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Skunk Removal
updated: Oct 16, 2012, 5:17 PM

By Edhat Subscriber

Help, I have been told that it will cost $500 to $600 to have a skunk removed from under my shed. I have tried the loud radio, ammonia, moth balls. Does anyone know of someone that does not cost that much or a tried and true solution. I know that I have to put something in front of the entry to determine if they have left and then chicken wire. I just need to get rid of them first! Thanks.

Comments in order of when they were received | (reverse order)

COMMENT 332127	2012-10-16 05:30 PM
We had the same problem. Someone told us to just wait as they tend to move around. So that's what we did and, sure enough, the skunk moved on. And, as soon as I was sure it was gone, I blocked all access.
COMMENT 332129	2012-10-16 05:31 PM
Place some peppermint oil on paper towels, bunch em up and lay them by the entryways under the shed just before sunset. Has worked twice for me. No need to saturate with peppermint oil, a little goes a long way.
COMMENT 332133	2012-10-16 05:41 PM
a trail of wet catfood...leading away from the shed..and to a big bowl of dry catfood...and then cover the entrance! worked for me.
COMMENT 332147	2012-10-16 06:18 PM
Moth balls. Lots of moth balls. They get irritated by the vapors and will leave.
COMMENT 332149	2012-10-16 06:27 PM
I agree with the cat food idea. When the skunk is out, varmint proof the shed to keep it from happening again.
COMMENT 332155P	2012-10-16 06:38 PM
No moth balls. Nasty chemical junk that pollutes the air. You need to contact Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network or WILDES or ART---one of the wildlife groups. They'll know the solution. Otherwise, I fear you might "varmint" proof and close up a stray skunk or skunk kits (babies). You wouldn't want to do that. Best to get tips from those who know how to do it correctly.
COMMENT 332167P	2012-10-16 07:13 PM
they move at night. Do you really want to wait up all night for them to leave...then block up the shed area in the dark. I go with peppermint oil and vinegar, Do not put food out..that will keep them in the area and you may bring in raccoons... which do a lot more damage. As soon as they find there is no more food in the area...they will move on.
COMMENT 332170P	2012-10-16 07:30 PM
My father had the same problem. He tried all listed above and more. When the ammonia soaked sponge disappeared it was pulled under the shed, and we couldn't believe it. We had a dog that charged any night critter, and we had all three critters, she would get sprayed and never understood to let them be. We had to eradicate them, and we contacted the agency referenced above and they helped a lot. Did finally plant the mesh and came out one morning and could see how upset one was with the mesh because they had dug furiously to get under the shed again. When you do yours take into account how much they want to get there.
COMMENT 332172	2012-10-16 07:31 PM
We had a skunk in our crawlspace. We made a one way lobster trap type exit out of some wire mesh, put some dry cat food in the crawlspace. Once we observed that the cat food was no longer being eaten (after a couple of days), we sealed off the crawl space with more wire mesh. We've been skunk free for 10 years.
COMMENT 332176	2012-10-16 07:43 PM
"Skunks benefit people by eating mice, rats, roaches, yellow jackets, grubs, beetles, and many other pests. They do not eat bulbs or flowers, but sometimes may dig in a garden looking for cutworms and other garden insects." Source(s): ces.ncsu.edu Every living thing has a place in our web of life - even if we don't fully understand what it is. I think we are smart enough to figure out ways to live with our fellow earthlings.
COMMENT 332179	2012-10-16 07:48 PM
176 - what is the benefit of the gopher?
COMMENT 332183P	2012-10-16 07:55 PM
A neighbor used incense to get the skunks to leave.
COMMENT 332187	2012-10-16 07:59 PM
We just got rid of one from under our house by setting some tiles against his (her?) preferred entryway. When the tiles were dislodged (about 2 am) it woke us and and my husband sealed up the hole. Done!
COMMENT 332196	2012-10-16 08:35 PM
When I had this problem I ended up speaking with the County (volunteer) "skunk advocate". She explained that skunks like cool, dark, and quiet. So make the space be not that. Not a lot to be done about cool, but put out a radio and a light at night. My skunks left immediately. And then certainly follow up by sealing off the space.
COMMENT 332199P	2012-10-16 08:39 PM
