Skunk

The most common skunk in Texas is the Striped Skunk. While being known for their pungent scent, the striped skunk is also described as a medium-sized nocturnal mammal with a white stripe on either side of their back extending from the head to the bush of the tail. These animals leave their dens to look for food in the evening and return early morning to safety. Striped skunks are social animals, meaning several can live in the same winter den together.

The normal breeding period for a skunk is between February and March with offspring born in early May. The average litter is around five offspring and a skunk usually only has one litter a year but on rare occasion, they may have two litters. The small and helpless blind baby skunks must be hidden away in a safe area until they are strong enough and can see to follow their mothers.

The skunk’s normal den in an urban area can include under decks, patios, sheds, pier and beam foundations, or even under concrete foundations. While the bulk of this omnivore’s diet comes from insects, the striped skunk also eats reptiles, small mammals, birds and vegetation. Normal predators, like humans, avoid skunks because of the musky odor. Their lifespan in the wild is around two years. Since their odor of sulfuric acid concoction cannot be immediately refilled, striped skunks will purr or growl and rise on their hind feet, lurch forward and stamp their front feet while clicking their teeth to scare away predators and intruders. These mammals, while strange, are not aggressive. Since they are near-sighted, skunks may wander up to a child unknowing that it is a person.

While trapping may be the first reaction to seeing a skunk in the yard, neighboring skunks will replace any removed from the location. If you live in a location populated by skunks, the best deterrent is prevention. Make sure your home and yard is “animal-proofed” by closing off any possibly den sites. Also, trapping adult skunks, especially during birthing season, can result in orphaned skunks which can starve without the mother.

Reference sources: Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and 911 Wildlife

Basic Information

Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to excrete a strong, foul-smelling odor. General appearance ranges from species to species, from black and white to brown or cream colored. Skunks eat fruit, worms, insects, fish, snakes, and dead animals. A snake bite will not kill a skunk because they are immune to snake venom. Great horned owls will eat skunks and don’t seem to be offended by their odor. Their front claws are used to dig burrows for rooting for food. They are about the same size as a house cat. A skunk will stomp their feet and hiss to try to warn predators and if that does not work then they will spray. The oily liquid that the skunk sprays in defense is actually yellow in color. Most skunks have a limited amount of spray ability, about five to six full powered sprays and then it takes 10 days to replenish their supply.

When skunks find their way to our Texas yards, we often smell them before seeing them. Skunks are nocturnal and most active during the evening and early morning hours when we are inside our homes. Skunks are small mammals, and their primary defense source is the noxious liquid they spray from glands underneath their tails.

Skunks are unwanted in our yards for many reasons, not just because of their ability to spray us and our pets. Skunks feed on many of the same foods we do and become a nuisance around our trash cans, pet food, and outdoor eating areas. They also spread diseases that can make people ill, including rabies. If you spot skunks and their telltale white and black fur and fluffy tail on your property, don't delay asking for professional help to remove them.

Public health concerns

The skunk is one of four wild animals (including the fox, raccoon and bat) considered to be primary carriers of the rabies virus and is, therefore, classified as a rabies vector species. Skunks have also been known to carry leptospirosis.

Is that skunk rabid?

Even though skunks are mostly active at night, they sometimes look for food by day—particularly in the spring, when they have young and may be extra hungry. Don’t be concerned if you see an adult skunk in the daytime unless they are also showing abnormal behaviors:

Limb paralysis.
Circling.
Boldness or unprovoked aggression.
Disorientation, staggering.
Uncharacteristic tameness.

If you observe any of the above behaviors, don't approach the skunk yourself. Contact Animal Services by calling 311 and we will assess the situation.

Common Conflicts

It is more likely you will smell a skunk than see one. Persistent, faint musky smells under a building or woodpile may suggest that a skunk has taken up residence.

You may find small, shallow holes in the lawn, similar to those made by squirrels, which are a result of a skunk foraging for grubs. Occasionally, you may even find plants knocked over or damage to the lower leaves or ears of ripening garden crops, including corn. You should look for these additional clues; foxes also have their own musky scent that may cause misidentification.

