ngdawg

Ok, TFP....I need the outdoorsy experts to tell me how to rid my yard of skunks! I think they've made a home under my porch. We're already dealing with feral cats and I bought some mothballs to repel them. Would they repel the skunks as well or do I need something else?
I don't want them dead, I just want them not here.

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

cj2112

you could try using a predators urine to discourage them.

kebo

i would call the animal control....skunks are nasty critters that can carry all kinds of yuckies

__________________
And in knowing that you know nothing, that makes you the smartest of all.
- Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)

Elphaba

We had them under our porch in California, and we are pretty certain that they were attracted by the cat food we had outside. Do you have a food or water source that might have drawn them in?

We didn't do anything (other than remove the food) and they went on their way once the babies matured.

Good luck.

level five

i'd try that and then do what kebo suggested...call animal control. you can always call one of those outfits that capture critters. they'll catch anything and take it away - for a fee. but for a skunk, man, it's worth it!!

i had bats in my attic one time. i called one of the critter companies. they came, plugged small holes and then put in a one-way pipe. i watched all the bats fly out at dusk - 30 of them - and that was it.

genuinegirly

It seems like a great idea cj2112, but how do you find this stuff? What is a skunk predator, anyway? hmmmm maybe a cyote? How easy would it be to get some of their pee? e-bay?

__________________
"Sometimes I have to remember that things are brought to me for a reason, either for my own lessons or for the benefit of others." Cynthetiq

"violence is no more or less real than non-violence." roachboy

ngdawg

Well, guess what...after I wrote that, the spouse walked around the house and he found a feeding dish under our hedges. You know the kind, water on one side, food on the other? Seems our dumbass neighbor was putting food out for the cats in MY yard!!! Spouse took the dish and threw it over the fence into their driveway. I can not believe the NERVE of that woman!! I also spoke to the neighbors on her other side to tell them what she'd done-they're also having skunk and cat problems. I wouldn't be surprised if all the skunk we smell is from the animals being territorial with our porches. (oh, and the mothballs don't seem to repel the cats either, but I read if they eat them, they die of liver damage. not what I had in mind, but with any luck, one or two will die in that bitch's yard. I am SO pissed off at her)

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

Daniel_

Ouch.

Considerate woman you seem to have there.

Can you buy skunk musk on Amazon, and have it delivered to her house?

__________________

╔═════════════════════════════════════════╗
Overhead, the Albatross hangs motionless upon the air,
And deep beneath the rolling waves,
In labyrinths of Coral Caves,
The Echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand;
And everthing is Green and Submarine
╚═════════════════════════════════════════╝

streak_56

ngdawg... I have never laughed harder than I have at your last post. They have been really idiotic... personally... I would try to get the skunk to go over to their house... and put on some coveralls... and scare the hell out of it at their place and the smell alone will teach them a very valuable lesson... never mess with ngdawg bitches!

james t kirk

I kind of think skunks are cool little critters.

Apparently, they make good pets.

But I wouldn't want them living under my porch.

Why not just rebuild your porch in such a way so as to not allow the skunks access?

Seems simple to me.

thingstodo

Skunks supposedly do make good pets if their gllands are removed. If.

Good luck rebuilding a deck...animals get where ever they want. We had a possum that got under a hose we had in NC. Got in through a lose brick. What a mess!!

__________________
If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

ngdawg

That would require a great deal of cash....even if we just put up chicken wire, they'd burrow under it.

So, the mothballs didn't do anything but stink up my yard. I almost ran over a kitten coming home from work tonight-it dashed under the porch
Anyone know how I can get rid of these critters? Even the skunk has moved on, which I read they do.

__________________
Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

james t kirk

Well, if you rebuild your porch yourselves, it won't cost that much. It does take time and effort though. You'd be surprised what you can do if you put your minds to it. Get a few books from the library, and start figuring it out.

I would suggest a masonry porch since the skunks won't be able to get through block.

Bottom line, unless you want to kill the skunks (which would be cruel in my eyes) then you have to look at modifying your porch to deny them access so they go somewhere else.

Leto

Skunks. sheesh.

I need helpful advice on how to convince the skunk that is burrowing under my back yard shed to leave.

I see the the digging, and can smell the smell. I think that they are nocturnal, similar to racoons, and may leave this evening to forage.

does anybody know how to deter them from returning? I think that I will pile a bunch of bricks along the bottom front edge of the shed at around midnight. I hear that pissing on the area will establish territory. Is that true?

inBOIL

I believe this works for some animals, (I'm not sure if skunks are included in this group) and only if you're male.

__________________
And you believe Bush and the liberals and divorced parents and gays and blacks and the Christian right and fossil fuels and Xbox are all to blame, meanwhile you yourselves create an ad where your kid hits you in the head with a baseball and you don't understand the message that the problem is you.

Vigilante

Call animal control. Seriously.

If you see babies, (they come out during the day, too) and they are small and just learning to walk around, you can pick them up by their tails. I've done this, it's pretty funny. They're all hair and no glands yet. Doesn't do any good if momma is still around, though.

If the skunks are now gone but kitties are present, catching them with a live trap (I can walk you through that, just did with another guy on another site literally 10 minutes ago) and taking them to a local shelter or rescue is the best option. I trapped cats for years and helped my wife found a rescue group at a university we used to attend, so I've got plenty of trapping experience under my belt.

__________________
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

MSD

Vigilante

Don't be so cold. I hate feral cats too, they screw up everything, but at least give them a fighting chance at a rescue group or even a shelter. Even fix-and-release is better, they take up space otherwise taken by breeding cats.

__________________
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

MSD

That was for the skunks. I like cats too much to hurt them, even the evil-looking, mean, feral ones.

Leto

What's the recoil like on that?

Just kidding... It would take to long to kit up with a gun like that.. like a couple of hours here in T.O.

Just kidding

I actually like skunks, cute little Pepi Le Peu's.... but have lately included them in the same destruct category as racoons. I no longer have a soft spot for them.

So, I placed bricks around the dirt opening under my shed, leaving a small escape hole. I smoothed out the dirt at this hole, and then walked away. for the two nights since I did that I have not noticed any scrabble or paw marks. So perhaps they left on their own accord due to the lack of privacy.

I don't want to call animal control, and end up waiting around like they were the cable guy...

Vigilante

Oh ok.

__________________
We contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

cj2112

wow...I missed this by a couple of years....lol

Coyote's, foxes, mountain lions, bobcats, anything like that. Cabela's or a similar store that is well stocked w/ hunting supplies should either carry this or be able to get it for you.

This site has some good info too.

thingstodo

There are companies the specialize is removing animals from your property. The capture the animals and remove them to a better place.

__________________
If you're wringing your hands you can't roll up your shirt sleeves.

Stangers have the best candy.

MSD

The actual coyotes don't seem to do a very good job of keeping skunks away, I don't know if a bottle of their piss will do much better. I might have to start doing something about them soon.

Falconclaw240

The best deterant for most animals is the urine of a male carnivore
since i doubt you have very many male wolves in your backyard (or you wouldn't have the infestation of various felines)
So the best thing would be to get the healthiest, biggest man in your house on a red meat eating streak for a week, and spread his urine around the perimeter of your yard/whereever you need to keep them out

you'll need to repeat that every month or so, but it is effective. My grandmother always kept rabbits out of her garden that way