179. I can answer that. It is called "bioturbation." Gophers aerate and turn the soil. Plus they are a prey species, and provide food for hawks and other birds of prey. I would think even owls eat gophers, if the gopher stays out at dusk or "gets up" too early in the morning.
COMMENT 332201P	2012-10-16 08:41 PM
If there's a specific, easily accessible/modifiable opening that the skunk is using, one great solution is to put in (make or buy) a 1-way flap, like a pet door. That way, the skunks can get out, but they can't get back in. We had a family of skunks tunnel in at the crawl space access under our house one year. We turned the fitted screen panel into a 1-way flap by attaching hinges at the top, then we poured a bit of concrete over the dirt in the well below the flap to prevent any more tunneling. The skunks moved on and found a more mutually acceptable place to live.
COMMENT 332203	2012-10-16 08:43 PM
We had one living under our house a few years ago. We soaked tennis balls in amonia and tossed them under the house in the area she/he was in. We sprinkled flour at the entrance/exit & waited til dusk. The skunk left, we put down more flour for foot prints and then sealed the hole. No prints for days following so we knew it was gone for good. Haven't had a problem since.
COMMENT 332204P	2012-10-16 08:47 PM
coyote urine - getting it is the tough part...
REXOFSB	2012-10-16 10:29 PM
I've been using one of the humane traps for several years to "relocate" skunks that were spraying my dog in his own yard, and raccoons who were destroying my garden. Trapping critters is easy. First off, do not bait your trap with cat food. The first and only time I did that I caught the neighbor's cat, and the cat was MAJORLY pissed off. I find the best bait is peanut butter on a Ritz cracker. Skunks aren't all that hard to deal with once they're in the trap. The trick is to always keep them facing you, as the second they turn around they'll spray you. But if you keep your wits about you, you can pick up the trap and transport the skunks without being sprayed. I carry mine in the back of my pickup. Ms. Darbyshire, the unofficial "skunk lady," told me she puts a blanket over the cage and actually transports them in her station wagon. I don't think I'm that daring. And they seem to enjoy the pickup ride. I'm not going to say precisely where I relocate the skunks and raccoons, because I'm sure I'd catch hell from someone. Let's just say it's in a far better neighborhood than the upper Westside, which is from whence they came. A final word: if you happen to catch a possum by accident, let it out of the trap immediately and don't relocate it. Possums are GOOD. They eat snails and other garden pests, and they do so without destroying your garden, like raccoons tend to do. Yeah, I know. The critters were here first and we shouldn't mess with them. But I really don't like the fact that the skunks like to spray my husky without provocation in his fenced yard.
COMMENT 332236P	2012-10-17 02:05 AM
Rex, c'mon. I have seen and smelled skunks in my yard (and under my house, some years) for over 30 years. Not one of my dogs has ever been sprayed. And I've had dogs of every size and shape. The secret? My dogs aren't allowed to chase the wild animals or bark at them. My one little five-pound guy has had his nose right up against a skunk's pink little "business end" TWICE and not got sprayed. If you leave your dog outside at night, alone---and if that dog barks and acts in a threatening manner, well . . . You can't blame a skunk for spraying. Skunks have to be provoked, to break out the full ammo. And you sound smart enough to know that you are displacing other wildlife and creating territorial disputes whenever you relocate a skunk or raccoon or whatever. But, thanks for championing opossums. They are great critters. I wish everyone would understand how harmless and wonderful they are. Raccoons are great, too. It's the humans who are the problem (leaving out pet food).
COMMENT 332237P	2012-10-17 05:14 AM
Raccoons are NOT great, at least not great in the urban/suburban environment where they are extremely destructive. There's a valid reason why CA state law forbids the capture-release of raccoons. By releasing them elsewhere, you're simply transferring the problem to someone else.
TOTCH	2012-10-17 07:04 AM
Most "critters" are attracted by what we do. Do not feed your animals outside or leave food out. Keep any garbage in tightlyy closed containers. If you feed birds, the dropped seeds will attract mice. We change the environment and the critters adapt. Have you ever been to Catalina and seen what the wild pigs do to the golf course? Been several years "or more" since I was last there. They may have solved the problem by relocation.
