SKUNK REMOVAL

SKUNK PREVENTION

Often in our work at Wildlife X Team New Hampshire, we get calls from homeowners who are having trouble with, yes, you’ve guessed it, a skunk on their property. Skunks tend to get a bit of a bad rep because of that delightful scent they give off. What we always try to keep in mind, however,  is that it is only a defense mechanism, and it’s natural. To learn more information about the techniques of getting rid of skunks visit howtogetridofskunk.com.

Still, that doesn’t mean it’s fun to discover a skunk living on your property. So in this article, we thought we’d show you some of our favorite skunk prevention methods, tried and tested to save you time!

So How Can You Keep Skunks Away?

What you need to understand is why and how skunks are getting to your property. Then why is pretty simple, usually, as most wildlife intruders are merely looking for a place to hide and be warm. Throw some food into the bargain, and you’ve got yourself a pretty sweet deal. Well, the skunks do, anyway. 

Next, let’s see where skunks are living on your property. Like most wild animals, skunks will look for places they can easily access, but also ones that are fairly uninhabited. They wouldn’t want you walking in on their midnight feast now, would they?

• Look for holes and patch them up.

It stands to reason that the best way to keep a skunk out is to seal up any holes and gaps it might crawl in through. The good news here is that skunks are fairly big. We’re not talking about bats or mice, which can crawl in through the tiniest of gaps. So it’s rather easy to spot skunk entry points.

A good way to make sure your property doesn’t attract skunks is to regularly do inspections, especially around the foundation of the home (since skunks are quite likely to get in through there). And whenever you find a hole, take the Wildlife X Team New Hampshire suggestion, and patch it up as quickly as possible. If not skunks, then it will definitely attract some animal, and we’re pretty sure you don’t want that.

• Figure out the possible skunk dens.

In order to minimize the appeal of your home to skunks, you need to figure out what’s attracting them in the first place. As we’ve seen, skunks are looking for a nice, easily accessible spot to build their den. These include piles of rocks or wood in the backyard, other debris, or even easily opened trash cans. Once you’ve spotted these possible skunk dens, take the time to tidy up. Remember – the tidier your yard and property, the fewer hiding spots there are for wild animals, and so, the smaller the appeal.

• Speaking of trash cans…

Our Wildlife X Team New Hampshire professionals have found that it’s a really good idea to swap your regular trash cans for sealable, difficult to topple ones. After all, it’s a well-known fact that wild animals are drawn to your trash can, seeing it for what it is – a readily available source of food. 

So it might be a good idea to seal your leftovers and keep animals away.

• Don’t leave pet food out. Remove fallen fruit.

Now that you’ve sealed your trash cans, think about what other easily accessible foods there might be on your property. A rather obvious answer, yet one that people often overlook has to do, of course, with pet food. This is because we’re so accustomed to leaving food and water out for our furry friends, we no longer actively think about it. But maybe we should. 

After all, it may well be that that bowl of pet food is what’s attracting skunks to your property in the first place. Similarly, you’ll want to inspect the yard for any fallen fruit, before you go to bed, lest it attracts skunks during the night.

• Try a sound or light deterrent.

Although we at Wildlife X Team New Hampshire have heard mixed reviews of such products, it can’t hurt installing a light or sound deterrent. These are devices that are motion-activated, and that let out a loud sound or a bright light if they detect a wild animal on your property. And since skunks are easily scared, it might be enough to keep them away!