Tamarack Wildlife Rehabilitation & Education Center

Skunk (Rabies Vector Species)
Mephitis mephitis

Skunks are best known for their odorous primary defense. This defense is so effective that a skunk will stand and face a threat rather than try to escape it. Overall, however, skunks are placid animals that try to stay out of harm’s way. They deserve much more respect than they usually get, as they eat many insect pests.

Habitat: Skunks are adapted to open, scrub, wooded, and developed habitats.

Diet: Skunks are primarily insectivores. Of the many kinds of insects they eat, a fair number are considered pests by humans. Skunks also eat some plant material, primarily wild fruits, apples, and corn. They also consume small vertebrates, such as mice, and the eggs of ground-nesting birds.

Public Health Issues Associated with Skunks

• Skunks are carriers of rabies and leptospirosis.

Problems Associated with Skunks

• Skunks will often make their dens under porches, decks, and garages.

Solutions

If a skunk is frequenting an area and is not wanted, use these simple deterrents:

• Once an evening for four or five consecutive evenings, soak rags with ammonia and place them around the area. This is a temporary solution.

• Most important, remove dog or cat food from the area. Only feed your pets as much as they can eat at one time.

For a more permanent solution when a skunk has burrowed under a building:

• Use the ammonia soaked rags under the structure, or inside the entrance/exit of the hole for 4-5 nights.

• On the third night place bleached or unbleached flour on the outside around the structure or outside the hole to determine if the animal is returning.

If there is no evidence of tracks:

Dig a trench around the structure one foot deep and on foot wide. Place 1/2" x 1" welded wire in the trench so that it is covering the bottom and along the back of the trench. Ensure the welded wire overlaps the structure so that it can be attached to the structure or staked.

When using another sheet of welded wire, make sue you overlap it with the other piece by 6 inches.

Fill the trench with dirt.