Although skunks are absolutely odor-able when seen from afar, they can be quite a nuisance once they move in next door.
Not only do they cause a lot of damage to your garden, but these pests also carry infectious diseases harmful to both humans and pets.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to get rid of skunks and make them think twice about ever coming back to your garden again.
So, if what we’re saying makes any scents, keep on reading!
Skunks Are No Laughing Matter
If you’ve ever had dealings with skunks, you know just how annoying these little pests can be. When frightened, these animals won’t hesitate to spray you or your pets with their obnoxious odor, which will take days to get rid of.
Yet, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as you’ll see below.
Getting Sprayed
If you notice a skunk shifting its body so that both its eyes and tail are facing you, you’re in for a ride. Namely, when skunks hiss or start charging toward you, you risk getting sprayed, an experience you’re not likely to forget.
Getting rid of skunks will not only liberate you of any potential skunk smell, which can linger for weeks, but also gagging, pain, and even temporary blindness that can occur as a result of the infamous skunk spray.
Damage to Property
If all conditions are met, skunks will make a home out of your property. They will even raise their skunk babies under your deck; trust us, it’s not as cute as it sounds.
Moreover, this tiny animal can make a proper mess out of your garden, rummage through garbage cans, and dig holes all over the place.
Disease Spreading
If you weren’t already thinking of ways to get rid of skunks permanently, after hearing this, you most certainly will.
Skunks, like all wild animals, are potential carriers of lethal infections and diseases, such as rabies. This affects not only you but your pets as well. Hence, if you see a skunk near your house, take the matter very seriously.
How to Get Rid of Skunks Around Your House
There are two things skunks want from your property — namely, food and shelter. Hence, the best way to make them feel unwelcome is to deny them access to these.
Once you do that, they’ll no longer view your property as a five-star hotel and move elsewhere.
Here are a few ways to do just that:
Wall Up
Placing a fence is a simple yet effective way of keeping skunks away from your home. You can use almost any type — a chicken wire, a solid fence, a wire mesh, wrought iron, etc. Just make sure the fence surrounds the entirety of your property and is at least three to four feet high.
Note that skunks can claw their way over wooden fences. So stay clear of these.
How to keep skunks away from your garden? Simple, just place an electric fence around delicate areas and keep your plants and veggies safe. That’ll teach those nasty skunks and raccoons that your pumpkin patch is not an all-you-can-eat buffet.
And don’t worry about hurting them. The jolt is absolutely harmless.
You can do the same with other sensitive areas, including ponds, patios, trash cans, grills, etc.
Also, make sure you bury your fence at least 12 inches deep. Otherwise, you might end up playing whack-a-mole in your own backyard.
Eliminate Any Potential Food Sources
If you have piles of food lying around your yard, you’re just asking for trouble.
Start by removing anything that can fill their bellies, including pet food, bird feeders, and so on. Also, you might want to place a skunk deterrent near your trash cans as these pesky creatures love dumpster diving, especially at night.
Keep your garbage lids closed, deny any potential food sources, and you’ll get rid of skunks in your yard for good. Just remember, one man’s trash is another skunk’s treasure.
Prevent Skunk Hideouts From Forming
Skunks are scavengers. When they’re not gorging on your refuse, they’re busy eating insects, grubs, snakes, squirrels, mice, moles, etc., which you cannot so easily remove from your yard.
Therefore, focusing solely on eliminating potential food sources is not the best (and only) course of action;
Skunks love to hide in dark, secluded areas, making your yard the perfect place for them to set up shop! Some of the most common spots include:
- under decks
- crawl spaces
- beneath sheds and other outbuildings
- hollow logs or trees
- abandoned vehicles
To get rid of skunks nesting under your shed, block off any and all access points. The same goes for your deck, house, and any other outbuilding, as well as hollow trees and shrubs.
Start by clearing any overgrown branches or vegetation. After that, make sure you seal off any holes or cracks within your fence. Cover your window wells, and keep both your garage and shed locked.
If you suspect there might already be a skunk hiding somewhere on your property, don’t panic! Just use some homemade deterrents.
How to Deter Skunks With Homemade Remedies
Skunks, like many rodents, are creatures of habit. If you provide them with a bed and breakfast once, they’ll surely check in again.
To evict these smelly squatters for good, take a look at the following:
Sprinkle Pepper Powders
Ironically, skunks have sensitive noses and are triggered by certain odors; black pepper, for one. As a result, they’ll steer clear of any area containing said scent.
To create a skunk-free zone, simply place some black pepper into a spray bottle and mix it with water. Spray the mixture in the desired area and watch them sneeze their way out of your yard.
If you get plenty of rain, you can place black pepper granules instead.
You can do the same thing with chili powder and cayenne peppers as skunks are extremely sensitive to a compound found in these plants — namely, capsaicin.
In fact, lots of homemade skunk repellent recipes contain peppers for this reason.
Still, caution is advised when handling these substances since humans are also highly sensitive to peppers, particularly your eyes.
Add Onions to the Mix
To make your homemade repellents more effective, chop up some onions and add them to the mix.
For example, put one jalapeno pepper, one onion, and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper in two quarts of water. Boil the mixture for 20 minutes and let it cool.
