No one wants a skunk under their deck. They are cute to look at, but these animals cause a horrible stink. A skunk’s spray is so powerful, it will smell over 2km away. If you have pets or small children, it is also dangerous to have them around. Getting sprayed will require a trip to the veterinarian or doctor’s office. The smartest thing you can do is remove the skunks humanely. If you suspect that a skunk is living under your deck, give us a call and a technician will arrive with a solution that lasts.
Wait For Them to Leave
What is perhaps the easiest thing you can do is to wait for the animals to leave on their own. Skunks usually stay in their dens for only a few months at a time. If it is spring, you can expect that a female is living under your deck with her babies. Wait until midsummer or fall, then seal up your deck with some wire mesh.
Practice Humane Harassment
Skunks prefer to live in dark, quiet, enclosed areas where they feel safe. You can therefore evict skunks by annoying them with sound, smells, and light. Try placing a bright light outside the entrance of the den. Because skunks are nocturnal, you can also place a radio on top of the deck during the daytime. In terms of smell, soak some rags in apple cider vinegar and hang them near the den’s entrance. Alternatively, you can use ammonia or dirty cat litter.
Use a One-Way Door
The one-way door is a humane and reliable method of removal. It works by letting skunks out of their dens while preventing them from coming back. If you can find the animals’ entry point into the deck, place a one-way door directly onto it, then wait a few days for the skunks to leave. This is how professionals remove skunks. Just be sure to do this only in the fall, so you avoid separating a mother from her kits.
Exclude the Deck
To permanently keep skunks off your property, dig a trench along the perimeter of your deck, about a foot deep, then secure a thick metal mesh into the sides of the deck. Then, bury the mesh with the soil you displaced. This will keep skunks from digging into its sides and finding their way under the deck. If you have a shed, you should consider excluding that as well.
Hire a Skunk Remover
For best results, hire a professional skunk remover. He or she can determine the severity of the issue and remove the animals for you. The technicians at Skunk Control are highly experienced in all forms of wildlife removal and would be happy to help you out. We offer humane removal, exclusion, and deodorization services. We will ensure that the animal has been evicted and keep it out with our guaranteed exclusion. Call Skunk Control for skunk removal services in the GTA.