Unwanted Guests

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:43 am

Please go home, you are not welcome here.

We have some guests that keep hanging around and were never welcome. They are rarely seen during the day and when we do see them we do our best to ignore and avoid them. We do not speak to them, we do not encourage interaction with them. These guests prefer to disturb us at night when we are asleep. They think nothing of rudely waking us up with their rummaging around. The worst part of all, they stink. Yes they smell bloody awful.

Over the past couple of years SKUNKS have become braver in our area and are now in our yards camping out and foraging and just generally hanging around.

I blame our city for this because of the new garbage bin system set up. We have mandatory city issue bins that are picked up by machine and dumped into the waste trucks. However.... plenty of loose and random garbage is left behind when these bins are flung around. Garbage is a skunks favorite and most easily attained meal.

For those of you who have never experienced a skunk thank you lucky stars. Yes these small stripey critters look cute, and their fur looks so soft and petable. But NO stay away, these guys are masters of deception. 1) they bite, and many carry rabies. 2) they spray, the spray is noxious, it's a heavy cloying oil and there is nothing more fowl than skunk smell. Rotting human flesh, a pig farm, even a chicken farm smells better than the smell of skunk.

We were roused from sleep last night as the smell of skunk spray wafted through our bedroom window.

We are about ready to set out poison, traps and heavy artillery. :-5

Mark Aspam · Post by **Mark Aspam** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 7:53 am

minks;1498340 wrote: We are about ready to set out poison, traps and heavy artillery. :-5Have you tried chemical repellents?

Post by **Bryn Mawr** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 8:05 am

Mark Aspam;1498341 wrote: Have you tried chemical repellents?

Or ultrasonics? Tat works well with pests like moles.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 8:53 am

I have read ammonia soaked rages and citrus and dog pee are good repellants

I don't have a dog but will try the others

Mark Aspam · Post by **Mark Aspam** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 9:09 am

minks;1498343 wrote: I have read ammonia soaked rages and citrus and dog pee are good repellants

I don't have a dog but will try the othersIn the USA we have "county extension agents" who give all sorts of free advice on such matters. You may have a similar setup in Canada, and if so, a simple phone call might help solve your problem.

Post by **spot** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 9:11 am

Skunks are terrified of strawberries, but you should be very cautious.

If you put an open punnet of strawberries in the yard round dusk when birds are starting to sleep and too tired to find it, and leave it out until morning, you'll have no skunks for weeks after. Your skunk has a long memory and a hard-wired ancestral terror of soft fruit.

What you have to be totally sure before you do this is that there's no indigenous population of rattlesnake or cottontail close enough to smell the strawberries, nothing attracts your venomous snake like the smell of strawberries. Which is odd because they don't actually eat them. They lie in hiding until a genuine strawberry predator - a bear or buffalo or somesuch - shows up and then hiss bite swallow, it's the snake-food time. Being feeble-sighted they're more than likely to mistake you for what they're after when you go to take the strawberries in at dawn, especially if you're still wearing your night fur.

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 9:39 am

spot;1498345 wrote: Skunks are terrified of strawberries, but you should be very cautious.

If you put an open punnet of strawberries in the yard round dusk when birds are starting to sleep and too tired to find it, and leave it out until morning, you'll have no skunks for weeks after. Your skunk has a long memory and a hard-wired ancestral terror of soft fruit.

What you have to be totally sure before you do this is that there's no indigenous population of rattlesnake or cottontail close enough to smell the strawberries, nothing attracts your venomous snake like the smell of strawberries. Which is odd because they don't actually eat them. They lie in hiding until a genuine strawberry predator - a bear or buffalo or somesuch - shows up and then hiss bite swallow, it's the snake-food time. Being feeble-sighted they're more than likely to mistake you for what they're after when you go to take the strawberries in at dawn, especially if you're still wearing your night fur.

Well, I'd be really interested in seeing a rattlesnake bite and swallow a Bear or a Buffalo. I shall go immediately to the grocer for a pint of strawberries.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 10:49 am

Isn't the skunk family related to the Mink family? Just sayin..

Post by **LarsMac** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 11:15 am

YZGI;1498349 wrote: Isn't the skunk family related to the Mink family? Just sayin..

Yup. And Minks are pretty stinky critters, too.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:04 pm

lol spot, you make it sound like I live in the sticks.

Strawberry's you say how very fascinating, I would like to try but.... we have a fair rabbit population in our area, both Jacks, and small domestic types, I guess we could call them cotton tails.

Well I am going to try everything honest, I can't stand another summer of ducking for cover when the aroma of skunk hits us.

YZ really, you had to go there didn't you and you brought friends. Crikey.

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:20 pm

Check out if you have any Fur Trappers in your neck of the woods. Perhaps there is one nearby who would like to earn a couple of buck at no cost to you.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:29 pm

tude dog, because we are in the city only licensed exterminators can run traps, and they are costly.