Spray the mixture near your garden and trash can to make those areas less desirable for skunks. Do this at least once a week.
Just be careful not to run out of cooking ingredients!
Dispose of Your Coffee Grounds in the Garden
Coffee grounds are a natural skunk repellent. And although not nearly as irritating for skunk’s sinuses as peppers, they still have a bitter scent that keeps them away.
All you need to do is sprinkle some coffee grounds around the perimeter of your property. You can even add a few handfuls to your compost pile to help keep skunks away.
The cherry on top — coffee grounds will do wonders for your plants. So it’s a win-win.
Place Citrus Peels
Placing citrus peels in exposed areas is yet another great way of ridding yourself of nasty critters, skunks included. Simply spread the peelings all over your property or place them in specific areas where you’ve noticed increased skunk activity.
The acidic scent of lemons, limes, and oranges will make them regret crossing your yard and will (hopefully) deter them from coming back ever again.
How to Get Rid of Skunks With Ammonia
If you have a skunk living under your deck or porch, you can easily get rid of it by placing rags or cotton balls soaked in ammonia near that area. The strong scent of ammonia will then drive the skunk away for a few days, at the very least.
Just make sure you wear protective gear, such as gloves and masks; the fumes can be extremely potent. You may need to repeat this several times before the skunk finally gets the message and leaves.
Should I Use Mothballs to Get Rid of Skunks?
Although mothballs are an effective way of deterring skunks, they’re quite poisonous and may be a health hazard for both you and your pets due to pesticides.
What’s more, they’re made of naphthalene, which is extremely toxic to cats; if a cat should eat it, it would become seriously ill and most likely die. Hence why you should resort to other, safer methods to get rid of skunks without harming cats, dogs, and other pets or wildlife.
Avoid Using Chocolate Deterrent
Should you get rid of skunks with chocolate?
The answer is — “no.”
Not only is theobromine — a substance found in chocolate — toxic to your dogs, but skunks as well. Hence, to avoid accidentally harming your dog, we encourage you be humane by only using non-toxic methods to keep skunks away.
To make matters worse, skunks may not even like the type of chocolate you’re “offering” them.
Predator Urine
Spraying fox, dog, and coyote urine is an effective way of ridding yourself of skunks. The scent of predators will trick the skunk that it’s in danger, making them leave the area.
Fortunately for us, predator urine is readily available at most hardware stores and garden centers.
How to Get Rid of Skunks Without Unpleasant Scents
Unpleasant scents are not the only way of getting skunks off your property.
Take a look at the examples below.
Install Motion Sensor Lights
Skunks are timid and nocturnal. In other words, they aren’t very fond of bright light, especially at night. Hence, installing a bright light motion sensor is an excellent preventive measure, albeit a costly one.
Bright light sensors that detect ground movements, in particular, are a great solution.
Deter Skunks With a Motion Detection Sprinkler
Want to get rid of skunks without harming the environment?
Get a motion detection sprinkler!
Not only will your plants love the extra attention, but the sudden noise and splash of water will surely startle these small creatures, making them think twice before creeping into your yard ever again. In addition, this is a great way to get rid of squirrels as well.
Trap and Release
You can buy and set up traps for these furry pests. Just make sure you add irresistible scents like sardines, tuna, bacon, or domestic cat food. After that, camouflage it with leaves and dirt to make it less intimidating.
Keep an eye on the trap. And once there’s a skunk inside, find a safe place and release it.
However, before trying to get rid of skunks under your deck this way, check the laws and regulations regarding wildlife traps in your state.
Conclusion
We hope this article was helpful in solving your skunk problem. Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with these pesky creatures or their terrible smell ever again.
However, if you think these methods aren’t enough or you’re simply afraid of these furry pests — after all, cornered animals are no joke — contact local professionals for help.
Smell you later!
FAQ
What will keep skunks away?
There are a few tried and tested methods of deterring skunks from your garden, including the following:
- Make your property less inviting by removing potential food sources and shelter spots.
- Use certain scents, such as citrus, coffee, ammonia, mothballs, predator urine, capsaicin, and piperine, to keep skunks at bay.
- Use bright light, water, and noise to scare them away.
What home remedy will get rid of skunks?
A simple solution of water and chili powder is enough to keep skunks off your property.
All you need to do is fill a spray bottle with said mixture and spray areas where you’ve noticed skunk activity. You can also add onions and black pepper to the mixture to increase the potency of the repellent.
What attracts skunks to your yard?
Primarily food and shelter. More often than not, skunks use pet food, garbage, bird feeders, grubs, and compost piles as food sources. Additionally, they make homes out of elevated structures, sheds, piles of wood, rocks, holes under your deck, concrete slabs, porches, and similar spots.
Do coffee grounds repel skunks?
You bet! Even though their odor doesn’t irritate skunks as well as chili, cayenne, or jalapeno peppers do, they still make a pretty decent homemade skunk deterrent. Especially when used in combination with other methods, like eliminating potential food sources.
And if you want to know how to get rid of skunks without harming the environment, look no further than coffee grounds! Namely, these beans are a neat solution for your skunk problem and benefit your garden, too.
