OH OH.....and it smells...

[maxpower_hd]

I think I may have a skunk trapped somewhere in my garage. I don't know for sure that is what it is. My wife said she heard some scratching and our cats were hanging around at the bottom of the stairs where the door leads to our garage. I thought it was a mouse but she said is sounded bigger.

Yesterday morning i was working in my garage and got a wiff of skunk. I'm thinking he might be hiding under the stairs. I tried CAREFULLY looking under there with a light but didn't see him. He could be little though and there is a lot of stuff under there so it is possible I just couldn't see him.

I sprinkled four on the floor at the spot where he would have to travel to get out and my wife put out a piece of bread with peanut butter on it. I wanted to ID the foot prints. Well the bread was gone and no foot prints. This tells me he isn't under the stairs, at least at the moment. So now I'm thinking I scared him to move while I was working and that was what stirred the smell. So I am guessing he is hiding under a cabinet and among some larger tools in the opposite corner. Also behind a project truck I have in there.

I did leave the door open a while last night and sprinkled more flower around to see if he exited. He didn't and I closed the door in fear of another animal wondering in and possibly causing the skunk to spray.

Anyone one deal with this before? Is there an easy way to get him to leave or do I really have to trap him. I'm not gonna lie, I'm AFRAID to trap him. I know what it smells like to get sprayed since my wife and dog once got sprayed at our kitchen door and it made me want to move! LOL I REALLY REALLY don't want to get sprayed by this thing.

 

[USAFpj]

MP- the females will also spray when they have their babies...

 

[kc10a]

Can't help with getting it out, but to get rid of the smell wash with tomato juice. If your clothes get sprayed, you can bury them in the ground for about a week, dig them up and wash normally for the dirt. If you catch it, you can get it descended and make it a pet. They make great pets. They stay as playful as a kitten, are a better mouser than a cat, and also eat bugs. Very cuddly once they are tame. I had a few as a kid.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Most urban critters do not like the smell of moth balls and you can toss them in various places. Just make sure you are not blocking their only exit.

I am not 100% certain, but I believe that a skunk won't spray if it can not raise its tail so a small live trap is an alternative. However, plan ahead on what you are going to do if you catch something. 22 caliber of high powered pellet gun are both effective at very short range.

 

[Evilunclegrimace]

Can't help with getting it out, but to get rid of the smell wash with tomato juice. If your clothes get sprayed, you can bury them in the ground for about a week, dig them up and wash normally for the dirt. If you catch it, you can get it descended and make it a pet. They make great pets. They stay as playful as a kitten, are a better mouser than a cat, and also eat bugs. Very cuddly once they are tame. I had a few as a kid.

Don't waste your tomato juice. It does not work. BTDT. Use a 1/4 cup of baking soda, a quart of hydrogen peroxide (3%) and 2-3 tablespoons of dawn dish soap mixed in a bucket with some warm water. Blot the excess skunk spray off from your pet and then wash your pet down with the mixture and let soak for 3-5 minutes. Rinse and repeat until the smell is gone.

 

[maxpower_hd]

MP- the females will also spray when they have their babies...

Oh well EXCELLENT! That's even better!

 

[maxpower_hd]

Can't help with getting it out, but to get rid of the smell wash with tomato juice. If your clothes get sprayed, you can bury them in the ground for about a week, dig them up and wash normally for the dirt. If you catch it, you can get it descended and make it a pet. They make great pets. They stay as playful as a kitten, are a better mouser than a cat, and also eat bugs. Very cuddly once they are tame. I had a few as a kid.

All set there but thanks. We already have four cats. Not interested in adding a 5th one. LOL

 

[Kevin54]

Don't waste your tomato juice. It does not work. BTDT. Use a 1/4 cup of baking soda, a quart of hydrogen peroxide (3%) and 2-3 tablespoons of dawn dish soap mixed in a bucket with some warm water. Blot the excess skunk spray off from your pet and then wash your pet down with the mixture and let soak for 3-5 minutes. Rinse and repeat until the smell is gone.

^^^^THIS^^^^Forget the tomato juice.

Sam the Hell Dog has been sprayed a couple of times, full blast to the frontal area, and with the Baking Soda, peroxide, Dawn recipe, 99% of the smell comes out with the first washing, and the remaining 1% comes out with his second bath. No way would I want the mess of washing a hyper dog in tomato juice

And if you THINK you have a skunk in the garage, and you have caught a whiff of it.....if that skunk let off his stink bomb in the garage, your eyes will be watering A garage can't be that big that you can't find a skunk unless you have stuff sitting all over the place. If you think he is in there, get a box trap and set it. If per chance you do catch the skunk, toss a sheet or blanket over the top of the trap and he won't spray. I wouldn't kill it, but I would relocate it.......IF you have a truck. If you only have a car, call the Game Warden and let him relocate it

 

[PelicanPines]

Been there... no useful advice... best of luck... buy a case of Lysol...

 

[maxpower_hd]

Don't waste your tomato juice. It does not work. BTDT. Use a 1/4 cup of baking soda, a quart of hydrogen peroxide (3%) and 2-3 tablespoons of dawn dish soap mixed in a bucket with some warm water. Blot the excess skunk spray off from your pet and then wash your pet down with the mixture and let soak for 3-5 minutes. Rinse and repeat until the smell is gone.