We called the city because honestly this is their problem, (we live right next to Canada's largest inner city provincial park) and they laughed at me. Said they don't trap the skunks. Well jeepers really, they relocate bears and coyotes and cougars, why not skunks. They told me I have to pay for the exterminator myself. Cheap buggers.

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:53 pm

minks;1498361 wrote: tude dog, because we are in the city only licensed exterminators can run traps, and they are costly.

We called the city because honestly this is their problem, (we live right next to Canada's largest inner city provincial park) and they laughed at me. Said they don't trap the skunks. Well jeepers really, they relocate bears and coyotes and cougars, why not skunks. They told me I have to pay for the exterminator myself. Cheap buggers.

You might try these folks, Humane Wildlife Control

I know where I live these types of organizations don't cost much. Give them a call.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:57 pm

AW yes good call, we do have wildlife types here maybe they are brave enough to tackle skunks and relocate them

Wandrin · Post by **Wandrin** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 12:59 pm

At least around here, they won't relocate them during the season where the mother is raising young in the nest. I'm not sure when that season is up there.

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 1:08 pm

tude dog;1498363 wrote: You might try these folks, Humane Wildlife Control

I know where I live these types of organizations don't cost much. Give them a call.

Since I poated that was under the impression it might be something like Humane Society. Even though, if your have little luck these people may be of assistance.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 1:22 pm

lots of options,

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 1:43 pm

I am a skunk EXPERT! I trapped 35 skunks alive over a period of three years and completely eradicated them from our part of the city. I transported them out into the boonies as well without every once being sprayed!

Here's how I did it: I built a large box out of plywood. It had a deadfall door held up by a pin. The pin was connected to a wire that was connected to a mouse trap. Inside, a teeter-totter plate was connected by a rod to the mousetrap. I baited it with a bowl of dry catfood. (They love it and it doesn't lose its smell quickly!)

The skunk walks in, its weight triggers the floor plate, the floor plate pulls the mouse trap and SNAP BANG! The mousetrap snaps the pin out of the door, the door falls shut and the skunk can't pry it open! I put a couple of old lawn mower wheels on one end and a rope on the other and viola! Instant skunk carry on luggage!

One week alone I caught 5 skunks, one a night. (Oh, and yes, I did debate about releasing them into the rich neighborhoods of our city councilmen, but I'm not eighteen anymore so I didn't succumb to foolish impulses.)

Weirdly, the first skunk I caught, I took to the animal shelter. I figured, hey! They put down dozens of cats and dogs, why not real vermin? The ranger told me, "We can't take your skunk because it's not in one of our traps. Traps they rent for $50 I might add. So I asked, "What do you do with the skunks that are caught in your traps? He replied, we take them over to the river and turn them loose. Loose? LOOSE?! inside city limits?! !@#$%$#*& No freaking wonder we have a problem! But you gotta admit... it's a working business model.

Stupid gits.

minks · Post by **minks** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 2:10 pm

Priceless Saint.

Did you ever get sprayed, I am terrified of the little beggars. More than the coyotes we have around, really it's true.

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 2:34 pm

minks;1498372 wrote: Priceless Saint.

Did you ever get sprayed, I am terrified of the little beggars.

Not a single time. Apparently, when they can't see you, they don't spray. To release them, I'd just pull up the trap door and walk a ways away. Eventually, they would leave. I forgot to mention that I hinged the whole front panel so that afterwards, I could spray the entire trap out. They don't spray...

but every single one of them decided to take a dump.:-2

Mark Aspam · Post by **Mark Aspam** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:10 pm

This is my favorite skunk joke. (It's actually my only skunk joke.) I heard it in German but it translates to English very nicely:

Once upon a time there were two little skunks named In and Out.

Their parents named them In and Out because they were VERY active. It seemed like whenever

In was Out Out was In and if Out was out In was In.

One day, Mama skunk was fixing lunch and it so happened that In was out and Out was in. "Out", said

his mom, "It's almost lunch time! Go out and bring In in."

No sooner had she begun setting the table than Out came in with In in tow.

"Out!", said the mama, "how were you able to find your brother so quickly?"

"It was easy, mama", said Out, "In stinkt!"

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:22 pm

Hahaha. Loved it.:wah:

tude dog · Post by **tude dog** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 3:35 pm

Saint_;1498370 wrote: I am a skunk EXPERT! I trapped 35 skunks alive over a period of three years and completely eradicated them from our part of the city. I transported them out into the boonies as well without every once being sprayed!

Here's how I did it: I built a large box out of plywood. It had a deadfall door held up by a pin. The pin was connected to a wire that was connected to a mouse trap. Inside, a teeter-totter plate was connected by a rod to the mousetrap. I baited it with a bowl of dry catfood. (They love it and it doesn't lose its smell quickly!)

