Virginia Skunk Removal
Family of Skunks in Your Yard?
One skunk is bad enough, but do you frequently see a whole bunch in your yard? Or, do you see the same one multiple times throughout the week? Odds are you have a Skunk Den on your property or nearby.
Skunks have always been annoying to deal with. When they spray that smell will linger for weeks, and sadly no amount of tomato juice will eliminate that smell. But if you have a den on your property you or your pets will have a higher chance of getting sprayed. Or even worse, the smell of skunk spray will be frequent on your property. Skunk removal or even skunk control will be needed to remove a den, so that they will not only be removed, they will also will not come back.
Do Skunks Do Damage?
Besides their spray, do skunks damage your yard or home like the other pests we handle? The short answer is no, not as dramatically such as birds and raccoons. However they do like to make holes in the yard foraging for food. The amount of damage can range to a couple holes to ripping apart the grass in half your lawn.
Skunks do not bite humans unless handled or cornered, and prefers to spray and run away. If you are bitten or scratched wash the bitten area with soap and water to prevent infection. Do not trap them by yourself, please contact Wildlife Removal experts for Skunk Removal and Skunk Control.
Health Concerns for Skunks
Rabies is a fatal disease that attacks the nervous system, and is carried by many mammalian animals. Common infected are bats, raccoons, foxes, and of course skunks. This virus is found in the saliva of animals, and humans are commonly infected by bites rather than scratches. Due to this, be wary of animals behaving oddly, such as those that are unusually tame, aggressive, or are paralyzed. Skunks that are out during the day are extremely dangerous as these animals are nocturnal, and daytime walking skunks are very likely to have the rabies virus.
Rabies once contracted will stay dormant for weeks or months. But once symptoms start showing such as flu like symptoms, the disease will be 100% fatal. You must get treatment before symptoms show because only a small handful in history survived. Do not risk getting bit, and if you must wear proper protection such as thick pants, gloves, and preferably a thick jacket made of leather or similar material.
Why Do Skunks Spray? How Do I Avoid It?
There is a perception that skunks spray all the time, and that it doesn’t take much for a skunk to start spraying. However this is not the case! Skunks only spray as a last resort. If they sense they are in danger they will run away. If that doesn’t work they will turn around face the enemy, raise it’s tail, and stomp their feet as a warning. If the threat is still there that’s when they will spray. When a skunk sprays, it will be unable to spray again for several days, leaving them vulnerable.
If you see a skunk in your yard, it will not chase you and spray you, but you should still avoid it. Do not let you pets out especially dogs, as they like to chase skunks, and then get sprayed. If the skunk hangs around your home for a while calling for skunk removal or skunk control if there are multiple is heavily recommended.
How To Remove Skunk Smell from Dogs and People
Forget Tomato Juice as this common home remedy does not work. Tomato Juice will help mask the smell, but once the juice is washed off, your dog or yourself will be just as smelly as before. Removing Skunk Smell is not easy to remove, as the smell actually gets more powerful if you wait to remove it, and gets contact with water. Yes, water actually will make the smell worse if you wait too long so what can you do?
Skunk Smell Removal for People
- Shower Immediately!
- Use Deodorant soap or Dish Soap. The soaps makes the oils easier to come as the spray behaves just like engine oil.
- Wash your hair with shampoo made for oily hair. For the same reasons as above.
Another method is to soak in a baking soda bath for 15 to 20 minutes
- Pour 2 to 4 cups of baking soda into hot water
- Rinse to remove the oil residue from your skin
Skunk Smell Removal for Dogs and Pets
Your Dog or pets will have significantly more hair then you will. So the method for skunk smell removal is a little different.
- 1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide. (If you have none White Vinegar works just as well)
- 1 teaspoon baby shampoo or grease-cutting dish detergent
- 1/4 cup baking soda
Lather this mixture into your dog’s fur and then leave it alone for 5 minutes. Do not get it in their eyes. Then rinse and wash your pet with their regular shampoo. Repeat until necessary.
Peroxide will lighten their fur, so make sure that you only leave it on their fur for 5 minutes at a time.
Our Skunk Removal and Skunk Control Services
Here at Blue Ridge Wildlife and Pest Management skunk removal is your top priority. Nobody wants their yard or loved ones sprayed. We offer a 3 step process when it comes to removing skunks from your property. First is our skunk inspection process, followed by our Skunk Removal and our Skunk Exclusion (also known as Skunk control). Finally, we offer cleanup and deodorizing services to make sure that the skunk smell is gone for good.
Free Skunk Inspection
Our inspection is free and has no obligation. We make sure that there is not a den nearby, and to see if the skunk has dealt additional damage to your property. We will search anywhere, under decks, crawlspaces, culverts, you name it! If you are unsure if you have a den on your property give us a call!
Our technicians are experienced biologists and knows how skunks react, and their nesting habits. We know how to deal with these animals professionally and humanely.
Skunk Exclusion and Removal in Virginia
Once we know how many we are dealing with, that is when we will start to work on skunk removal. Our trained technicians will capture the skunks upon discovery, and once the threat is gone that is when we will start with exclusion and control.
Sometimes we cant catch all of them or some were not even present. Other times the den is somewhere far away for us get to, such as on another persons property. We can solve this with our skunk trapping and control program. We will set up traps and bait near their access points. With Blue Ridge Wildlife you will not have to worry about skunks getting into your yard ever again.
Repairs and Skunk Odor Removal
Sometimes skunks can damage decks or your home trying to get food. At Blue Ridge we offer repair services to fix any damage that these animals may inflict on your property.
We also offer Skunk Odor Removal services to you property. We use chemicals specifically made to deodorize the area, and it is safe for you property.
