"Any Experience With Skunks?" Topic

With all the discussion on animals lately, why not add this?

This morning in the wee hours a skunk let off an explosion underneath my house and currently the stench inside is, to put it mildly, attention-getting. So much so the insides of the nostrils are burning. I'd guess he dropped this bomb in the narrow crawlspace underneath our porch and kitchen area (naturally).

Before phoning the pest control fellows my question is, does the smell abate over time (I'm thinking hours) or does it need to be treated somehow? It's been well over an hour since this tragedy and the stink is still incredibly strong, so needless to say I'm a little nervous; but then I'd rather not go for expensive solutions if a little time does the trick.

Any advice or tips would be much appreciated. Until then, the windows are open and the heat is on. Oh yeah, it's the California lifestyle, baby…

First question: is it still in there?

1 part bleach to 9 parts water----wash the area down again later as the bleach will cause damage if left on wood or paint

Other remedy----pure vinegar---rinse off later

Your big problem is if the skunk thinks the crawlspace is part of his normal turf. It will just come back and mark it again. A pro with a live trap is the best bet then.

The spraying is a defense mechanism. Do you have other critters under there that scared the skunk? You may have a larger problem than you thought.

If he's under the house, walking around can trigger the spray. Happened to a neighbor.

I've been hit with a skunk. Vinegar did the trick. I'd buy a lot and put it in some kind of sprayer and spray the effected area.

Xintao, my wife and I think it may have been her dress boots that triggered the thing. Point taken.

As for other critters down there, we'll see. I'm having the pest control guys come ASAP.

Many thanks for the bleach/vinegar tips. I may use them if the smell sticks around.

Just got a call from Mrs. Haselton, and she says the reek has got into her clothes and handbags. Then there are the furtive glance from her co-workers…It's incredibly potent stuff!

Had a group of 4 living under a corner of my house years ago. Shot them all over a month period. 3 at night while they were moving around, 1 during morning. The day light one was behaving rapid, took him from range with a scoped .22 rifle, others were .22 pistol shots.

No more problems and the cost was a few rounds of .22 ammo.

I hit mine outside so the smell went away after a couple of days, but that had exposure to the elements. Don't know about covered spaces.

Had a sick skunk under the house, when I saw him he was shaking and was dead the next day. The smell in the house was gone after a couple of days, under the house it took a long time to go away.

I'm sure your pest people will tell you this but it's vital to seal up whatever ingress/egress the skunk used. Clear shrubs and so forth from the immediate perimeter and close up any opening down to the size of a nickel. Use hardware cloth, expanding foam, whatever. You don't want critters under the house, or up against the house.

Of course, you don't want to seal the critter in. If you think it might be under the house some people scatter flour around the opening so you can see the tracks when they go in or out. Pick a time when he's out and seal everything up.

Good luck! Tell us how it turns out!

My advice would be don't buy a house that animals can get under!

You guys must build differently. Most houses in Britain have brick, stone, breeze block, or concrete sunk far enough into the ground that animals can't get in. Unless you have a hole in your wall, of course!

That's perfectly sensible advice, Cerdic! Our house is a relatively old one for California, having been built in 1926 (you're permitted to laugh), and it seems that homes built in those days have many points of ingress for local fauna in search of a cozy place to lay their heads. We'll try to get it patched up today.

I think one lives in older homes for their "character" and puts up with such inconveniences as a matter of course. Friends of ours live in an early 18th century home back in Maine; I can only imagine what they have to deal with!

Andrew, thank you kindly for the excellent tips and general support. We shall prevail!

Someone salivated over the using of weapons to solve the problem. Shakes head ;)

Back when I lived in California, we had a nomadic skunk who would stay in our garage a couple days here and there. It seemed to get along reasonably well with the three cats, and it never sprayed.

Don't forget that skunks are noted carriers of rabies. I'd be extra careful, especially if they seem sick or act strangely.

Once you are sure no critters remain under your abode, concur with importance of sealing the space.

Prior to sealing, liberally sling moth balls as far under the structure as possible, thicker around openings about to be sealed. Yes, you will notice the fragrance, but tolerable, will overcome skunk smell at some point, repel critters still looking for nice places to birth their young, and fade with time. Plus, Bonus! No moths. Ha

Daryl, no laughing from me. My house was built in 1927. I grew up in a house built in 1878. We tend to only regard a building as old if it was around before you lot became independent!

Best of luck with your skunk!

"We tend to only regard a building as old if it was around before you lot became independent!"

And there you go, things have been going to the dogs ever since!

A gentleman is down there thumping around as I type this. Fingers crossed!

Within arm's reach, once. Once as a young adult pedaling to work one early morning, came across one with a yogurt cup stuck over its head. The skunk had been treading in a small circle for hours, wearing a slight bowl in the dirt between two parked cars. I rode by, and couldn't let it suffer.
I came back, parked my bike and squatted and tried to time it just right to pull off that cup and run away. My first attempt failed and alarmed the skunk. It stopped spiraling, and started to waddle towards the underbrush and prickers. If the skunk got in there, I could not help.
I lunged and yanked that cup off. With a suction pop it came off. We both froze. I think the skunk thanked me, and shuffled off. I then caught my breath and rode off too

myxemail, that was a brave and wonderful thing to do. Glad it turned out well for you both.

You know, if you could train it, it would be a pretty good deterrent vs burglars & home invaders… ;-)

Very well done, Myxemail. Love stories like that!

I have heard skunks CAN be domesticated and have their glands surgically removed; though it would have to be by braver owners than I am willing to chance being.

I would think cats and skunks should get along fine so long as one does not INTIALLY perceive the other as a threat.

We've had possums, raccoons and skunks trolling around our backyard over the 20 years we've lived in our house, and the attitude of the various cats we've had over these years to them all ranged differently depending on the circumstances in which they noticed one another.

Oddly enough, other cats (strays, neighbors, etc.) are invariably ALWAYS not welcome and are considered a threat.

One of my dogs encountered one and it was not a pretty smell. Poor thing didn't understand why we wouldn't let him in the house and kept pouring tomato juice over him. The stench finally abated and Johann Sebastian Dach was returned to his loving owners. Best of luck with your issue.

Considering the cost of pest control, shooting is a valid option. Of course one does have to check state and local laws before hand.

In Colorado skunks are classified as fur bearing animals so a trapping license is required to trap or shoot them. They are also classified as rabies carriers so must be disposed of in a licensed facility.

Ehrn the neighbor had skunks under her back porch the pest control company provided a live trap and charged her $75 USD a head to dispose of (with prejudice) any skunks captured.

A coworker years before got his own trap. He then went on the roof and shot the family when the came to the trap after a couple of kits were captured. .22 shorts don't get much attention even in the 'burbs.

As to how long the odor lingers, a skunk was run over in the middle of one of the county roads a while back. Over a week later (and 2 storms) you could still get a strong whiff while driving by.

Skunks can be pretty smart. When I was visiting my sister in Boston I was out in the early hours and notice a old skunk with a limp. He stop before crossing the street and looked both ways, then crossed. Must have learned the hard way. If it was a female maybe it taught its young.