Wildlife Problems
Our mountain community offers diverse wildlife to enjoy. As we encroach
on their homes, we need to understand how to deal with problems we may
cause the animal wildlife. See below for information on common wildlife
problems and how to solve them. Note that all wildlife are protected
by local, state, and federal regulations. It is unlawful to keep indigenous
animals as pets.
Click here for information on Squirrels and Raccoons.
SKUNKS
There are three species of skunks in our area: striped, spotted and hognosed. The most common is the striped skunk. They are always black and white with bushy tails. Skunks are primarily nocturnal (active at night).
Skunks eat mice, eggs, lizards, frogs, birds, beetles, earthworms, garbage, acorns, and fruit, but they especially love sunflowers and bird seed. They are 20 to 30 inches long and weight 6 to 10 lbs. They live in hollow logs, wood or rock piles, and under buildings. Skunks breed in late April to early June and usually give birth to 1 to 7 young. Their home range is 30 to 40 acres and always near water. Their defense mechanism is a spray, which can reach up to 15 feet.
Skunks don't like their own smell, and they spray only in self-defense. They are not aggressive, and they don't spray where they live. They put their tail straight up to look bigger for self-defense. When they are ready to spray, they put their tail completely over their face. When skunks are ready to spray, they aim for their enemy's eyes. The spray burns in the eye and temporarily blinds.
We have several varieties locally. When skunks cause problems, the methods used to solve them must be specific to the problem. Several methods must be combined and used continuously over a period of at least two weeks. Skunks are not dangerous, they usually won't live where a dog resides, and they don't live where their food source is located.
Benefits of Skunks
Skunks eat home and farm pests such as mice, rats, moles, aphids, grubs, beetles, yellow jackets, grasshoppers, cutworms, cockroaches, scorpions, black widow spiders, snakes, etc. An estimated 70% of a skunk's diet consists of insects considered harmful to humans. They also eat decomposing fruit fallen from trees.
Public Health Issues
It is important not to handle skunks. Although it is not very common in our area, they can be carriers of rabies and distemper. If you are bitten, scrub the wound with soap and water for at least 20 minutes. Seek medical attention immediately. Skunks can spray 15 feet with extreme accuracy. If a person or pet gets the spray in the eyes it is very irritating, but no permanent damage will occur.
Take responsibility for your family's and pets' health by preventing contact with wildlife and keeping your pets' vaccinations up to date.
What Attracts Skunks to a Residence?
Skunk control should focus on prevention. The best method to reduce skunk visits is to alter their habitat in a way that eliminates the resources currently available to them. The following items will attract skunks.
If approached by an intruder and unable to flee, a skunk will usually fluff its fur, shake its tail, stamp the ground with its front feet, growl, stand on its hind legs, turn its head and spit to scare the potential attacker. If those techniques do not work, it will lift up its tail and spray.
Odor Removal from House
Air the house out thoroughly. Use fans under the house if necessary (where odor usually originates). Spraying acidic solutions such as diluted vinegar can help counteract skunk spray, which is alkaline. Use chlorine bleach, ammonia, and commercial products containing neutroleum alpha to clean odor from inanimate objects. Massengill douche and a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball also works.
Odor Removal from Humans
Flush eyes liberally with cold water to ease irritation. Wash skin with carbolic soap and water, tomato juice or vinegar. You may be able to clean clothes by washing in vinegar and/or hanging them outside for a month before dry cleaning and/or wash with: Scope or Oxyfresh mouthwash. You might be better off discarding them.
Odor Removal from Pets
Wash pets immediately with one or more of the following.
Home Remedy:
Commercial products such as:
Skunks under Buildings
Check for activity by covering entrances with loose dirt. If a skunk is present, it will easily dig its way out removing the dirt. If the dirt remains undisturbed for 2 or 3 nights, and it's not winter, the hole may be permanently closed with masonry, boards or hardware cloth. You can sprinkle flour around the opening. This way you can determine: 1. if the animal is a skunk, and 2. if the animal went inside or outside by the direction of the tracks. You may need to repeat sprinkling the flour for a few days.
You can try to speed up the skunk eviction by placing the following items into the burrow: Clothes with strong human scent (unwashed socks, shirts, etc.), Rags soaked thoroughly in ammonia, and Socks filled with mothballs (keep out of reach of children).
