Skunk Removal

Eric:  Hi, how are you doing fine.

Vic: Fine thank you. All right.

Eric: So I wanted to ask you a couple of questions about your skunk trapping and skunk removal service that you have at All City Animal Trapping. I have a list of questions that our followers have been asking with some regularity. So I wanted to kind of run it of past you.

Vic: Sure

Eric: Okay, so the first question is, does a skunk smell more when it squirts?

Vic: Yeah absolutely, absolutely. So that spray is a, that’s their defense mechanism, you know.  It’s pretty potent, you know. So a lot of times to get them out from a crawl spaces or something like that, we kinda have to make them uncomfortable and it can be challenging because if that’s what they spray naturally, it’s going to be really tough to make them uncomfortable. You know what I mean? So, yeah, that’s definitely their defense mechanism and what they use for protection.

Eric: So that’s why they’re squirting is because of protection?

Vic: If they feel threatened in any way by an animal, by a person.  They’re going to lift that tail and point in your direction and pull the trigger most of the time.  They’re pretty accurate  in their thing.

Eric: So if someone were to get some skunk smell on them, do you have any advice on how to remove it?

Vic: I mean, there’s some wives tales and home remedies out there, but, uh you just got to stay under the hot water in that shower for a while to get it all out, you know?  But if it’s fresh, it’s in the shirt, a lot of times it, it might not come down and come out in the wash. You might not want to even jeopardize ruining your other clothes if you’re washing it in the wash. So it’s strong stuff. Absolutely.

Eric: How about if it gets on your pet?

Vic: Same kind of thing, same kind of thing.  And even with their collars or something.  I know before I had a, like a bracelet, the only way to get the skunk spray off of it, and this is after weeks was to soak it in tomato sauce.  I guess the acid or something does something to it, but it works, you know.  Bas far as pets and, and yourself, yeah, you just gotta, you just gotta wash it out as much as you can without, uh, I guess overdoing it.   If it’s a pet, you know, that’s the thing dogs are so curious.  They’ll, run and bark at a skunk and they’ll get squirted six nights in a row. If you let them.  They don’t know any better than to try and protect the property, you know?

Eric: Yeah, of course. Um, can, can someone catch any kind of disease from a skunk?

Vic: Yeah. Um, they, they carry you some diseases, just like any other wild animal would, but they’re not typically known as biters.  The one thing they do is spray and they usually can’t get close enough to bite them because they’ll, you’ll already get sprayed and back off of them, you know, but yeah, just like anything else, you know, with their droppings and other things then yeah. You always have to be cautious of that stuff.

Eric: Gotcha.  And are they attracted to any kind of foods or do they go through the, do they like rummage through the trash cans? What’s their what’s their thing?

Vic:  Not anything in particular.  But they are omnivores do just like possums and raccoons. They all eat anything. Everything from fruit that’s laying on the ground out of a fruit tree you might have in the backyard.  Or if there’s, if they can get a trash can and eat that stuff, they will too. But so they’re, burrowers and not climbers. And that’s why a lot of times they’re under houses or under sheds or something like that. And not necessarily in attics or on roofs. They’re doing the same thing, you know.  Just out every night, they’re nocturnal just looking for shelter and food and just hunting.

Eric: Just Hunting.

Vic: Yeah

Are they dangerous?

Vic: I’m not sure if they’re considered dangerous, but a you’ll get sprayed. So, you know, there’s probably a lot of people out there that would rather be bit by a raccoon than sprayed by a skunk. You always got to keep that in mind when you’re dealing with one and then, you know, they, they also do have teeth.  So I guess you could get both from them, but I wouldn’t consider them dangerous. They’re kind of like snakes. If you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. And if you go after them, they’re going to spray you.

Eric: Okay. Well, thank you. Thanks for answering some of our questions.

Vic: No problem.

Eric: Have a good day.

Vic: Thank you, you too.