OK, I am a patient person, but I am soo losing my cool!
Last year, some of you might remember my "flaming cat' story. Christmas Eve, a skunk decided to share the holiday with us, and the 'fragrance"....soo, somehow, he is getting into our basement.........nothing like wildlife!
We spent countless hours and  thousands of dollars to a trapper-guy last year to alleviate this problem. We thought we'd done the job...we have been skunk free all year long.... till today...... now, it's the Christmas season,  the weather is ccccoollldd out..and, last night, as we were enjoying the tree.....my eyes began to water and I could smell that old familiar smell :o .
We need HELP! We know skunks are nocturnal....we can't go looking for access spots to plug up, or one day in the not-too-distant future we will smell another of his smells.......blecchh! Short of staying up all night, watching him leave, THEN plastering/duct-taping/whatever the possible intake spots........how do we get him to leave???
I love living in the 'country"........but I am not inclined to share well with smelly guests........it seems they come in out of the cold, but they must be thinking their space is threatened or something.......there MUST be an answer...........ANYONE????????????????????

I hate to even mention this to my friends in Clusterville, but the smell has given me a headache. I am not a happy camper.......soo, please.....

HELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!

Just call me Stinky :-/

Stinky, why would I want to help YOU?

Seems to me, your new tenant is in the right spot.  You deserve each other!

Hee hee hee ...

I once heard that putting moth balls around, will keep rodents away ... I am not sure if it would work here .. (Do they even make moth balls any more?)

Chuck

Can you borrow someone's Jack Russel?

Well, Stinky....   ;)

No, I can't help.

Sorry.

Best,

George

When I did a google search, I came up with this.  I didn't check out the site so for all I know it could be telling you to dance naked under a full moon on the 312th day of the year.

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Good Luck
Carol

Grandma_Sweet_Boy wrote on Dec 9^th, 2008 at 7:19pm:

When I did a google search, I came up with this.  I didn't check out the site so for all I know it could be telling you to dance naked under a full moon on the 312th day of the year. START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE Good Luck Carol

Can't help with the skunk problem, but I like part of Carol's post  ;D Tell Gill you have a solution!

Aww, I knew you'd all be of help.......
George.thank you for your kind words.....
Carol, thank you for the site.......
Marc, BITE ME!
Chuck-BITE YOURSELF.HARD, on that most tender part of your anatomy! >:(

There are many commercial preparations which magically are sposed to do the trick..can you say "SNAKE OIL"????

I Guess I forgot to say, "NO LAUGHING ALLOWED!"

Really torqued Cathi

Sorry...couldn't get it to link.  Here's the article for what it's worth...



Controlling skunks isn't easy, but there are some things you can do. First of all, try to determine what they are doing there. Why your yard? Are they rummaging for food in the compost pile, digging up grubs in the lawn?

One common reason skunks show up in our yards is to feast on grubs. If you're noticing a lot of little holes in your lawn, you may have a decent grub population, in which case the skunks will be only too happy to assist you in controlling them. Grubs are the larvae stage of many types of beetles, and there are several organic methods for controlling them, including handpicking adult beetles or applying milky spore to your lawn.

Skunks will also eat unprotected garbage, small rodents, eggs, pet food, nuts and berries, fruit and bird food. They are also attracted to easily accessible sources of water and find the crawl spaces under deck and foundations appealing places to make their dens. Take a look around outdoors. Are there any berries growing close to the ground, bird feeder spills, brush/wood piles that could harbor insects or pet dishes being left out overnight, etc.? If so, try to reduce or eliminate these attractants. Also, seal up any openings around foundations or decks that are greater than 4 inches around.

No one method of "repelling" skunks seems to work effectively for long, so you may need to employ several strategies for long term control. If skunks are frequenting a specific area, you may be able to erect a small fence or barrier to keep them out. They are poor jumpers/climbers, but great at digging. The fence will need to go at least 12-18 inches below the ground.