Warning signs to heed

Skunks use their powerful defense only when they or their young are threatened and cannot escape. Even then, they give ample warning that should be heeded — stamping front feet, a raised tail, hissing, short forward charges and twisting their hind end around in your direction. Spotted skunks will even contort into a characteristic handstand, rump in the air with eyes still fixed on the threat. Move away slowly and quietly. By nature, dogs tend to ignore these warnings, so it is important they be restrained for their own good.

How do you get rid of skunks?

Because of the lingering odor, and fear of being sprayed, it may be hard for some people to tolerate skunks living under a deck or old shed. But skunks need shelter when they are most vulnerable (during the coldest parts of the winter and when raising young).

Skunks are nocturnal and non-aggressive, plus they play a beneficial role—all good reasons to just leave them alone until they have moved on of their own accord (which they readily do) or can safely be encouraged to leave an area where they are not wanted.

What attracts skunks to your yard?

Habitat modification

Skunks are opportunists at heart — they’re mainly attracted to low-hanging fruit like garbage and pet food left out at night, as well as convenient denning sites, such as wood and rock piles, elevated sheds, and openings under concrete slabs and porches and crawl spaces.

Preventive measures, such as removing attractants around houses, will decrease the likelihood of an unpleasant skunk encounter. This includes securing trash, covering window wells, feeding pets indoors, or if fed outdoors, removing food immediately after pets eat.

Skunks may also dig for grubs in the yard when wet soil conditions push grubs close to the surface — their presence may be a sign of an overwatered lawn. Occasionally, however, a skunk may also wander into an open garage or shed, which is a compelling reason to secure all outbuildings.

Preventing denning (exclusion)

Exclusion techniques should be used proactively to prevent denning before an animal moves in. Any suspected skunk den should first be checked to determine if it has residents.

This may be done by loosely filling the hole (or holes) with soil, leaves, straw, crumpled paper or similar material. If a skunk is present, the animal will easily push their way out overnight and reopen the hole.

If the plug remains undisturbed for two or three nights, it is safe to assume that the hole is unoccupied and can be filled. In the winter, skunks may remain inactive for longer periods, so provide them with a bit more time to disturb the plug before blocking the den entrance. Permanently exclude skunks (and other den-seeking creatures) with an L-shaped footer of welded wire or similar barriers.

If a skunk is using the den, either harassment or eviction using a one-way door system is recommended. When evicting skunks, be sure that dependent young are not present. When in doubt, assume they are and use the door only after they start following their mother to forage. Leave the door in place from two or three nights to a week to be sure the skunk has left.

Harassment

When it is safe to displace skunks, mild harassment can be very effective. This can be as simple as loosely repacking the den hole with leaves or straw or other material to see if the skunk gets the message and moves elsewhere. If they require more persuading, adding light and noise to make an dark and quiet denning space unattractive may help as well. Make sure the skunk is not close by before setting up the disturbances.

About repellants

Repellants may also be effective in skunk deterrence. Mild repellents, such as used kitty litter, can be placed near or inside the den to one side so the skunk has to pass them to get out; commercial or homemade capsaicin or castor oil repellents may also be tried.

Avoid buying skunk deterrents that are based on predator urine — these products are created under inhumane conditions, and are not necessary to repel skunks effectively.

Stronger products, such as the powerful capsaicin-based “hot sauces,” are often unnecessary — in the case that they are used, they must be treated with extreme care due to the consequences for people, and animals who may inadvertently come into contact with them.

Skunk in garage

Skunks who have wandered into a garage can simply be allowed to wander back out by making sure the door is open before dusk. Skunks are nocturnally active, so opening the door at dusk and closing it later in the evening is likely to be a solution to this problem.

It is important to make sure the skunk has not been coming and going for long enough to have established a den and given birth, and that any accessible foods (bags of bird seed, for example) have been moved and secured in tightly sealed containers.