Home Remedies To Get Rid Of Skunks and Keep Them Away

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Skunks are animals that will leave their mark in several different ways, but their most distinctive feature is the foul smelling spray that they can target at potential threats and predators, which is very unpleasant. Other signs that skunks have been in the area include a series of holes dug in your lawn, and the garbage sacks being ripped open to access any food scraps inside. There are several different ways in which you can deal with a skunk problem, and there are plenty of home remedies that are said to be horrible for skunks to deal with, so are often tried as a repellent to get rid of problem skunks.



Strongly Scented Repellents

The first types of home remedies for a skunk visiting or even making a nest on your property are usually found in the chemicals around your home, and these are commonly mentioned to repel several different animal species. One of these is ammonia, which has a strong chemical scent and is also toxic, and it is suggested that this is left in bowls in the areas where the skunk has been active. Another common substance is mothballs, which can also be left in a bowl or a small pile around where the skunk has been active.

Natural Recipes To Keep Skunks Away

There are also plenty of natural options, and one which is commonly mentioned is a solution made by boiling water with cayenne pepper, jalapeno pepper and yellow onion, and then spraying this around the yard or garden. Another type of repellent is said to be the peel of different citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and limes, and spreading a little bit of peel around the edges of the garden is said to keep skunks away. You will find plenty of other domestic remedies mentioned as well that are said to drive skunks away, and these will include castor oil, peppermint oil or even hot sauce said to be an effective repellent.

Alternative Methods Of Dealing With Skunks

As with many things that are spoken about on web forums and found on different websites, unfortunately the truth about how effective these home remedies are isn’t documented and certainly hasn’t been proved in any kind of testing. There are plenty of commercial repellents to be found on the market too, and these are usually about as effective as the home remedies that are commonly touted as a potential repellents for a skunk. The skunk is already in possession of one of the most potent repellents of all which it can spray at potential predators or others that it considers to be a threat, so repellents are simply not effective at dealing with a skunk problem.

What Is The Most Effective Way Of Keeping Skunks Away?

There are two main ways in which you can deal with a skunk problem. The first method is to install a fence around your property, and as skunks are not prolific climbers this will only need to be around two to three feet in height to deter the skunk. However, as they are strong diggers, it is worth embedding the chain link of the fence around six inches into the ground, to stop the animals from getting under the fence.

Alternatively, if you don’t want a fence around your property, you can also trap and remove the skunk, although this method can require a little more work and perseverance. A cage trap baited with meat on the turn, cat food or tinned fish will usually be effective, but it is important to be very careful and put a cover over the trap before moving it, to try and prevent the skunk from spraying you.
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