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While nuisance wild animals are part of the deal for every home owner, surely, some wildlife is more worrisome than others. Many property owners are worried, in particular, about skunks, because of the animal’s infamous, deeply disturbing scent. This is why, in this article, we’ll show you how to keep skunks out of your garden . There are a number of steps you can take, to protect your property from skunks, as well as other nuisance wildlife. But before we talk about that, let’s discuss the dangers associated to skunks a little more in-depth.

No. The good news is, that skunk spray isn’t toxic. The even better news is that skunks generally won’t be so keen on spraying you unless they feel they absolutely have to. That’s because they’re running on very limited spray reserves, and spraying you will automatically mean they’re left without spray to protect themselves while their reserve recharges.

Skunk spray isn’t toxic, but it’s highly persistent, soaking into surfaces it contaminates, like fabrics, and even walls. So if a skunk sprays around your house, you can expect the smell to linger for a good long while. As for you, getting sprayed is more unpleasant than actually dangerous. The only real threat is to the mucous membranes - if you get sprayed in the eye, it can sting something awful, but won’t leave you with permanent damage. That’s because skunk spray is composed of sulfur-containing thiols, and as such, burns.

Right, so now that we understand skunk spray a little bit better, let’s see what you can do to keep skunks out of your backyard.

One of the most no-brainer moves you can make to protect your home from nuisance wildlife is setting up a fence around it. Now, to be fair, you should already have a fence installed, but if you don’t, now would be a good time to put it up. 

The best part about a fence is that it doesn’t just protect against one type of animal, but against most of them. Ideally, if you’re just picking out your fence now, we recommend choosing one that’s dug a couple of feet into the dirt, and slopes outwardly, to prevent burrowing animals from finding their way in through the dirt.

If you already have a fence installed, and yet skunks and other wildlife continue to be a concern, it might just be that there’s a hole somewhere. After all, these animals must be coming in somewhere. So examine the fence perimeter, looking for missing boards, torn patches of the fence, gaps, and any other open space that might be allowing them access into your yard. It’s unlikely that skunks or other animals will be a problem if they can’t even get inside the property, so if they are, it must mean they’ve found a way through.

Needless to say, when you do discover the animals’ entry point, seal it using wire mesh, caulk, or replace the board altogether, if that’s available to you.

Obviously, if you need to handle a skunk infestation, the best thing to do is call Norcal Wildlife Removal . A professional wildlife removal company comes with the necessary experience and knowledge to safely remove a skunk (or any other wild critter) from your property. Not only that, but they will also be able to inspect your property, and assess what’s attracting the skunk to your home, in the first place. By advising you on necessary modifications, the wildlife removal team will also contribute towards preventing a future infestation.

If you’re dealing with an active skunk problem, and yet can’t call a wildlife removal professional, for whatever reason, then your next best bet would be to employ a live trap. Essentially, this lures the skunk into a cage using some common form of bait. Once the skunk gets in, it will step on an activation plate that causes the door of the cage to fall shut, thus trapping it inside.

Live trapping is a big favorite when it comes to modern wildlife removal, since it effectively removes the problem, without actually compromising the wild animal, or using unnecessary cruelty. A live trap is great, as it can be reused, after you’ve used it to transport the trapped skunk to a safe location, far away from your home.

Since skunks are nocturnal animals by nature, they don’t really like bright lights. This is why using a bright light deterrent can be an effective way to keep them off your property. These special devices are motion-activated and flash bright beams of light when they sense unusual activity. This scares off the skunk, and indicates that your property is inhospitable, and that it should look for a new home.

Alternatively, you could try leaving your porch light turned on overnight, and that will have a similar effect.

Another option is to use a motion-activated deterrent that makes a high-pitched sound. Like the bright light beam, it’s intended to scare off the skunk and tell it your home isn’t a nice play to hang around. For both types of deterrents, it might be a good idea to talk it over with your neighbors first, to avoid conflict (bright lights or weird sounds in the middle of the night might make some people uneasy).

Fight fire with fire by keeping skunks away using strong scents. Mixing castor oil with water and dishwashing liquid, then spraying that around your fence is said to be an effective way to ward off skunks.

While trying different methods of skunk prevention, also educate yourself on what to do in case of infestation - read up on stuff like how to avoid skunk spray , what diseases skunks carry, and what’s attracting skunks t

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