Skunk control

by | Aug 27, 2015 | Skunk Control

Skunks are mammals known to spray a liquid with a very powerful scent if they are feeling threatened. Skunks are usually 40 cm to 94 cm long weigh about 1.1 lb which is 0.50 kg. They are usually brown and white but can also come in brown and crème, there are two different types of skunks there is a stripped raccoon and there is also a spotted raccoon both these are very popular in Northern America. Another difference between a stripped and spotted skunk is their weight, a spotted skunk is quite heavier than a stripped skunk a spotted skunk is usually 18 lb which is 8.2 kg. Skunks are able to cause damage to our homes and they can be dangerous for us health wise. Therefore you will have to do a skunk control once you spot any skunks inside your home. Skunk control is necessary however often people don’t realize that they have a wildlife animal such as a skunk inside their homes, so they don’t do a skunk control until they see the skunk in their home. Here are a few ways to know whether you know you have skunks inside your home or not!

Signs of skunk in yard

Holes

Gardens and backyards are a great way to find out whether you have skunks inside your home or not. Skunks usually damage gardens by making holes. If you see random holes in your backyard or gardens there is a high chance you have skunks living with you.

Scent:

As I already said skunks spray a liquid once they feel threatened, the liquid they spray has a very bad smell and the scent doesn’t leave for a really longtime. You will defiantly know by the smell that there are skunks living inside your home / on your property. Unfortunately it has a terrible scent and takes what feels like forever to rid of it.

Damages:

You will have to do a skunk control immediately after you spot them in your house since they can be very unpleasant guests due to their spray. Skunks however are not capable of creating lots of damage but you will still want to put some money into doing a skunk control since they can be very unpleasant. The only thing skunks are capable of doing is damaging our gardens and making them look ugly. They can make holes in the grass making it harder for us to enjoy our backyards.

Skunks under porches is bad because they might spray while they are under the porch making it ten thousand times harder to get rid of the scent. Therefore you will still have to have a skunk control done. If you see them near your home, you would want to ask a wildlife control technician to do a skunk control service for you to prevent you being sprayed.

Skunks are not capable of creating lots of damage that is why sometimes people don’t care as much and don’t do skunk controls once they see a couple of them near their house. However even though skunks are not capable of causing lots of damage they are still capable of transmitting very dangerous diseases to you. Skunk diseases are pretty similar to raccoons, squirrels, and many other wildlife animals.

Skunk Diseases

Rabies:

Rabies is a disease that causes inflammation of the brain in warm blooded animals and humans. Rabies can cause death if it’s not treated and if you don’t seek immediate medical attention. Please be cautious of all skunks, especially sick looking ones, acting strange or foaming at the mouth. If you have a skunk on your property it is advised to call a professional for a skunk control service immediately. If you touch a skunk or your pet does contact your doctor or vet for a checkup to make sure you or your pet are not carrying the disease. Some common symptoms of rabies are fever, sore throat, tiredness, stiff muscles, nausea, headaches, and itchiness and tingling. Some die because of cardiac arrests and respiratory failure. Please read further on our Rabies in Wildlife article.

Hantavirus:

Hantavirus is a very dangerous and fatal virus that you can possibly get from a skunk. You will never want to encounter this virus so do a skunk control done by a professional to make sure that you will not get infected. Some symptoms that usually comes with this virus is fever, vomiting, nausea, headache, lower back pain, and muscle pain. This virus usually comes from the feces and saliva of wildlife animals such as the skunks. This can be a deadly disease so take it seriously and do a skunk control immediately, and it’s highly recommended that you do a skunk control done by a professional.

Parasitic diseases:

Like many other wildlife animals, skunks can also have parasitic diseases that can be very dangerous. Skunks can potentially have a parasitic disease that they can transmit to you. Parasites are living bacteria that can live inside you and cause respiratory and neurological failure. Do a skunk control immediately so that you don’t encounter any of these problems.
Some people will want to save money and spend money on other things rather than a skunk control getting done by a professional. Some simply think it’s a simple job and want to do it themselves. However skunk is the worst animal that you can do a removal on, because of their liquid spray. It is highly recommended that you contact a wildlife control professional to do a skunk control for you since they can be very frustrating. SOS wildlife control guarantees all work done and we provide have a 24/7 service.

Inspect:

Inspect your home and research on where the squirrels made holes and came inside you home from. This way it will make it easier to do a squirrel removal since they would usually come back out from the same way they came inside your home, and it would be easier for you to catch the squirrels.

