What’s that one animal that comes to mind whenever you think about bad smells? A skunk, right?
And what do you do if that bad-smelling skunk is under your deck? Well, you think of ways to get rid of it!
If there’s a skunk under your deck, you need to act fast before it spreads its bad odor all over the place or, even worse, damages your property. Here are five things you can do:
- Cut off their food supply
- Tightly seal your garbage cans
- Turn on the bright lights
- Make lots of noise with a speaker
- Call in pest control
If you carefully carry out the actions mentioned above, your deck will soon be skunk-free!
Let’s understand why skunks like to make their way under decks and how you can get them to relocate. Let’s go!
Why Do Skunks Like Decks?
Like most other pests and critters, skunks always look for spots to hide and keep their babies safe.
Most of the time, they’ll dig their way under your house and into your basement or deck. They do this because:
- They prefer dark and quiet places
- It’s an easy path to the dumpster and garbage cans
- They can feed off of insects and other leftovers from plants and trees
- Most people don’t regularly clean or perform maintenance on their deck
Nowadays, it’s almost impossible for them to dig through the hard concrete foundation of houses. However, if there is any entryway to your deck, rest assured that skunks will find a way.
Even though skunks are an important part of the natural ecosystem, they have the potential to spread diseases and viruses among humans and pet animals.
Signs You Have a Skunk Under the Deck
If you live in an area where skunks are frequent visitors, you should always be looking for these critters.
Some indications of skunks you should be aware of include:
- Your front or back yard is full of shallow holes
- A strong and awful smell is coming from under your deck
- The trash inside your garbage cans is spread all over the place
- Cat-like footprints around your deck or porch
If you notice any of these signs, you need to stop whatever you’re doing and start working on ways to get rid of them!
5 Ways To Get Rid of Skunks
Once you have confirmed the presence of skunks under your deck, it’s time to get into action.
Here are 5 ways you can get rid of these pesky critters:
1. Cut Off Their Food & Water
One of the best ways to get rid of skunks is to starve them out. You can do this by ensuring they don’t have access to food or water.
If you have any trees or plants with nuts, fruits, or berries, you must clean them off daily. This will cut off their natural food supply.
Ensure to feed your pets inside your house to avoid leftovers for skunks.
Once the skunks realize your deck doesn’t have access to sustenance, they’ll relocate.
2. Seal Your Garbage Cans
Skunks are scavengers, always digging around yards and tearing through trash bags and cans in search of food.
Seal your waste bags and cans to completely shut off the skunk’s food supply.
The same goes for the compost bin, as hungry skunks will not hesitate to feed on rotting food items.
Skunks are attracted to decaying and rotting food from garbage. So, seal the bags tightly to prevent the odor from escaping.
3. Let There Be Bright Light
As mentioned earlier, skunks prefer the dark corners of the decks and porches. They can easily hide without anyone or anything disturbing them.
So why not light these places up, so it feels like daytime all the time?
Install bright and flickering floodlights, as this will make the space disorienting and unappealing for the skunk.
You can go one step further by installing motion-sensor lights to keep skunks and other critters away.
4. Turn On the Noise
Skunks hate loud noises and prefer calm and quiet. So turn things around and make it, so you’re having a party!
Put a speaker or a radio with volume at max (or loud enough to irritate the critters!) to make life a living hell for the skunks!
Ensure you’re not disrupting the neighborhood peace, as they might call the police for noise disturbance!
You can tune into a radio station or put on a TV show with lots of talking.
This will make the skunks think there are people around and find their way to another location for safety.
5. Call Pest Control
If all things fail, do NOT go near the skunks thinking you can chase them out on your own. Skunks will spray you with their awful smell, and you’ll regret every second!
Get on your phone and call a professional pest control or wildlife control company. Ensure they are trained to safely catch the skunk and release it elsewhere into the wild.
If the skunk has babies, ensure they don’t separate the mother and the kits.
Conclusion
Skunks only move under decks that give them a cozy, warm, and secluded feeling. What you can do here is do the exact opposite!
Please make it, so your deck becomes uninhabitable for a skunk. You can do this by:
- Cutting off their food and water
- Make sure they don’t get inside the trash cans and garbage bags
- Putting up bright lights
- Making lots of noise
- Calling in the professionals (if all above fail!)
Even though skunks are gentle, they can get aggressive and stinky if they feel threatened. So stay calm and carry out the measures mentioned above to eliminate skunks from your deck.
Good luck, and stay safe!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is There a Problem With Having a Skunk Under My Deck?
Yes! Skunks can cause big problems if they stay under your deck for long periods, such as:
- They can transmit various diseases and rabies to humans and pets
- Skunks stink up the place
- They can dig holes and burrow under the deck, weakening your foundation
- Your trash cans and bags will never be safe as they spread rubbish all over the place
What Time Do Skunks Come Out?
Skunks are nocturnal animals, so they come out during the night to scavenge for food and water.
How Long Do Skunks Stay in One Place?
Mother skunks with babies tend to stay in one place for about 7 to 8 weeks until the kits are old enough.
With a regular food source and water, skunks can stick around for almost a year before moving to another location.
