Skunk moved in under feed room floor, enters from hole under exterior of building

[Color_of_Light]

This barn has had low traffic for awhile. A skunk moved in under the feed room floor. All feed is contained in bins. The only place it smells is in the feed room. The floor has plywood which I can eventually remove and have someone clean out their den.

I’ve been tap dancing in the feed room to annoy them and placed a radio in feed room on a station with lots of talking and some music. Aside from talk radio, I read that placing a light at the entrance of the den will discourage them, because they are nocturnal and will be annoyed by the light. Will be installing that today. We have live traps, but then you have to do something with the critter from there. Thought of calling in a critter gitter, and they can do all the dirty work. It’s possible they moved out, since the radio has been running constantly for 4 days. I’m going to set up a motion sensitive security camera with night vision today so I can see if they are still there.

The access hole will be covered. But we are concerned they might pack up and move into the space between the kick wall and exterior siding of the nearby arena. What are some ideas to discourage them from relocating elsewhere on the property? Thought of adding more radios and motion detector lights.

[workin_onit]

Leave as many lights on as you can. Make sure all food sources are removed, cat food?

[CHT]

I love skunks, but I can understand why you don’t want yours there. Our neighbours kept our skunks from moving across to their yard by putting moth balls inside plastic containers with holes in all the good skunk hiding spots. (you put the moth balls in the container so that animals don’t eat them as they are toxic, and punch the holes so the smell still escapes)

Light won’t annoy them as much as you think. They are only somewhat nocturnal. In the summer here, our nights are so short, they are out and about while still quite light, and definitely go into our barn when it is still lit. They will avoid going near voices though, so radio is a good idea.

[CHT]

As an aside, there is a fantastic new enzyme spray to get rid of the skunk smell that doesn’t need water! Works on pets and on hard surfaces.

Please don’t kill them if they don’t show signs of rabies. Skunks are shy and not particularly damaging. They eat a lot of pests (insects and mice). misunderstood fluffs.

[Color_of_Light]

@workin'onit

Leave as many lights on as you can. Make sure all food sources are removed, cat food?

Thank you, workin’onit. All food is in feed bins or garbage bins. I don’t think they are going down the aisle of the barn because there’s nothing there for them. No skunk poop anywhere. Do skunks rummage through manure? One night I saw eyes in the light of my head lamp on a manure pile. It was too far away for me to see what it was. It didn’t go away quickly either. I have to wonder if this is what was leaving bird feathers between hay bales last year. I’d find remnants of what looked like something had snacked on a bird between gaps behind and between hay bales. I don’t think cats could fit back there. At the time, I couldn’t imagine what critter would eat birds. I guess skunks eat birds.

[Color_of_Light]

@CHT

I love skunks, but I can understand why you don’t want yours there. Our neighbours kept our skunks from moving across to their yard by putting moth balls inside plastic containers with holes in all the good skunk hiding spots. (you put the moth balls in the container so that animals don’t eat them as they are toxic, and punch the holes so the smell still escapes)

Light won’t annoy them as much as you think. They are only somewhat nocturnal. In the summer here, our nights are so short, they are out and about while still quite light, and definitely go into our barn when it is still lit. They will avoid going near voices though, so radio is a good idea.

Ha! I have moth balls in that barn! There were some holes small holes under that barn last summer. I threw moth balls in the holes and whatever was in there threw the moth balls back out! I don’t think it was a skunk. Never smelled skunky until few weeks ago. I also read that slunks don’t like the smell of amonia.

[Color_of_Light]

@CHT

As an aside, there is a fantastic new enzyme spray to get rid of the skunk smell that doesn’t need water! Works on pets and on hard surfaces.

Please don’t kill them if they don’t show signs of rabies. Skunks are shy and not particularly damaging. They eat a lot of pests (insects and mice). misunderstood fluffs.