COMMENT 332248	2012-10-17 07:18 AM
We trapped for a while, then realized that skunks are good for the garden and part of our natural environment. The mature skunks rarely squirt and they are excellent snail, slug and bug eaters. They de-snail the baby lettuce without breaking a leaf! One dark morning I got the paper, bent over to pet the kitty only to see the tail stand up in front of my face. I froze as the skunk eyed me over its' shoulder for a painfully long moment before walking away. The skunks know us so are restrained, a wild skunk would have shot me in the face. They are also some of the most beautiful animals we have here, just a bit hard on the nose at times.
COMMENT 332251	2012-10-17 07:26 AM
332196 - what station was the radio tuned to?
COMMENT 332273	2012-10-17 08:08 AM
We have had skunks twice. The first time was many years ago when we were having a party and the aroma caused the guests to leave early. Since skunks sleep during the day and hunt at night, my brave husband crawled under the house with a flashlight, made sure there were no babies & sealed the entrance with wire fencing to stop him/her from digging underneath. My hero then marked his territory at the entrance. For a few nights, my cat and I had the gift of watching this beautiful creature as it investigated our deck inches away on the other side of our sliding glass door. The 2nd skunk event occurred a few months ago when we noticed a cute little animal, black with a white tail, curled up in a corner of our carport. Again we waited for dark when it left to hunt, cleaned up its' dirt bed and moved heavy objects to block the area. Once again my husband marked the entrance to the nest and went to bed. Our guest re-located.
COMMENT 332314	2012-10-17 10:20 AM
Be sure there are no babies before you "trap", or block off the entrance. Call an expert to come out and check and take the appropriate measures to trap him/her and relocate. Animal Control should be able to advise you.
COMMENT 332326	2012-10-17 10:27 AM
I highly recommend you give Steve over at Eraticators a call! He's does great work and very humane, and I guarantee it won't cost nearly what you listed. 805-451-7287
COMMENT 332338	2012-10-17 10:41 AM
Since you indicate there is one entry point, build a trap door. Simple as chicken wire with a 2x4 lumber stud stapled to the bottom of the chicken wire to weight it. Staple the contraption to the wall along the upper edge of the chicken wire. The 2x4 end dangles freely, but against the wall. Skunk can go out, but can't go back in. Leave the edges pointy and sharp to discourage Mr. skunk from trying to get back in. This worked for the skunk under my house. He'll go off to a neighbor's area and make home there.
ESL TEACHER	2012-10-17 11:38 AM
Here's another suggestion: Go to Radio Shack, buy a small cheap strobe light, run a cable from the house to the hole, point the light into the dark space and let it run. This will definitely bother the skunk. As for noise, look for a cheap radio and hook that up too. Any radio noise will do, especially static.
DEE D	2012-10-17 11:42 AM
We too have had skunks in the yard and on the vacant lot next door, and have had (visiting) dogs sprayed twice: both puppies, who needed to learn respect for funny-looking black & white kitties. Our own dogs never tangled with a skunk. They don't really seem to be a problem, and it's kind of fun catching a glimpse of them occasionally. I assume that the coyotes we see and hear quite regularly have an arrangement with them (it's called the foodchain.) I love knowing there is an amazing amount of wildlife around. It makes me feel like Santa Barbarans are doing something right.
LIMES	2012-10-17 12:42 PM
Several dishes of ammonia.
COMMENT 332431P	2012-10-17 01:19 PM
Dear OP: Don't buy anything, ever, from the person who said it would cost hundreds of dollars! If they're a friend, take what they say with a pound of salt. Lots of great ideas here; if you don't want to do it, do call Steve at Eraticators as 326 said.
COMMENT 332497	2012-10-17 02:23 PM
332204P FTW. FLMAO. 332236P - Hmmm...so you dogs "aren't allowed" to chase wild animals? Can you say Illusions of Grandeur?
COMMENT 332658	2012-10-17 07:59 PM
I leave my skunks alone, they eat my snails and help cultivate the garden. We just get along.

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