Date Posted: October 26, 2016
Category: Wildlife
If you see the unmistakable skunk walking around your yard you have more to worry about than the potential for a stinky visitor in your Connecticut home. Skunks are generally nocturnal animals, so if you see them out and about in the day time you may want to be even more cautious as it may be a sign the skunk is rabid.
Skunks, Disease, and Pain
Skunks can cause health problems, including rabies. In fact, skunks are the second leading cause of recorded rabies cases in the United States (raccoons are the leading cause of rabies cases).
If you are in the way of a skunk when it lifts its tail to release a thick, oily liquid, run! The skunk can spray up to 20 feet and can let the oil out multiple times in a row if needed. If the oil gets into an animal or human eye, it can cause severe pain and temporary blindness. The oil is used by the skunk to scare away predators.
Skunks and Property Damage
Skunks are known for digging under the foundation of your home, shed, or garage in search of a quiet area. They can cause property damage in the process of burrowing into their new home. While they don’t physically hibernate, they do become less active in the cold and can remain in their dens (or under your home) for days or weeks at a time in the winter months.
If you have a garden, you might find skunks eating your vegetables and fruit, damaging the plants. If you have chickens and eggs, the skunk will not think twice about eating either one!
Skunks are also known for tearing the garbage apart in search of something to eat.
Skunks Aren’t All Bad
Despite the potential for a lingering, disgusting odor, the transmission of rabies and other diseases, and property damage – skunks can provide a few benefits. For example, they feed on rodents that humans dislike – including moles, squirrels, rats, mice, and other mammals. They help keep the insect population within control by eating crickets, insect larvae, beetles, and grasshoppers.
Skunk Removal Requires Experts
Removing skunks from your property is tricky. If you scare or anger the animal, chances are you’re going to end up smelling terrible. Rather than risk getting sprayed, it’s always safer to call on the expert wildlife removal team at Big Blue Bug Solutions. The safest and most common way to remove skunks is the use of exclusion services. We’ll make sure there are no holes or areas for the skunks to make their den. If the skunks are already living in or around your structures, we’ll find out how many and where they’re hiding – as well as remove them before we exclude them from re-entry.