It is advisable to attach repellent materials with twine or wires to sticks so that they can be retrieved when the skunk has departed. It is also advisable to place the ammonia rags on a plastic surface (dish) to prevent the nitrogen in the ammonia from penetrating into the ground.
To prevent skunks from digging under a structure, dig a trench 1 1/2 feet deep and 6 inches wide along the exterior wall. Place wire mesh vertically so that it extends 1 1/2 feet down and bend the bottom 6 inches outward at an angle. Backfill the trench with dirt or cement once the wire is positioned.
Skunks in Window Wells or Dumpsters
They need a way to escape. The best approach is to place a rough board in the well/dumpster at no more than a 45 degree angle to allow skunks to climb out. As you quietly approach the window or dumpster, try to stay out of the skunk's sight. If the skunk exhibits any defensive behavior like foot stomping or tail raising, you should retreat. Another way to get the board in the well/dumpster is to dangle it from a string attached to a long pole. You will need to wait overnight, since they are more likely to move when it is dark.
Skunks in the Chicken Coop
The only solution to poultry predation by skunks is to securely enclose poultry, especially at night. Repair all openings in coop or fencing. Fencing should extend 1 1/2 feet underground to prevent skunks and other animals from digging under. Skunks are poor climbers but excellent diggers.
Trapping and Relocating Skunks
We discourage the use of live traps to relocate skunks. The Colorado Division of Wildlife will not allow any relocation or rehabilitation of striped skunks. Relocating individual skunks away from their home range without altering the habitat, is merely a short term solution. Relocating animals will cause more long term problems for the homeowner by actually increasing the local population. By removing existing skunks, you invite others to come in and compete for the new resources created by the available territory, resulting in more skunks than you had before in a relatively short period of time.
Due to increased resources, liter size tends to increase as well. If a skunk is removed from a habitat, other types of animals requiring the same resources as skunks (for example, raccoons) may increase to take advantage of the increased food/resource availability.
Click here for information on Squirrels and Raccoons.
SKUNKS
There are three species of skunks in our area: striped, spotted and hognosed. The most common is the striped skunk. They are always black and white with bushy tails. Skunks are primarily nocturnal (active at night).
Skunks eat mice, eggs, lizards, frogs, birds, beetles, earthworms, garbage, acorns, and fruit, but they especially love sunflowers and bird seed. They are 20 to 30 inches long and weight 6 to 10 lbs. They live in hollow logs, wood or rock piles, and under buildings. Skunks breed in late April to early June and usually give birth to 1 to 7 young. Their home range is 30 to 40 acres and always near water. Their defense mechanism is a spray, which can reach up to 15 feet.
Skunks don't like their own smell, and they spray only in self-defense. They are not aggressive, and they don't spray where they live. They put their tail straight up to look bigger for self-defense. When they are ready to spray, they put their tail completely over their face. When skunks are ready to spray, they aim for their enemy's eyes. The spray burns in the eye and temporarily blinds.
We have several varieties locally. When skunks cause problems, the methods used to solve them must be specific to the problem. Several methods must be combined and used continuously over a period of at least two weeks. Skunks are not dangerous, they usually won't live where a dog resides, and they don't live where their food source is located.
Benefits of Skunks
Skunks eat home and farm pests such as mice, rats, moles, aphids, grubs, beetles, yellow jackets, grasshoppers, cutworms, cockroaches, scorpions, black widow spiders, snakes, etc. An estimated 70% of a skunk's diet consists of insects considered harmful to humans. They also eat decomposing fruit fallen from trees.
Public Health Issues
It is important not to handle skunks. Although it is not very common in our area, they can be carriers of rabies and distemper. If you are bitten, scrub the wound with soap and water for at least 20 minutes. Seek medical attention immediately. Skunks can spray 15 feet with extreme accuracy. If a person or pet gets the spray in the eyes it is very irritating, but no permanent damage will occur.
Take responsibility for your family's and pets' health by preventing contact with wildlife and keeping your pets' vaccinations up to date.
What Attracts Skunks to a Residence?
Skunk control should focus on prevention. The best method to reduce skunk visits is to alter their habitat in a way that eliminates the resources currently available to them. The following items will attract skunks.
