No one wants a
skunk around their home. This is perfectly
understandable. These animals not only release
the most noxious smelling odor that one can
imagine, but they carry a wide variety of
parasites and diseases with them as well. If
they bite or scratch you, a member of your
family, or even your pets, they can make you all
very ill, even unto the point of death. This
makes it so that they have to be gotten rid of
as quickly as possible.
These animals are messy, and once they have made
a place they want to call home they can be very
hard to get rid of. They will often find a place
to make a nest to have babies, and the last
thing you want is to find that a momma skunk has
release four or five of her offspring around
your home. Talk about a horrific disaster that
can turn your dream home into a nightmare.
What to Do About Baby Skunks?
There are two scenarios where you are likely to
find baby skunks at your home. The first is with
the mother around and the second is if the
mother has abandoned them or has been killed.
Whichever instance you encounter will determine
exactly how you will react to the babies.
If the mother is still alive, then getting her
out of the picture is the first order of
business. She will be incredibly protective of
those babies, which will mean that she will be
even more likely to spray, almost at will. This
can make for a total disaster for you and so you
have to be really careful about this.
The best option is to trap the mother using a
cage with bait and then safely transport her
away. Once she is out of the picture then you
can start working on the babies.
You want to be careful about approaching them.
They will not spray, but they will likely carry
many of the parasites and diseases that the
mother did. If they bite you or scratch you then
they can make you ill. You certainly do not want
this.
To get ahold of them, you want to make sure that
you are wearing gloves and that all your skin is
covered. Wear a surgical mask and goggles to
protect your airways and eyes as well. You can
grasp the skunks behind the back of the neck and
then put them into a cage, or you can use a claw
like device to grab ahold of them and move them
to the cage.
Once you have captured them all then you can
take them to an animal wildlife refuge or simply
take them somewhere far from your home. If you
took the mother to a different location then
take the babies to the same one. Read more:
Skunk
Control,
how to
kill skunks.