Wild skunks can dig shallow holes in your yard in search of insects, grubs, and worms, which are their favorite food. They love to forage through your garbage and your garden. They can cause damage to pipes and wires burrowing under your home, and their odorous spray leaves an unpleasant smell that is difficult to get rid of. If you find a wild skunk around your home or yard, you want to make it leave immediately. Here are a few handy tips to help.

Skunks begin to seek warmer shelter in the earlier part of winter, later in winter it will become their place to mate. Skunks deliver a litter of two to ten “kits” in late April or early May. If you need to get rid of a skink with babies…GOOD LUCK. You may just have to wait until the babies leave. If the slunk is Under Your House, shed, or porch, try putting a radio playing loud music, or some flashing lights to drive them out without spraying. You can also throw mothballs under the porch or try a commercial repellent to drive them out. Using the urine or hair of a large dog or other predatory animal like a wolf or big cat is said to frighten them out of their dens as well.



If you need to drive them away from your yard, try using motion sensor lights and sprinklers. You can also try placing DIY smells around the yard to keep them away. Ammonia or urine sprayed around your perimeter is said to keep skinks at bay. Cayenne pepper, mothballs, citrus peels, and a spray made from hot pepper sauce and ammonia are all said to be natural skink deterrents.

Once the skunks are gone from you area, be sure to seal up any entry holes under structures or in fences. Once the area is skunk-free, it you need to create an environment discourages them from returning. Seal all trash bags and place them in cans with tight-sealing lids. Pick up unattended pet food and do not leave animal feed or bird feed left out in bags.

If you keep gardens or fruit-bearing bushes or trees, pick ripe product often, and keep fallen fruit cleaned up off the ground

Remove any potential water sources.

Keep your yard free of overgrowth and debris, especially around your home and buildings.

For serious problems, you might need to install a fence. Bury this fence one foot deep and set it at least three feet high. This will make your yard more difficult for skunks and other nuisance animals to enter.

With just a little attention to these details, you will have skunk free yard that looks good too!

Read the How to get rid of skunks page for helpful information and to learn more about How to scare a skunk away

How to scare a skunk away