The skunk walks in, its weight triggers the floor plate, the floor plate pulls the mouse trap and SNAP BANG! The mousetrap snaps the pin out of the door, the door falls shut and the skunk can't pry it open! I put a couple of old lawn mower wheels on one end and a rope on the other and viola! Instant skunk carry on luggage!

One week alone I caught 5 skunks, one a night. (Oh, and yes, I did debate about releasing them into the rich neighborhoods of our city councilmen, but I'm not eighteen anymore so I didn't succumb to foolish impulses.)

Weirdly, the first skunk I caught, I took to the animal shelter. I figured, hey! They put down dozens of cats and dogs, why not real vermin? The ranger told me, "We can't take your skunk because it's not in one of our traps. Traps they rent for $50 I might add. So I asked, "What do you do with the skunks that are caught in your traps? He replied, we take them over to the river and turn them loose. Loose? LOOSE?! inside city limits?! !@#$%$#*& No freaking wonder we have a problem! But you gotta admit... it's a working business model.

Stupid gits.

Dude, you're the MAN!

Ever caught anything else in your traps?

cars · Post by **cars** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:19 pm

Please go home, you are not welcome here.

We have some guests that keep hanging around and were never welcome. They are rarely seen during the day and when we do see them we do our best to ignore and avoid them. We do not speak to them, we do not encourage interaction with them. These guests prefer to disturb us at night when we are asleep. They think nothing of rudely waking us up with their rummaging around. The worst part of all, they stink. Yes they smell bloody awful.

Over the past couple of years SKUNKS have become braver in our area and are now in our yards camping out and foraging and just generally hanging around.

I blame our city for this because of the new garbage bin system set up. We have mandatory city issue bins that are picked up by machine and dumped into the waste trucks. However.... plenty of loose and random garbage is left behind when these bins are flung around. Garbage is a skunks favorite and most easily attained meal.

For those of you who have never experienced a skunk thank you lucky stars. Yes these small stripey critters look cute, and their fur looks so soft and petable. But NO stay away, these guys are masters of deception. 1) they bite, and many carry rabies. 2) they spray, the spray is noxious, it's a heavy cloying oil and there is nothing more fowl than skunk smell. Rotting human flesh, a pig farm, even a chicken farm smells better than the smell of skunk.

We were roused from sleep last night as the smell of skunk spray wafted through our bedroom window.

We are about ready to set out poison, traps and heavy artillery.

Wow, funny I came across this today. That's exactly what happened to us last night.

Our A/C was on last night cause it was 85f, and all or a sudden SKUNK spray wafted through the A/C intake and flooded our bedroom! Skunks in our area like and dig up grubs in the lawn, so don't know why it sprayed. Needless to say we were up for a few hours! :wah:

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:22 pm

tude dog;1498379 wrote: Dude, you're the MAN!

Ever caught anything else in your traps?

Yup. The neighbor's cats. Twice. Each one only once, though. They're fast learners.

Saint_ · Post by **Saint_** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 4:26 pm

I'll take some pictures of my skunk-catching machine and post them here in a couple of days if anyone wants to build one. (I made mine out of scrap lumber for about $5.00. the only thing I had to buy was the mousetrap.)

One more word before I hit happy hour: Make sure that you have no small, semi-enclosed areas on your property. I found a family of six under my porch, then I fully enclosed it. Watch for burrows under fences (plug those with round heavy rocks) and spaces under sheds and such. If you watch, you can learn to see the signs of where they're entering your yard and where they live.

magentaflame · Post by **magentaflame** » Thu Jul 07, 2016 5:49 pm

Ive only smelt a simulated skunk smell........ you can keep it. Thank god we dont have them here.

Although rotting wombat is pretty bad.

Ive never known any animal to be terrified of fruit. Learn something new every day. Lol

Kathy Ellen · Post by **Kathy Ellen** » Fri Jul 08, 2016 6:16 am

Hi Mags,

WONDERFUL to see you!! How's life treating you?

Hello Cars,

WONDERFUL to see you posting. Hope you and the Mrs. are happily traveling to Florida. Might drive down, but, it's a long drive. Maybe I'll make some stops along the way. Better than that, think I'll take the auto train down.

Cheers for now my friend x

minks · Post by **minks** » Fri Jul 08, 2016 7:00 am

I canâ€™t do a reply with quote so am just replying en masse.

Saint, thatâ€™s brilliant, you are lucky you did not get sprayed, maybe you have nice skunks in your area, I think ours are just miserable because they have to fight off all the darn neighborhood cats, seriously we have same number of cats as we do skunks I think.

Mark A, that is funny. I wish my skunks were funny, besides being funny looking.

Cars hi nice to see you again. Thatâ€™s funny you have the same problem as I. Darn must be a good year for pesky black and white vermin.

