Skunks

What skunks look like

The striped skunk is a low, heavy-bodied animal about the size of a house cat, roughly 52 to 80 cm long including the tail and weighing between 2.7 and 6.3 kg. The coat is glossy black with a white patch on the head that splits into two broad white stripes running down the back, and the pattern varies a good deal between individuals. The tail is long and bushy with white hairs mixed through it. Skunks have short legs, a small pointed face and long front claws built for digging, which is how they open up lawns and burrow under structures. They walk with a slow waddle and do not climb well. Skunks are active mostly at night and are not true hibernators, though they stay in the den through the coldest stretches of winter.

Signs you have skunks

• The smell. A faint musky odour around the yard or basement at night, with no direct spray, often means a skunk is denning close by.
• A burrow entrance. A hole roughly 15 to 20 cm across, dug under a deck, shed, porch, concrete step or foundation, usually with loose soil fanned out in front.
• Cone-shaped lawn holes. Small neat divots about the width of a thumb across the grass, dug while the skunk hunts grubs.
• Rolled turf. Sections of sod lifted and flipped back, most noticeable in spring and again in early autumn.
• Tracks. Five-toed prints with clear claw marks, the front feet showing long nails, left in soft soil, mud or snow.
• Pets coming in sprayed. A dog that gets hit in the yard rather than down the street is a strong sign the den is on your property.

Digging and odour together usually mean a den rather than a passing animal.

Why skunks come into Ottawa and Toronto homes

Skunks are not trying to get inside the living space. What they want is a dark, dry, protected cavity to den in, and the spaces under decks, porches, sheds, front steps, hot tubs and additions are ideal. A gap beside a foundation or an old groundhog burrow will do just as well. Food keeps them in the neighbourhood. Skunks eat insects, grubs, worms, mice, eggs, fruit and whatever they find in garbage, compost, green bins and pet dishes, and a lawn with a healthy grub population is a reliable feeding ground. Dens are used most heavily in late winter and spring, when females give birth, and again in autumn as animals settle in for the cold months. Once a den is established, the same site tends to be reused.

Are skunks dangerous?

Skunks are mild-tempered and slow to spray. They give clear warnings first, stamping their front feet, hissing and raising the tail, and they would rather leave than fight. The spray is not dangerous in itself but is painful in the eyes, and it lingers in fur, fabric and building materials for a long time. The health concern is rabies, since skunks are among the wildlife species in Ontario that can carry it, so an animal that is out in daylight and acting oddly should be left alone and reported. They also carry fleas and ticks that can move into the yard or onto pets. Property damage is mostly digging. Burrows under steps, slabs and decks can undermine footings over time, and lawn damage from grub hunting can be extensive.

How to keep skunks out

• Close off the space under decks, porches, sheds and steps with heavy mesh, buried in an L shape into the soil so an animal cannot dig underneath.
• Secure garbage and green bins with tight lids, store them off the ground where you can, and do not leave bags out overnight.
• Take pet food and water bowls in at dusk and clean up spilled bird seed and fallen fruit.
• Deal with grubs in the lawn, since a heavy grub population is what keeps a skunk returning night after night.
• Clear low cover. Remove brush piles, tidy woodpiles and trim dense shrubs sitting against the foundation.
• Light and tidy the yard perimeter, and close off gaps beside the foundation, window wells and crawl space vents.

Screening the cavities before spring is far easier than dealing with a den later.

How GO! Pest Control treats skunks

• Inspection. We locate the den entrance and any secondary holes, confirm the animal is a skunk, assess the digging damage and check whether young are present.
• Exclusion. We fit a one-way door on the den opening so the skunk can leave and cannot return, then screen the rest of the cavity with heavy mesh set into the ground.
• Removal. Skunks are removed humanely and handled carefully to avoid spraying. Where a female has young, the work is timed so the family leaves together rather than being separated.
• Follow-up. We return to confirm the den is empty, remove the one-way door, close the opening permanently and check for fresh digging elsewhere on the property.
• Advice. We go over the screening, waste storage and lawn care that make the property less appealing, and point out the other cavities worth closing before next season.

We are licensed, insured and bonded, and we work in homes, apartments, condos and businesses across the Toronto GTA, Ottawa and Hamilton.

Common questions about skunks