they enter the
cage trap, they trigger the mechanism that shuts
the door, trapping them inside.
When the baby skunks are trapped inside, you can
approach with a blanket to shield yourself in
case of any sprays and then cover the cage
properly. Once this is done, you can release it
somewhere far in the wild or, better yet, call
the responsible authorities and they will take
care of it. If this seems like a big hassle,
then you can always call professionals to handle
the matter for you.
Control Measures used to Prevent Skunks from
Establishing Nests
The first thing is to control your environment.
Make sure that there is no garbage lying around.
Get rid of foodstuffs in the yard and compound.
If there are garbage cans outside, make sure
that they have been properly secured to make it
difficult for the skunks to access them. The aim
is to make the skunks realize that your home is
not a viable option for them to stake out the
winter because of lack of food in the area.
Another thing to do is to seal up all possible
entry points for the skunks. This can be done by
securing the fences around the house and the
cracks and holes in the house.
Go back to the How to get
rid of skunks home page.
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