Skunks are fascinating little creatures, famous for their spray. It is so powerful that its radius can stretch over 2km. Skunks are notorious for invading suburban backyards and causing this awful smell. Invasions are especially common during mating season, when females need a place to raise their kits. Knowing when they give birth will help you prepare. If you are worried about the skunks in your neighbourhood, give us a call. We provide guaranteed skunk removal and exclusion services across the GTA.
Skunks are common throughout Ontario. Indigenous to the Americas, these are small mammals that feed on insects, grubs, berries, eggs, and fungi. The average skunk measures up to 3 feet in length and weighs roughly 7lbs. Skunks are easily identified by the two white stripes that run down their backs. If you see one, it is best that you keep your distance. Skunks produce a toxic spray, which they use as a defensive weapon. The spray is so powerful that most predators will leave them alone. If you have spotted a skunk in the yard, it may have a den somewhere on your property.
Skunk Reproduction
Skunks breed in late winter and usually give birth to a litter of four to seven kits between April and May. The female’s gestation period is 66 days. Baby skunks are blind and immobile at birth, staying in their dens and feeding solely on their mother’s milk. At 3 weeks of age, they open their eyes. At 8 weeks, they are weaned, and they begin to venture out of their dens with their mothers. Kits look exactly like adults, only smaller. By fall, they are old enough to go their own way. Skunks are solitary animals once they have reached adulthood.
How to Get Rid of Skunks
Female skunks tend to dig under sheds, decks, and porches when it is mating season. They build their dens here because they are relatively safe and in close proximity to food and water. If you want to get rid of the skunk on your property, find the den, then attach a one-way door to its entrance. The one-way door swings outward, allowing the skunk to leave its den safely. Then, secure the rest of the structure with a steel mesh. To ensure that you do not separate a mother from her kits, wait until the end of the summer, first.
If you are dealing with a skunk problem, the best thing you can do is hire a wildlife remover for help. At Skunk Control, we offer guaranteed skunk removal and exclusion services. We can find where the skunks are hiding, remove them safely, then keep them from coming back by excluding your property. Our technicians will seal and block off every potential entry point to keep wildlife out. We also offer disinfection and deodorization services, which remove all harmful pathogens and odours the animals left behind. Call Skunk Control today.