There's A Skunk Near My Junk
There is a skunk currently roaming around our garage. She (or he) can be seen in the picture above, hiding between some stacked boxes and a baby gate. I was in the garage getting some clothes ready to donate to charity when I spied this little critter walking around behind me. Being the big brave girl that I am, I ran into the house faster than you can say stinky pants.
Lessons learned:
- Skunks smell even when they are not in the act of spraying. This creature, although cute, smells nasty.
- Skunks cannot be lured out of your garage with bananas. That apparently only works for monkeys.
- Paper towels soaked with ammonia and lobbed at a skunk's head do not phase the skunk.
- Banging a spoon on a pan serves no other function than to wake your neighbors. It will not make the skunk get up and march out the door.
Suggestions?
Comments
Whatever the creature is, I have a sure fire method of makin' it run out of your garage and head for the hills:
Tell It Sarah Palin is comin' over for dinner with some of her NRA pals.
I can get you a "Have a heart" trap, that won't hurt them. Then you can move them out into the woods, or to someone elses yard.
Let me know if I can help.
Mrs. Moto.
--- no go, eh? LOLOL Who would have thunk?
So- what happened? We need a follow up!!!!
Moth balls do not work on southern skunks and a Live trap you have to pick up in person to relocate the cage.
I lured mine out with cheese and bread like a bread crumb trail. Once out he did not return on his own. I don't think the cheese agreed with him.
Good luck!
ps. They can spray about 10 to 15 feet
Solo - that worked! I mentioned Tea Party Express with Sarah Palin and the thing went running for the hills.
She's brave Chewy. Doesn't seem to care if people or dogs are around. But you know skunks these days. They are not respectful like the skunks of our youth.
Hey Mrs. M - thank you for the advice and for the offer. The critter decided to leave after a couple of hours. But I have a feeling she may be back. She looked awful cozy in the garage and seemed to be on a mission.
All clear for now CIW. But as I mentioned above to Mrs Moto, I wouldn't be surprised if the skunks thinks the garage is a one bedroom condo in move in condition.
Thanks for the info on the spray trajectory Jules. Here I was about 8 feet away with my camera, thinking I was out of range. Next time I'll try the bread and cheese and maybe a lactaid since you thought the cheese may not agree with a their tummy :)
Hey Tomboy - So what did you use to initially wash the dog after he/she was sprayed? Any tricks you know of that would help if one of the dogs gets hit (or if I do).
Thanks Dragon. They really do carry that nasty scent. I imagine if they let it really rip it would make your eyes tear up.
We keep our dogs food bowl in the garage, and I make sure that the side door is shut each night to keep the skunks and raccoons out. We got sprayed last year (well, the dog did and then ran through the house) and we didn't get the stink out for months. Tomato juice does not work. Repeated washing with detergent helps.