Because these animals are nocturnal, you might also try installing a motion sensitive floodlight. A sprinkler system set off by motion is another idea. There are several commercial repellants (usually urine-based) that are said to be effective. These often need to be reapplied after it rains, but some people swear by them. Ask around at feed stores or garden supply centers.

As a last resort, skunks can be live-trapped and "escorted" out of town. This requires a very small cage (to prevent tail lifting) and extremely careful handling (to prevent bites to you and injury to the animal). I would enlist the help of a wildlife expert at the Department of Natural Resources if going this route.

Grandma_Sweet_Boy wrote on Dec 9^th, 2008 at 7:19pm:

it could be telling you to dance naked under a full moon on the 312th day of the year.

OMG!!!  The image of that is forever burned into my demented brain! I will NEVER be the same!

BTW, you do NOT want to kill it, while under the house, as the smell will get even worsterer, and the sight of Cathi Stinky, dancin nekid, would be too much fer the poor critter's heart ...  Major heart failure would result ...

Chuck

Antifreeze, just don't put it where any domesticated animals can get to it. Put a container of it under your house and they will be gone soon enough.

Some people might not agree with this, but 2K?! Drastic times call for drastic measures.

Jimmers

Yup, yup, nope, yup...........That was the article I read last year. We live on an acre. There is a seasonal creek on the property. NOBODY eats outside.....as for the berries.we have 2 cherry trees and 2 white plums.done and gone. Our yard is kept free of piles thanks to a gardener who comes weekly-especially now, with the mounds of leaves that have dropped.  
I suggested Gil use the 'south forty" as his.err.......place to 'go"...he didn't like the idea.......it's 37degrees out and he made some vile comment about nards and freezing. We need to find their point of access and cut it off, once and for all..........
meantime, I'm headed to the store to get mothballs.I asm putting a barrier around the entire house........kinda a moat, made of mothballs.....

At least whne we get to the coast, we only have to worry bout deer and rabbits........and nutria..........and hig-jumping whales???

I'm really beginning to appreciate roadkill.......

Still torqued cathi

Chuck, you dumb-arse! If I've been dealing with this for awhile, doncha think i KNOW we don't want him to expire underneath the house??  You and the bird trade brains or sumpin???

Maybe I shoulda kept that dog last  week..........
So, here's the plan.
Going to buy out entire stock of mothballs at local stores
Picking up antifreeze as well(tucking it safely under cover in the most likely spots......
Gil's thinking about this OTHER thing......we could save up a gallon or 2 then spread it around.........
Leaving now for Mexican restaurant, drowning our sorrows in Margatoonies!

Could be we'll still have the problem, but my makeup has melted off my face, saving me time tonight, and the margatoonies will improve our moods exponentially........
Giant Strawberry margatoony..........comin up!
Whee........still torqued, but on my w :Day to mellow Cathi  

Ok, all I read of that last post (#12) is cutting off nards and humping whales. [smiley=confused.gif]

LOL>>OK! Everybody's gone smartass on me!!!!
THIS IS A PROBLEM.........
can ya all muster some vibes, we'll pool em all, and maybe the vibage will make like, err, ultrasound vibrations which will bother their sensibilities and send em packing..........
that's in addition to the other stuff......
Melly....you crack me up!

I need  a drink or 3............

Chuck, BITE ME! :P....

Stinky

Surround the house with garlic. That will do it!

Cathi, I once rid our area of a feral dog with ethylene glycol and it is a very inhumane and painful death. I would not recommend it but if you do, you will need to mix it with food to entice the critter to eat it (a 1/3 cup will suffice). Be prepared for a lot of painful death noises if you choose this method… What you really need is a male tom cat unfixed, the urine markings will keep them away or a boa constrictor of the larger variety.

Fiber glass and wire mesh are a must for repairing holes in the foundation (put in the mortar mix in layers). In late fall it is prudent to do a detailed inspection of the foundation for new / under construction entrances.

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

Best of luck!

Roland. :-*

Ah, Roland, thank you so much! I actually think I'll pass on your surefire method, but now, I have a lot of new reading to do! Some of this info is new, so I do have plenty of reading, but menatime, the moth balls are in place, and I sprinkled a ton of cayenne pepper around as well!