I don’t want to kill them, they just need to leave. I’m not about to try to find out if they have rabies. We need to move some horses into that barn, so of course a rabid skunk is a concern. They need to move out ASAP. I hope to not ever see them or smell them again. Skunk is not something I usually smell here. Maybe 2-3 times a year as one is passing through. I did just smell one while I was inside my house just last week. That means it was walking too close to my house for comfort. The barn in question is not close to my house.

[workin_onit]

Skunks are omnivorous, eating both plant and animal material and changing their diets as the seasons change. They eat insects and larvae, earthworms, grubs, rodents, lizards, salamanders, frogs, snakes, birds, moles and eggs. They also commonly eat berries, roots, leaves, grasses, fungi and nuts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skunk

[CHT]

Used kitty litter is also supposed to be a skunk deterrent, although I have no experience with that.

Rabies in adult Skunks is supposed to be pretty easy to spot: they are suddenly more brave and out during the day…they will seem tame.

Give the moth balls a try, but put them in a container to be safe. Perhaps weigh it down or tie the container to the area? Skunks are quite active at night and do a lot of walking…maybe if you put the moth balls out at night when they may already be gone it will be better, but for sure put them where they haven’t moved in already!

(if you trap them, you will have to check if it is legal to relocate them. In my area only wildlife rescues can transport/relocate skunks.)

[Guilherme]

We’ve successfully moved skunks with light a couple of times. They don’t really like it and will usually leave if given the opportunity. No guarantee but a high probability!

G.

[tinah]

Stick the water hose down the den entrance. Run it for 10 minutes or so.

[WildandWickedWarmblo]

Empty an entire box of moth flakes or moth balls into the entrance.

Repeat as necessary.

[CHT]

@WildandWickedWarmbloods

Empty an entire box of moth flakes or moth balls into the entrance.

Repeat as necessary.

moth balls are toxic. Better to put them in an airy container than in the open where a child or pet could accidentally ingest them.

[allons-y]

I don’t want any skunks in my barn either. But all I can think while reading this thread is poor skunks!
Yes I’m an idiot - I gave mouth to mouth to the Anoles that fell in my pool in Florida. I rehabbed baby birds. I dripped sugar water in the beak of an exhausted Hummingbird trapped in my pool enclosure, I nursed a wounded dove back to health (after I went Dove hunting to feed myself), I took a snake to the vet after he was run over …I could go on forever. I understand, but still, poor guys are just trying to live, just like we are.

[Color_of_Light]

@tinah

Stick the water hose down the den entrance. Run it for 10 minutes or so.

I can’t do that because they are directly under the floor of the feed room. Who knows what kind of organic or inorganic material they have down there. I’d hate to have mold replace skunk! :no: Or what if they released their spray upon being surprised by water? :disgust:

Speaking of inorganic, they tried to pull two loose hay nets into their den awhile back before I knew it was a skunk (unless it was a pack rat first, and then a skunk moved in. There was no smell at the time). Hay nets got stuck in the opening, so I was able to retrieve them. A little while later, they tried to pull white hot wire tape and attached gate handle into the den. That was stuck for a few days before I could dislodge it.

[Color_of_Light]

@allons-y

I don’t want any skunks in my barn either. But all I can think while reading this thread is poor skunks!
Yes I’m an idiot - I gave mouth to mouth to the Anoles that fell in my pool in Florida. I rehabbed baby birds. I dripped sugar water in the beak of an exhausted Hummingbird trapped in my pool enclosure, I nursed a wounded dove back to health (after I went Dove hunting to feed myself), I took a snake to the vet after he was run over …I could go on forever. I understand, but still, poor guys are just trying to live, just like we are.

This sounds very much like an invitation for me to send you a special delivery package, to me! One skunk is a crowd over here, so if you want them, I’d be happy to round them up and Fed Ex them to you. By the time they (or it) arrives, it’ll probably be ready to pop. Then you’ll have a collection of skunks. They’re all yours!