Seal:

Try to seal any holes that you find in the interior and exterior of your home. Sealing the holes will prevent the skunk entering. However you may want to leave one of the most popular holes they come in and out from unsealed so that the animals can go out of your home once you are doing a squirrel removal. Only seal the final hole once you are sure all skunks are out. If one dies inside the smell will be worse than the spray.

Traps:

You can purchase traps, and you can put the traps at the holes the skunks have made. You need to check for different size of traps and check the local law as it is illegal in certain areas to trap and relocate the animal yourself. Once the skunks are coming out of your home they will get trapped in the trap, then you will have to release the animal at least a kilometer away from your home so that they don’t come back inside. Also you will have to check your local law for trapping animals.

For information on how we remove skunks in yards, skunks under porches read our Skunk Removal page

Call SOS Wildlife on 647-994-9453 for Skunk Control

Wildlife Problem – Do it yourself or use a professional?

by | Jun 6, 2015 | Animal Control, Human-Wildlife Conflict, Squirrel Control

Last Updated: May 2016

There are two main options to solving a wildlife problem – do it yourself or call a professional.

As a professional I will always advise using our services than doing it yourself, but that being said I do get a lot of phone calls from customers where it just ends up they only need advice as they can easily solve it themselves with the right knowledge. However this is the main reason I advise hiring a professional – knowledge.

As a professional, with the amount of times I’ve seen things done incorrectly or inhumanely, I would always recommend calling for wildlife removal services. That being said, it is a common occurrence that we receive phone calls from people requesting advice so that they can tackle it on their own.  When conducting wildlife removal, it’s always safest to call a professional because one of the main differences between DIY methods and calling a service are two things main things, knowledge and experience.

Handling wildlife problems without experience or knowledge can be dangerous. As recently reported in  the Town of Oakville were three dogs who died and three dogs were seriously ill after eating poison a neighbor planted carelessly to get rid of local wildlife.

The individual planted rat poison around trees to get rid of squirrels but unfortunately the neighbors pets were victim. As a huge dog lover and an advocate for the humane treatment of animals, I would be devastated if any animal (or human) got poisoned due to my neighbor’s carelessness.

Without knowledge or experience, anybody can fall victim putting their own and other people’s health and safety at risk. It is unfortunate that a decision made by their neighbor has devastated these houses which could  have been avoided with proper research into more humane, non-lethal solutions. You can read more on the story on Global News.

Get a Professional

The Town of Oakville has provided a document on How To Choose A Wildlife Control Company.

In general SOS Wildlife Control Incorporated takes one of two approaches for wildlife problems (or a combination).
The main and preferred approach is to install one-way doors at entry-points to allow animals to leave the building, and to prevent re-entry.
The second is live trapping. We snare or trap the animal and then release back into the wild a kilometer away in accordance to Ontario rules and regulations.
These approaches sound very easy but it takes experience and knowledge of the animals to do it correctly. If there are babies involved separate precautions must be taken. The mother must be initially removed and later relocated with her babies, the humane method of wildlife removal with babies. If you have a wildlife problem, call us for advice or help – 647-994-9453 or email us at info@soswildlife.ca.

Do-it-Yourself Wildlife Removal Tips

As much as we recommend calling wildlife technicians, we are aware of the stride people take on their own. Below are a couple tips for Do-it-Yourself wildlife removal.

  • If the animals pose no immediate threat to health and safety, then residents may choose to wait until the adults and any young have left the home or property, and then close the access point to prevent re-entry. Residents taking this approach must ensure that all young animals have left the nest or den, which normally means waiting until the young are weaned.
  • Read up on your local animal legislation before attempting to do it yourself. Ontario has strong animal welfare legislation, enforcing strong laws and tough penalties. In Ontario it is an offence to cause or permit distress to an animal.

“Their goal is to ensure Ontario’s animals are protected and treated in the humane manner that our society expects”.
Ministry of Natural Resources, 2015.

It’s against the law in Ontario to even own a trap that can catch anything bigger than a rat. Any device big enough to kill a raccoon or any use of poisons to kill these wild animals could also snare the neighbor’s cat or worst case scenario a toddler. The Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR) recommends hiring a licensed professional to trap and remove the animal.

Trapping is a common tactic for urban wildlife management in Toronto, but the most effective way of controlling pests like raccoons, skunks, mice, rats, or squirrels is prevention. Preventing the wildlife from entering your home can be much more effective than live trapping. Please check out our video on wildlife proofing your home.

CALL US NOW FOR REMOVAL SERVICES