Magenta, not that I am an expert, but if you have some reallllllyyyy bad smelling Pot, that is almost what Skunk smells like, and itâ€™s cloying and does not go away. It is a kind of oil, itâ€™s so bad that even if they spray the side of your house that smell stays for weeks.

YZGI · Post by **YZGI** » Fri Jul 08, 2016 9:57 am

minks;1498356 wrote: lol spot, you make it sound like I live in the sticks.

Strawberry's you say how very fascinating, I would like to try but.... we have a fair rabbit population in our area, both Jacks, and small domestic types, I guess we could call them cotton tails.

Well I am going to try everything honest, I can't stand another summer of ducking for cover when the aroma of skunk hits us.

YZ really, you had to go there didn't you and you brought friends. Crikey.

I just didn't want you "eradicating" one of your cousins..

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 4:35 am

Kathy Ellen said:

Hi Mags,

WONDERFUL to see you!! How's life treating you?

Hello Cars,

WONDERFUL to see you posting. Hope you and the Mrs. are happily traveling to Florida. Might drive down, but, it's a long drive. Maybe I'll make some stops along the way. Better than that, think I'll take the auto train down.

Cheers for now my friend x

Hi Kathy Ellen, good to see you too. You're right, driving to Fl is a long, very long drive, we stopped doing that over a dozen years ago. Flying is best for us. Actually, with the autotrain, we found the hardest part of the drive was getting to the autotrain station. Then when in sanford fl, we still had to drive over two hours to get to our villa.

Anyway, hope you do get to go to Fl how ever you go. Enjoy you summer and have lots of fun in the sun!

Cheers to you as well my friend

cars · Post by **cars** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 4:42 am

minks said:

I canÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t do a reply with quote so am just replying en masse.

Saint, thatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s brilliant, you are lucky you did not get sprayed, maybe you have nice skunks in your area, I think ours are just miserable because they have to fight off all the darn neighborhood cats, seriously we have same number of cats as we do skunks I think.

Mark A, that is funny. I wish my skunks were funny, besides being funny looking.

Cars hi nice to see you again. ThatÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s funny you have the same problem as I. Darn must be a good year for pesky black and white vermin.

Magenta, not that I am an expert, but if you have some reallllllyyyy bad smelling Pot, that is almost what Skunk smells like, and itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s cloying and does not go away. It is a kind of oil, itÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s so bad that even if they spray the side of your house that smell stays for weeks.

Hi minks, it good to see you as well. Skunk smell is so over whelming and recognizable, I would never want to get sprayed by them.

Anyway, enjoy your summer to the fullest, take care.

Your friend cars

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:17 am

Skunks! At my daughter's house (where I finally arrived last night and now can reply to this problem) she had a terrible skunk issue 2 years ago. California has been in a bad drought condition for a few years now and the pests were foraging for grubs in the front and back yards all over this development because it used to be their home before the humans took over. In my daughter's back yard I put concrete blocks under the fence to block their passage from under the neighbors' wooden fence. The front yard however was impossible to protect this way because my daughter feeds homeless cats and we couldn't put poison out nor block them with a fence, I had read that cinnamon would repel them so we bought a bag of cinnamon sticks and stuck them in the ground and that worked. No more skunks. Six months ago the neighbor got sprayed so we told him about our solution. Also last summer a rac**** problem started and those pesky things can climb over the wooden fence to get to our cat's dish so we added a motion sensor halogen lamp that scares them away, along with the cinnamon sticks. I shall ask the neighbor if he's had a problem since.

minks · Post by **minks** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:29 am

Thanks ZAP that sounds like a great solution, I will put out cinnamon sticks

We have been blocking up the fence spaces and the space under the steps to make our yard less interesting to them. We also put on our motion sensor light again. We have a lot of outdoor cats in our area and I don't want to trap or poison them by accident either.

The skunks just kind of make the rounds in our area as we are right close (4 houses away) from a huge park so they come around for whatever is easy to eat. I read us humans can smell them from abut 1 mile away. And generally just wandering by they smell foul. So I hope we can just keep them out of our yard it's the best for now.

ZAP · Post by **ZAP** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 8:55 am

Mark Aspam;1498377 wrote: This is my favorite skunk joke. (It's actually my only skunk joke.) I heard it in German but it translates to English very nicely:

Once upon a time there were two little skunks named In and Out.

Their parents named them In and Out because they were VERY active. It seemed like whenever

In was Out Out was In and if Out was out In was In.

One day, Mama skunk was fixing lunch and it so happened that In was out and Out was in. "Out", said

his mom, "It's almost lunch time! Go out and bring In in."

No sooner had she begun setting the table than Out came in with In in tow.

"Out!", said the mama, "how were you able to find your brother so quickly?"

"It was easy, mama", said Out, "In stinkt!"

:yh_rotfl LOVE, LOVE it!