What makes skunks stay away

The nocturnal habits of skunks, their non-aggressive nature and the beneficial role they play are all good reasons to leave them alone until they have moved on their own accord which they readily do or can safely be encouraged to leave an area where they are not wanted.

Preventive measures, such as removing attractants around houses, will decrease the likelihood of an unpleasant skunk encounter. This includes securing trash, covering window wells, feeding pets indoors, or if fed outdoors, removing food immediately after pets eat. Skunks may also dig for grubs in the yard when wet soil conditions push grubs close to the surface — their presence may be a sign of an overwatered lawn.

Occasionally, however, a skunk may also wander into an open garage or shed, which is a compelling reason to secure all outbuildings. Exclusion techniques should be used proactively to prevent denning before an animal moves in. Any suspected skunk den should first be checked to determine if it has residents.

This may be done by loosely filling the hole or holes with soil, leaves, straw, crumpled paper or similar material. If a skunk is present, the animal will easily push their way out overnight and reopen the hole. If the plug remains undisturbed for two or three nights, it is safe to assume that the hole is unoccupied and can be filled. In the winter, skunks may remain inactive for longer periods, so provide them with a bit more time to disturb the plug before blocking the den entrance.

Permanently exclude skunks and other den-seeking creatures with an L-shaped footer of welded wire or similar barriers. If a skunk is using the den, either harassment or eviction using a one-way door system is recommended.

When evicting skunks, be sure that dependent young are not present. When in doubt, assume they are and use the door only after they start following their mother to forage. Leave the door in place from two or three nights to a week to be sure the skunk has left.

When it is safe to displace skunks, mild harassment can be very effective. This can be as simple as loosely repacking the den hole with leaves or straw or other material to see if the skunk gets the message and moves elsewhere.

If they require more persuading, adding light and noise to make an dark and quiet denning space unattractive may help as well. Make sure the skunk is not close by before setting up the disturbances. Repellants may also be effective in skunk deterrence. Skunks have even been known to camp out in junked cars. Get rid of bugs and rodents. These are favorite foods among skunks. Feed your pets inside. Skunks love dog and cat food. They also enjoy feeding on the roaches and other bugs that pet food attracts.

If you have outdoor pets, feed them during the day, and then remove any uneaten food before evening, when skunks are most active. Store bird and pet food in an outdoor storage building or in your garage. Ensure these items are kept in sealed containers in hard to access places to prevent an easy meal for skunks.

Make sure garbage cans have tight-fitting lids. The easiest way to use oranges and lemons is to take their rinds and spread them throughout your yard. You can place them around your porch, in your crawl spaces, under your decks, and around your personal property. The skunks will pick up the scent and not come any closer. If you enjoy gardening and have a green thumb, you can also plant citrus trees because the scent of their fruit will dominate the yard and keep away the skunks.

You can even map out a plan to plant the citrus trees along the perimeter or outskirts of your yard so the skunks will not enter at all. Not to mention you are going to have one heck of a gorgeous backyard with wonderful aromas and fresh fruit to consume every year!

Many animals, most notably raccoons , absolutely HATE the smell of peppermint. Similar to other pungent types of scents on this list, peppermint does a wonderful job of irritating the sinus cavities of a skunk, causing them to hate the scent of anything peppermint and stay away. Apply peppermint oil nearby where skunks are approaching your property, and make sure you reapply it often as peppermint oil is a very natural scent that can fade easily.

You could most likely apply the product every week and repel skunks, but it depends on how heavy your peppermint oil application is. Skunks take pride in their beautiful white and black fur. They do not like to get it oily, so another effective scent is to spray your grass with vegetable oil. Both the scent of the oils and its texture will ward away any skunks who want to keep their fur silky and smooth.

Castor oil is also another effective repellent and can be sprayed around your yard safely and efficiently. These simple oils will most likely be found in your home or, if not, at your local grocery store. Just put them in a spray bottle and get to work! Predators like foxes and wolves need to urinate, of course. But did you know the smell of their urine is quite foul to a skunk? Skunks hate the smell of predator urine, and it will likely make them skedaddle away. Simply put, predator urine makes the skunk think that a predator is in the area.

This will help scare away skunks. These products, as strange as they may sound, are easily available online or in wildlife stores! However, you need to make sure that you actually have the urine of a predator that is local to your area. Coyotes, for instance, are native to every US state except for Hawaii.

Skunks are NOT fans of the scent of spices like chili and cayenne as discussed earlier with black pepper. Take a look in your pantry to see what repellents you can create right from your kitchen. The scent of spices like chili and cayenne both smell bad to skunks and bothers their sensitive noses too. You can use the actual powders! Mix it with water, pour it into a spray bottle glass works best , and spray it around the areas where you want to repel skunks. This should be just as effective as cayenne pepper.

If you choose to go down this route, be sure to reapply the mixture every few days. The scent of the chili powder and cayenne powder will eventually wear off. Yes, spent coffee grounds can actually repel skunks! Similar to how coffee grounds repel deer , the bitter scent of coffee grounds may inform skunks that humans are nearby and thus, keep them away from your property.

Coffee grounds to repel skunks are a bit of a mixed bag. As a general rule, due to its pungent aroma, lavender can repel skunks! Since lavender plants are often quite pungent in themselves, you can plant a beautiful bed of lavender to repel skunks.

Out of all the scents on this list, lavender would not be my preferred skunks repellent — but it can deter other critters and insects besides skunks as well! They like to burrow, and insects are a skunks' favorite food. If you're wondering how to get rid of skunks eating grubs, you might consider starting at the source. Eliminating the grubs using beneficial nematodes would be your best bet. At times it may be hard to pin down whether there are skunks or raccoons in your yard, since both animals like to dig shallow holes in search of grubs.

Skunk Feces You may or may not find skunk feces in your yard. It's typically about an inch or two long, with the remains of insects in it. Skunk Spray The number one way to tell if you have skunks on your property is if you smell their strong spray. It's pungent and unmistakeable! It smells so badly because of the mixture of chemicals containing sulfur, called thiols.

When a skunk feels threatened or intimidated, they'll spray the area as a form of defense. Though they have poor eyesight, it's not so bad that they're not able to aim. Predators, pets, or really anything that spooks them may cause them to lift their tail and let out this nauseating spray. Do you suspect a skunk has delivered a litter of kits under your house?