To top of one of the worst weeks I've had in a while...

[lodiness]

I've got skunks living underneith the shed behind my garage. Does anyone know of a good way to get rid of them? I've heard about mothballs, and amonia. I'm not going to trap the little bastards, and yes that's plural, I've counted 7-9 so far. I think one gave birth under it. I live in a city, so a gun is out of the question (although I'm still thinking about it).I've read on the humane society website a mixture of castor oil, dishsoap, and water. Does anyone know if this stuff works. I do not care if the little guys live or die, I JUST WANT THEM GONE!!! and I don't want to get sprayed. Next step is to just light the shed on fire and watch the little suckers burn.

 

Any help on what works would be greatly appreciated. [expletive deleted] my life.

 

 

(edit: language --1992)

[Baldkin]

My cousin had this problem. As far as I know they soaked rags in ammonia, and during the day, took a nice long pole and stuffed the rags down into the den as best as they could. They buggered off that night... then filled the holes in with dirt the next day.

[giffted1]

A dish of antifreeze will probably do the trick.

[logan82]

You don't want those things dead anywhere near your property.

[lodiness]

It's weird, I thought that skunks were suposed to be mostly nocturnal, but the only time I've seen them is around 6 the last two nights.

[dadofandrew]

A Google shows you can probably scare them off with bright lights, ammonia, and other stinky stuff. I'd try that first, and maybe give the DNR a call.

[1992casey]

Dogs, cats, and every other animal could easily get into antifreeze. I'd avoid it.

[Menotti80]

I agree Casey. My wife says to smoke them out then fill the hole

[jrodbrewcrew]

To quote a guy I know, "Shoot it, shovel it, and shut up about it".

 

But seriously, I've heard that soaking marshmallows in some sort of poison/ammonia/etc, will kill them and supposedly they won't spray. But I think that maybe smoking them out would be a good way to go about it.

[Buckylovesbeer]

Growing up on a farm, we had to deal with this stuff. If you were not in a city, shooting would be an option. However, you are in a city so dont shoot it, its not worth the trouble.

 

So my advice......Dont kill it on your property unless you want to smell em for a long time. When they die, muscles relax and then the smell comes out.........

 

Call an expert or try something to spook them off. Once they are gone, try to figure out why they came in the first place and get rid of it! If its just a nice place for them to dig for their den, find a way to prevent this same group from moving back. Otherwise they will come back next spring.

[Flood Pants]

You should call the Wisconsin Humane Society. I know you referenced their web site, but a personal call would help answer your questions. They deal with this stuff all of the time.

 

I think constant bright lights and/or a constantly playing radio could help, if these aren't distracting to you. The key is just to make it an unattractive place for them to stay. I know that's a common, humane way to encourage rodents to leave a nest that's built in your house.

[lodiness]

I've sprayed some stuff on there, and hopefully that works. Next step is ammonia. I was going to just call a professional, but the cheapest guy I found wants a minimum of $300, and it goes up from there depending on how many times he comes back and how many animals he finds. I think that is a bit much to set some traps. I'm gonna exhaust some other options first. Thanks for all the advice guys.

[GAME05]

i've now spotted a skunk at my parents' house every day this week. lives in the woods, so i don't know where it's den is. it's not taking the poison, so added peanut butter to it, but that isn't working, either. have to pick up the poison in the early morning so that the birds don't eat it.

 

no shooting allowed here, but maybe a pellet gun would help some. doubt it, though.

[1992casey]

If the skunk lives in the woods, is it really going to bother anyone? Given that the messages above indicate that the act of killing or trapping is likely to cause a "stink," I think I'd leave it alone.

[GAME05]

i tend to agree, but it wanders into the open yard at night when we're often outside. i assume i'll end up startling it one of these days. it'd almost be funny if i landed a job interview a day or two after i got sprayed.

 

but yeah, more than likely nothing will end up happening. i don't personally mind a skunk here or there apart from it digging holes in the yard.

[lodiness]

I sprayed the mixture of 8oz Caster oil, 8 oz dish soap, and 1 gallon water around all of my buildings, and my property and the little suckers were gone in about a day and a half. They just up and left.