Can skunks climb fences or house or rooftop? If yes, then how do you keep them out of your yard?
In this article, we’re going to discuss the ways to keep skunks out of your house or yard?
Let’s start with the:
Can Skunks Climb Fences?
Yes, skunks can climb fences and has very sharp claws. They can easily climb wooden, chain-linked fences. They’re mainly attracted to low-hanging fruits in your garden, leftover and pet food left out open at night.
Do Skunks dig holes under fences?
Yes, Skunks are great diggers. Skunks can dig up to 2 feet to be able to squeeze themselves under the fences.
Is a skunk living in your yard?
Being a good digger, skunks creates a lot of hole in your flowerbed, garden or lawn. This could be a sign that a skunk den is nearby and they are visiting your yard. A skunk hole is small and shallow.
Keep Skunks Out of Your Yard
There are number of ways to keep a skunk out of your yard. Choose 1-2 maximum, if the problem persist, choose another to remove skunk out of your garden or lawn.
#1- Strong Smells
Skunks doesn’t like strong smells like soap, a room deodorizer, onions, mothballs, etc. Skunks dislike strong scents, so a soap or a mothball or a onion will likely keep them away for good.
Citrus, ammonia, mothballs and predator urine (dog, coyote, etc) are three smells that can scare off skunks. If you use mothballs or ammonia-soaked cotton balls, be sure to keep them far away from children.
#2- Use a Skunk Proof Fence
Skunks have short legs and can only jump about 2-3 feet. So using a solid metal fence for 3-5 feet height will keep them away from your house. You can use chain-linked fences with a solid metal fence to remove most of the animals out of your yard.
For example, using a chained linked fence buried under soil about 2-5 feet along with a tin solid fence on the above for 3-5 feet. This will costs less compared to full solid fence.
#3- Clean Your Yard
Get rid of unwanted lumber, rockpiles, fence posts, tree stumps, and anything else a skunk might find appealing as a place to live in. Repair any holes in your deck, or foundations.
Regularly clean up fallen fruit, nuts, berries, branches, and leaves because these harbor insects which skunks like.
Keep all trash in cans with tight-fitting, locking lids.
#4- Motion Sensor Lights
Skunks are nocturnal and are sensitive to light. You could put in night lights around your property to deter them. Skunks are also sensitive to sound, but keeping music on all night is likely to upset your neighbors, so this might only work if you live on an isolated property.
#5- Sounds that Scare Skunks
Sudden loud sound can scare skunks easily and make them to hide in their den. Noises of predators like dogs, foxes, and snakes can make them to stay away from your house.
Will Skunks Leave on their Own?
Skunks will take advantage of cavities under decks and sheds to raise their young. However, they will leave as soon as the young are old enough. The simplest option is to wait for the skunks to leave on their own, and then seal off their entry hole with hardware cloth if you don’t want skunks to return.
How do I get rid of a skunk under my porch?
If you found that skunk is living under your porch, then the best way to remove them is to install a one-way door and seal all other holes properly. Make sure the skunk has no children under the porch.