Marie Hulett: How to prevent a sticky situation



Marie Hulett: How to prevent a sticky situation

Pet columnist Marie Hulett and her dog Kody.
Pet columnist Marie Hulett and her dog Kody.

Q. We have been smelling skunks around our home for several weeks now. Last night, while pulling up to my garage, I noticed what appeared to be a mother skunk with two babies going under my house through a tiny hole in my baseboard. I have a small crawl space, no more than about two and a half feet, tall and I have never been under there myself. I don't want to hire an exterminator but I also don't want skunks living under my home. How can I humanely rid myself of these animals?

A. Living with urban wildlife certainly presents some challenges, and I must confess, I believe living with skunks is probably one of the most difficult. If you have ever been up close and personal to someone, something, or someplace that has been recently sprayed, the smell is almost impossible to take, and almost just as impossible to eliminate. So if you've only been sensing that skunks may be in the area, you're actually doing pretty well. If they had actually sprayed while on your property, you'd probably want to invest in some high quality gas masks!

In order to evict your little squatters, you'll need to get a few supplies and take care of a few tasks. First, walk the perimeter of your house and ensure there are no other access points in and out of your crawl space. If there are, you'll need to address those spots in addition to the one you've already noticed.

Go down to your local hardware store and purchase some heavy gauge wire mesh and whatever you deem appropriate to attach it to your baseboard. Make a side trip to a grocery store and pick up the cheapest, smelliest brand of cat food you can find.

Once you have your supplies, wait for the evening and for your skunk family to go out on their nightly romp. You'll probably have to watch for this from a "secure" location. When the family has truly left the building, quickly place some of the cat food just inside the opening (where you can see it) and affix the wire mesh in a manner that does not allow access back under your home. It might be a good idea to have a partner watch your back, as you won't want to be caught off guard if the skunks return.

You are probably wondering why I have suggested placing cat food in a location that is now off limits to the skunk. The answer is quite simple. It is possible that not all the skunks will go out at night. Needless to say, you don't want to trap an animal under your house. By placing the food in an area that you can easily observe, you will be able to tell if anything has been eaten from the dish you placed just inside the opening. If it has, then you will need to remove the wire mesh and watch for an additional animal(s) to exit the next night. It may be necessary to repeat this step.

Remember, wild animals are attracted to a specific location when there are three important elements in the environment: food, water, and shelter. If you are able to successfully remove them from your crawl space, they may decide to live in your bushes if there is a food source and/or a water source. So be sure to take a look around your yard, front and back, to see if there is anything there that would serve as an attractant. Do you have fruit trees and fallen fruit? Pet food left outside? Water bowls? Accessible trash? Even an abundance of snails can be an attractant. Reduce or eliminate any food or water sources you may find.

Some people report success in keeping skunks away by sprinkling the perimeter of their homes with mothballs. There are also a variety of products available at pet supply stores that claim to accomplish this same mission. You can give these products a try, but the bottom line is if you make your home a location that does not contain the essential elements for survival, then wild animals will look elsewhere to live and raise their families.

Contact the writer:


Join the conversation

Comments are encouraged, but you must follow our User Agreement