As for foundation, Gil was down there in the summer and everything was buttoned up tight-but that was then. Tomorrow he's goin down again, with more wire mesh.

I feel like  the guy from Caddyshack....if I knew ahead of time where this critter were, I'd get a jump on him, and we would win.......

"I'm all right, doncha worry bout me........."...........Cathi :D

 

Cathi,

Can you leave some very bright lights on down there for a couple of weeks?  Perhaps the light will make him think twice before entering, and after a little while it will stop visiting?

-Shawn

Edited to add:  You could also use light to find the hole.  When it's dark outside have someone inside shining a very bright flashlight at all of the internal walls and crevices and you'll probably spot it.

Cathi,

my Dad is a trapper.  I'll ask him tomorrow what he would do.
He lives in Longview Kelso so he could if necessary might be available to  come down and do the do. He is right in the middle of his trapping season. (he traps for the city for nutria and the like:)

Kimberly

karma wrote on Dec 9^th, 2008 at 7:15pm:

Can you borrow someone's Jack Russel?

I've got 2 Jacks and they are very sweet natured until they see small furry things, then a red mist decends and they become murderous fiends.

Bit of a long way away to lend them for a couple of days though :(

How about lion poo???

Not really a complete joke- you can actually buy it here! It doesn't smell much to humans but does to other animals


W

Wendy

Nothing like a skunk spray to bring on a headache.  Sorry.

Langa

Motion sensor linked to a strobe light.  

I have read this thread with great interest since I too live in the country. We have all kinds of wildlife that tries to come live with us occasionally..

I have found that if you "employ" several dogs and maybe a couple of cats for good measure and spoil them rotten, assure them that their "space" is sacred - you will NOT have problems with "other" animals entering where they're not wanted.

At the present time I employ three "vicious" guard dogs, Homer, Orvil, and Roscoe (well Roscoe is a Jack Russell Terrorist and you'd have to get on the couch with him before he'd feel threatened, but). Homer and Orvil are both VERY BIG and take their "jobs" very serious. Homer has even been known to pull turtles out of the creek and "destroy" them just to show his power! And I'll never forget the time a possum dared to wander into the sacred territory - One bite from Homer and that possum was history!

I also have motion lights around the house to wake up the dogs when they're on "night duty".

This has worked well for me and the dogs seem happy...

Hugs BD

Big dog that looks down into the house. Other than that, I like the light idea and it would seem to me that mothballs somewhere along to the line might be handy.

Something's drawing them in. You're going to have to find it.

Good luck kid.

Charlie

Thanks, all, we made it through the night unscathed..........
Left the moth moat around, cayenne pepper, and all the floodlights- it looked like a prison-with an escapee loose!
Wendy, if you let me borrow the Russels, would ya come with em? Might be a deal........Karma, thanks you for the orig idea!

Kimberly, if your dad has ANY ideas, I'd LOVE em!

NOW, the search begins.we need to find their point of entry. The consensus is, they come looking for warm spots when the temp drops drastically-like right now.

At least we can breathe and our eyes aren't watering!  Skunk scent is sooo vile, it will wake you from a sound sleep.........

Not-so-stinky, Me!

I think your only solution is borrowing an appache attack helicopter.

Am I the only one here who actually likes the smell of skunks?  I know in the house it would be extreme, but I've been exposed to skunks in the woods many times, and have been when the scent up the air... even had one go off in our tiny honda accord back in 1980.  That smell was in there for years.  Never really did think that it smelled 'bad'.  I must have a tumor in the smell center of my brain.

Cathi,

Dad says to get a live trap, put it where the skunk is coming in and out.  Put meat in the trap.  When the skunk is in the trap, carefully put a gunny sack or a tarp over and GENTLY wrap it up without disturbing the skunk too much.  Then, haul it out and let it go or drown it or whatever.  If it can't see you and you don't jostle it too much it won't spray.

He also said if you need to borrow a trap he has one for you to use.  He is in the middle of trapping season so he is beat.

Kimberly