- bird seed
- pet food
- piles of brush
- gardens
- compost
- garbage
- BBQ grills
- fruit fallen from trees
- lumber or rocks
- openings under houses, decks, or sheds
- Feed pets inside or remove food after a meal
- Keep BBQ grills clean and stored in garage/shed
- Keep garbage in metal sealable containers
- Be sure no animals are currently present, and then block any openings under buildings
- Pick up any fruit in your orchard/yard
- Strong human scent on old worn clothes
- Rags soaked in ammonia
- Socks filled with mothballs
- Mammal repellent for surfaces being chewed (Click Here for the recipe)
If approached by an intruder and unable to flee, a skunk will usually fluff its fur, shake its tail, stamp the ground with its front feet, growl, stand on its hind legs, turn its head and spit to scare the potential attacker. If those techniques do not work, it will lift up its tail and spray.
Odor Removal from House
Air the house out thoroughly. Use fans under the house if necessary (where odor usually originates). Spraying acidic solutions such as diluted vinegar can help counteract skunk spray, which is alkaline. Use chlorine bleach, ammonia, and commercial products containing neutroleum alpha to clean odor from inanimate objects. Massengill douche and a few drops of peppermint oil on a cotton ball also works.
Odor Removal from Humans
Flush eyes liberally with cold water to ease irritation. Wash skin with carbolic soap and water, tomato juice or vinegar. You may be able to clean clothes by washing in vinegar and/or hanging them outside for a month before dry cleaning and/or wash with: Scope or Oxyfresh mouthwash. You might be better off discarding them.
Odor Removal from Pets
Wash pets immediately with one or more of the following.
Home Remedy:
- 1 quart of 3% Hydrogen Peroxide
- 1/4 cup of Baking Soda
- 1 teaspoon of Liquid Soap
Commercial products such as:
- Skunk Kleen, Skunk Odor Remover, Nature's Miracle (available at pet shops)
- Oxyfresh products
- Scope mouthwash
- Vanilla extract
Skunks under Buildings
Check for activity by covering entrances with loose dirt. If a skunk is present, it will easily dig its way out removing the dirt. If the dirt remains undisturbed for 2 or 3 nights, and it's not winter, the hole may be permanently closed with masonry, boards or hardware cloth. You can sprinkle flour around the opening. This way you can determine: 1. if the animal is a skunk, and 2. if the animal went inside or outside by the direction of the tracks. You may need to repeat sprinkling the flour for a few days.
You can try to speed up the skunk eviction by placing the following items into the burrow: Clothes with strong human scent (unwashed socks, shirts, etc.), Rags soaked thoroughly in ammonia, and Socks filled with mothballs (keep out of reach of children).
It is advisable to attach repellent materials with twine or wires to sticks so that they can be retrieved when the skunk has departed. It is also advisable to place the ammonia rags on a plastic surface (dish) to prevent the nitrogen in the ammonia from penetrating into the ground.
To prevent skunks from digging under a structure, dig a trench 1 1/2 feet deep and 6 inches wide along the exterior wall. Place wire mesh vertically so that it extends 1 1/2 feet down and bend the bottom 6 inches outward at an angle. Backfill the trench with dirt or cement once the wire is positioned.
Skunks in Window Wells or Dumpsters
They need a way to escape. The best approach is to place a rough board in the well/dumpster at no more than a 45 degree angle to allow skunks to climb out. As you quietly approach the window or dumpster, try to stay out of the skunk's sight. If the skunk exhibits any defensive behavior like foot stomping or tail raising, you should retreat. Another way to get the board in the well/dumpster is to dangle it from a string attached to a long pole. You will need to wait overnight, since they are more likely to move when it is dark.
Skunks in the Chicken Coop
The only solution to poultry predation by skunks is to securely enclose poultry, especially at night. Repair all openings in coop or fencing. Fencing should extend 1 1/2 feet underground to prevent skunks and other animals from digging under. Skunks are poor climbers but excellent diggers.
Trapping and Relocating Skunks
We discourage the use of live traps to relocate skunks. The Colorado Division of Wildlife will not allow any relocation or rehabilitation of striped skunks. Relocating individual skunks away from their home range without altering the habitat, is merely a short term solution. Relocating animals will cause more long term problems for the homeowner by actually increasing the local population. By removing existing skunks, you invite others to come in and compete for the new resources created by the available territory, resulting in more skunks than you had before in a relatively short period of time.
Due to increased resources, liter size tends to increase as well. If a skunk is removed from a habitat, other types of animals requiring the same resources as skunks (for example, raccoons) may increase to take advantage of the increased food/resource availability.
