How to Get Rid of Skunks Under Shed
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Skunks are most certainly not a welcome sight on your property. Everyone knows that skunks can be quite annoying to deal with.
If you get too close to these creatures, then you might wind up getting sprayed with a foul-smelling odor that will linger for many days.
You certainly don't want to have to try to de-skunk your pets or yourself because you ran into a skunk on your property. If you have seen signs of skunks living under your shed, then you're going to want to tread carefully.
There are methods that can help you to get rid of them, but you're going to want to try to do things right.
Read on to learn exactly how you can get rid of skunks under your shed. The methods listed below will give you many options to consider, and you'll be able to pick the one that makes the most sense for your situation.
After you've read through everything, it should be possible to get the skunks off of your property so that you can breathe easy once more.
It's Likely a Mother Skunk
There is a very good chance that the skunk staying underneath your shed is a mother skunk.
Often, mother skunks will look for a safe place that they can rest with their babies. If you wish to humanely remove the skunks from your property, then you're going to want to be patient about it.
It's very possible to scare a skunk away from your property, but it could run the risk of having the mother abandon the babies.
If you don't want to feel bad about having a bunch of baby skunks get orphaned because of your actions, then you should try to be subtle about how you do things. There are some things that you can try that will make the area less appealing for the mother skunk.
A mother skunk might leave the area and take her babies with her after a period of time. If you make the area seem like it is not safe, then the skunk should be smart enough to go seek out another habitat. Y
ou can read on to get more information about some things that you can do to help speed this process along.
1 – Pick Up Trash and Eliminate Food Sources
One reason why skunks might be congregating underneath your shed is that you're giving them some type of reason to want to be there.
The skunks need to have something to eat if they're going to stick around, and this means that you want to eliminate their food sources. It's very possible that skunks could be eating things out of your trash, and you might even keep your trash near your shed.
Try to very carefully pick up the trash in your yard so that you can eliminate things that the skunks like. If they don't have things to eat on your property any longer, then it's possible that they might just move along. You might not always be this lucky, but it's a good thing to try.
Cleaning up your yard isn't a bad thing to do anyway, so this is a sensible option that is a good place to start. Try to secure all of your garbage in air-tight containers so that the skunks can't get into things any longer.
It's also going to be smart to pick up any fallen fruit or vegetables from nearby trees or gardens.
If you can do these things, then it will seriously limit the appeal of your property. These skunks might not want to stick around for long since they won't have anything to eat.
It won't take long to accomplish this, and you can try to sneak around the shed so that you won't run the risk of getting sprayed by the skunks.
2 – Shine Bright Lights at the Shed
Did you know that skunks are nocturnal creatures? This means that skunks really like things to be dark, and you can use this to your advantage to make the shed a place that the skunks won't want to call home.
Shining bright lights at the skunk will make it so that the skunks won't feel comfortable there any longer.
One good idea is to get some type of outdoor security light and shine it directly at the shed. This will ensure that the shed isn't even going to be dark at all during the night.
It might seem annoying to have to run a light all night long just to keep skunks at bay, but it can help you to scare them off.
3 – Loud Sounds
Loud sounds can also make skunks feel uncomfortable about staying under your shed. You could place a radio near the entrance to the shed so that it will make a lot of noise. Turn the radio up so that it will play during the night to annoy the skunks.
Human voices are going to scare the skunks and make them feel like the shed isn't a safe place for them. If you just let music play throughout the night, then it's very likely that the skunks will decide to leave eventually.
This is a good idea that can easily be paired with the bright lights mentioned above.
4 – Use Smells That Skunks Don't Like
There are actually quite a few smells that skunks don't like as well. You could soak a rag in either apple cider vinegar or ammonia to create something potent that will deter skunks from wanting to be near the shed.
Most people who use this method place the ammonia-soaked rag in a plastic bag and then hang it up somewhere right by the shed.
Of course, this will involve getting near the shed, and you're going to have to be careful not to startle the skunk if you don't want to get sprayed. If you can use this method, then it might do a good job of scaring the skunk away from the shed.
Both ammonia and apple cider vinegar work very well since skunks abhor those smells so much.
It's also good to consider using a predator's urine to try to scare skunks away. A skunk naturally knows what the urine of their predators will smell like, and this means that they will want to get away when they notice it.
One good way to do this is to use dirty kitty litter in a bag because cats are predators to skunks.
How Do You Know the Skunks Are Gone for Good?
Trying to determine whether the skunks are gone for good can be a bit tough. One reliable way to go about things is to ball up some paper and place it by the entrance that the skunks use.
If the paper is still there after three days have passed, then you will be able to feel confident that the skunks are gone.
Don't Try to Trap the Skunks
Trying to trap the skunks is likely going to be a very bad idea that you will regret. This could wind up ending with you getting sprayed by one of the skunks, and you could also cause a mother skunk to abandon her babies.
If you don't want this to happen, then you need to steer clear of the live trapping idea.
It's also important to note that it isn't even legal to trap certain animals depending on where you live. Whether it is legal for you to trap skunks depends on where you're living right now. You would need to get information about your specific laws so that you don't wind up getting into trouble.
Some places allow skunks to be trapped and released, but you aren't allowed to take them too far from their original habitat.
It just isn't worth going this route when you don't know what you're doing anyway. It's going to be best to focus on scaring the skunks away from the property.
Contact a Professional
Finally, you could just go ahead and contact a professional to get your skunk problem taken care of properly. A local animal control or pest extermination business will know exactly what to do about the skunks.
Businesses like this deal with skunks all the time, and they know that skunks tend to take shelter underneath peoples' sheds during certain times of the year. They have the proper training to deal with skunks, and they also have the necessary equipment to do things safely.
If you want to get your skunk problem taken care of in a timely fashion, then this might be the best thing that you could do. You can easily get your skunk issues dealt with so that you can just move on with your life.
Of course, the downside to contacting professionals is that it will cost you money to get things handled. You'll need to pay to have the skunks removed from your property, but this is likely going to make you feel a lot safer.
No one wants to have skunks living underneath their shed, and you will be happy to have them gone.
How to Get Rid of Skunks Under Shed
Source: https://mybackyardlife.com/how-to-get-rid-of-skunks-under-shed/