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Getting rid of a skunk?


Katy
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So a few times recently, when DH has gotten up really early in the morning I went to let out the dog and instead of going in the yard like usual he stood just outside the door and barked at something I couldn't see.  I called him back in because - hello, there's people still asleep at 4am.

 

One morning after that happened when DH opened the door to walk outside it reeked like freshly sprayed skunk, so I've been assuming that's what it was.

 

So today I'm in the yard playing fetch, picking up stray tennis balls from previous games, and I find a huge tuft of skunk fur in the corner.  We have a huge yard and I rarely go back there.

 

Just beyond our fence in that corner is an area that's privacy fenced off from the rest of the neighborhood.  There's an electrical transformer there, and about two feet of leaves that have probably never been cleaned out because there's no gate that I know of (it's possible the gate faces one of the other yards, but I suspect it was walled off from our yard because of the shape of it.  I think maybe there's a skunk nest there.

 

It's not legal to shoot in town, and even if it was it wouldn't be wise to shoot at an electrical transformer.

 

Anybody have any advice on how to get rid of a skunk?

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We had skunks living by one of our homes several years ago and they were cute and never sprayed anyone even if you walked right near them -- but we didn't have a dog back then.

 

I don't think you can get rid of them unless they just happen to decide to move on, but can you put a solid fence along the back of your yard to discourage them from wandering in?

 

I wouldn't shoot a skunk because they aren't vicious animals and they don't go around looking for trouble. My friend had pet skunks and they were adorable and sweet.

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You could put some rat poison in there, but you might end up killing a neighbors cat...

 

One sprayed dd last summer, and DH has shot a couple in the chicken coop, but yeah I wouldn't want to shoot at a transformer. 

 

Maybe call the electric company?

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You could put some rat poison in there, but you might end up killing a neighbors cat...

 

Or the neighbor's kid... :eek:

 

Please don't use poison!

 

My personal feeling is that if the skunk is living someplace where he isn't harming anyone or anything, you should leave him alone and just be sure to keep a close eye on your dog so he doesn't get sprayed.

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I will say, if you end up not being able to do anything about it, it will probably eventually move on.  We have them in our yard occasionally, and they'll hang out for a month or two, and then we don't see them anymore, until the next time.  I confess, I kind of like them.  But we don't have a dog yet.

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Why would you need to do anything about it? We have skunks coming through our property all the time & we see them out on walks in the evening. And raccoons. And coyotes.

The bears I get a little antsy about but they're a lot rarer. Skunks don't do us any harm. (& yeah, I have 3 dogs. Fingers crossed but none of them have been foolish enough to get skunked yet... but it's ok if they do. It's not the end of the world....)

The only time I'd do anything is if I saw an injured one - in which case I'd use a humane trap & take it to the wildlife rehab center (where dd works LOL. She heals skunks on a fairly regular basis)

They are gentle & beneficial animals. here's more info on skunks & some humane steps you can take to encourage them to set up residence somewhere else if it's a real problem for you: http://www.spca.bc.ca/welfare/wildlife/urban-wildlife/skunks.html

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