How To Get Rid Of Skunks In Your Yard, According To Experts

Skunks are easy to identify by appearance—and smell! But these handsome mammals typically mind their own business and are more interested in excavating their dinner than in what you’re doing. “They’re primarily insectivores so they provide a useful ecological service, digging up insects in the soil,” says Sheldon Owen, PhD, wildlife extension specialist at West Virginia University. “The issue is if they decide to den under your porch or crawlspace.”

Although skunks prefer insects such as grubs, worms, wasps, crickets, and beetles, they’ll also eat mice, voles, moles, and other small mammals and raid bee hives. Skunks occasionally eat garbage and carrion. If given the opportunity, they’ll sneak into a chicken coop and eat eggs, too, says Owen.

Since homes and yards can be an appealing environment for some skunks, you may find they've been visiting yours. Here's what to do if skunks become a problem in your yard and how to get rid of them.

What Are Skunks?

Fortunately, skunks are not a huge problem for most homeowners. “They’re not aggressive, and they’ll squirt your dog sooner than you,” says Michael Mengak, PhD, Certified Wildlife Biologist and professor, Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources at the University of Georgia. “But they can carry rabies, so you should not handle them.”

Skunks are mammals that are more like weasels than rodents. There are two species of skunks in the Southeast: The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis), which weighs about 8 to 10 pounds and is the size of a cat; and the less common spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius), which weighs about 5 or 6 pounds. Spotted skunks are a species of concern because scientists are unsure why its population has been declining in recent years, says Mengak.

How To Tell If You Have Skunks

You may see the animal leaving its den, or the mother may be parading around your yard with her babies. Or you may smell the urine, feces, and musky odor from underneath your house or shed, says Mengak. Skunks are nocturnal but will occasionally forage in daylight, especially if it’s a nursing mother.

Another common sign of skunks is the presence of 1- to 3-inch cone-shaped holes all over your lawn. “The skunks are foraging for grubs and worms,” says Clint Waltz, PhD, turfgrass specialist with the University of Georgia Extension Service. “This is an indication that you may have underlying insect problems in your turf that may not have reached a high enough threshold to cause damage to the grass yet.” But the skunks know the insects are there.

Why Skunks Can Be A Problem

While skunks are good for eating insects and other pests in the yard, you don’t want to attract them or let them take up residence. Besides rabies, they can carry diseases like distemper and leptospirosis, which pets are vaccinated against. And they can be a nuisance by digging up plants and gardens looking for bugs. Once they make a home in your yard, they may also become territorial.

How To Keep Skunks Away

Removing potential food sources and excluding skunks from an area are the most effective means of keeping them away from your home. But you also can try to make your yard less appealing to them, with these tips:

• With lawn damage, make sure it’s a skunk. Other likely culprits include armadillos or birds, says Waltz. Set up a game camera if you’re unsure.
• Treat your lawn for insects. If you determine they’re chowing down on grubs, for example, you may need to apply grub control, though that won’t solve the issue if they’re also excavating worms, says Waltz.
• Don’t leave pet food bowls outside. That’s a sure way to invite not only skunks but other unwanted guests such as opossums, says Mengak.
• Make sure garbage is in a sealed can.
• If you keep bees, elevate beehives off the ground.
• Remove brush, firewood piles, or stacks of rocks, which can provide homes for nesting or a place to hibernate in winter, says Owen.
• Exclude skunks from spaces such as under sheds, decks, or crawl spaces with hardware cloth. Bury it several inches below ground, says Mengak.
• For pesky skunks living under your house or insistent skunks that won’t stop digging up your yard, you may need to hire a nuisance wildlife specialist for removal, says Owen.
• Remember that skunks can transmit rabies, so they should never be handled, says Mengak. If you find a skunk that is disoriented, lethargic, or doesn’t seem fearful of humans or other animals, contact your state’s wildlife department.

What To Do If You Get Sprayed By A Skunk

Skunks will squirt animals and people with an oily, musky substance if they feel threatened. They accurately target up to 10 feet, but the spray can reach up to 20 feet. Warning signs a skunk is ready to spray include jumping, stamping their front feet, arching their back, clicking teeth, and hissing. Spotted skunks may do a handstand before spraying and are even smellier than striped skunks, though they’re less likely to spray and will climb when threatened.

If you—or your curious dog— get sprayed, flush the eyes immediately with cold water. While there are commercial products for odor-abatement, you may not have time for a trip to the store. Instead, use this recipe, created by chemist Paul Krebaum, in the early '90s:

• 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
• ¼ cup baking soda
• 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid dish soap, such as Dawn

Mix well in a large, open container, and use immediately while still bubbling to rinse off the spray, then follow with a clear water rinse. Note: This mixture cannot be stored or put into a closed container because the chemicals will react and explode. “It’s probably going to take repeated applications,” says Mengak. It’s not recommended on fabrics because it may discolor them. Also, keep it out of eyes, noses, and mouths. You can follow up with regular shampoo on your dog. It can require repeated attempts. The University of Arkansas also recommends not using a dryer to blow dry your pet because it can cause the remaining skunk oil to set on hair, fur, or skin. 

Does Tomato Juice Get Rid Of Skunk Odor?

Nope! This old remedy does not chemically neutralize the odor, says Mengak. What’s actually happening is that the nose blocks out the skunk odor, called “olfactory fatigue,” and tricks the nose into smelling the tomato juice instead of the skunk odor. If not treated, skunk smell can linger for months.