Well my plan of attack is to remove, eradicate or otherwise relocate this critter WITHOUT getting sprayed. If the ladder occurs it will be a new post. Thanks though.

My wife just phoned me to tell me she put out another treat and found that it appeared to drag it toward the tool box so it might be hiding under there if it's a little one.

 

[Lightning rod]

I relocated 6 skunks from underneath my shed last year by trapping them in a small trap from TSC. They won't spray if they can't lift their tails
Their eyesight isn't good either
I approached the trap with a large sheet hiding myself, draped it over the trap, relocate
Lots of YouTube videos by the experts on how to do this

 

[CSFJ]

I've got nothing. Only this.

 

[Chevy-SS]

I had skunks living under small shed attached to house. They would not easily leave. So I ran garden hose up close to the shed, and then pushed it slowly in (from safe distance). Then I turned water on partially, so it was a slow flow. But I saw them all come waddling out within a few minutes. They were clearly agitated but did not spray. However, they were talking to themselves, LOL, chattering and such! It was quite funny.

I put up some chicken wire around that shed and that was the end of the skunks residence.

If you can flood it/them out, it might be an option for you. It shouldn't take that much water. Good luck!

-

 

[maxpower_hd]

I had skunks living under small shed attached to house. They would not easily leave. So I ran garden hose up close to the shed, and then pushed it slowly in (from safe distance). Then I turned water on partially, so it was a slow flow. But I saw them all come waddling out within a few minutes. They were clearly agitated but did not spray. However, they were talking to themselves, LOL, chattering and such! It was quite funny.

I put up some chicken wire around that shed and that was the end of the skunks residence.

If you can flood it/them out, it might be an option for you. It shouldn't take that much water. Good luck!

-

That might be an option but I would have to flood most the garage, meaning I would have to empty a lot of it too.

 

[tdkkart]

Oh well EXCELLENT! That's even better!

Well at least the babies aren't capable of spraying till they're about 6-8 weeks old, so they'll be easy to move.

 

[My Old Tools]

Tomato juice was pretty effective the times my bird dog got sprayed while out hunting in west Texas. Soak him down with tomato juice, let him wear it awhile, then chunk him in a pond. Better than riding home with him stinking.

 

[vision8]

I used the small TSC trap baited with sunflower seeds. Then used a long poles to insert the trap into a green garbage bag and relocated the little critter. Becareful they have sharp nails and are disease carriers i.e.. rabies ! Would not want a dog or cat to contact that; never mind a human !

 

[Leaflessshadetree]

I relocated 6 skunks from underneath my shed last year by trapping them in a small trap from TSC. They won't spray if they can't lift their tails
Their eyesight isn't good either
I approached the trap with a large sheet hiding myself, draped it over the trap, relocate
Lots of YouTube videos by the experts on how to do this

This is true. It also helps to have a sheet or blanket ready to put over the trap, keeps them a little calmer as you remove them, trap and all.

If it does spray the recipe posted above works pretty well (I also add some vinegar) when the dog gets sprayed.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Skunks like insects/grubs. If you have insect/grubs in your lawn/shrubs get rid of them and the skunk will relocate them selves.

Of course, at the moment, it is nesting seasons !

 

[CoogarXR]

Is there a modern car in the garage, that has a panic button? Put the door up and set off the panic button. I doubt that he'd be started enough to spray, but I bet it'd tick him off enough to leave*.


*Disclaimer: Just a playful thought. I don't know if it would work or not, but I'm dumb enough to try something like that.

 

[rburke65]

The tomatoe juice stuff don't work...been there.

 

[revkev6]

something like this might work, if you spread it around in most corners etc. of the garage. but the problem is you need to live with the garage later too. all ofyour belongings will have spices on them and the first brush of your eyes will send you running away as well

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-a-Skunk-to-Leave

 

[stimpy]

Most urban critters do not like the smell of moth balls and you can toss them in various places. Just make sure you are not blocking their only exit.

I am not 100% certain, but I believe that a skunk won't spray if it can not raise its tail so a small live trap is an alternative. However, plan ahead on what you are going to do if you catch something. 22 caliber of high powered pellet gun are both effective at very short range.

Do not shoot them !!! it will cause them to evacuate there scent glands ( kind of like when a person will evacuate there bowels when they die ) , My neighbor made the mistake of doing it after I told him not to do it , his side of the house and yard smelled for 2 weeks !
, and to get rid of the smell you use Hydrogen peroxide and a little dish soap mixed in it cuts the oils down and nuetralizes them . we mixed up 15 gallons of this ( I have access to tech grade H202) and diluted it to 3%) and sprayed it thru a pull behind lawn sprayer .( besides removing the smell the lawn was greener )

if you get them under the shed/porch , the old trick of putting a bar of exlax under it or in the burrow works great as a skunk as smelly as they are ( actually there very clean) will not live in a burrow that has feces in it . this I learned from living on the farm.

as for eradication out of the house /garage , canned dog food and live trap , put a sheet over the trap so they cannot see you as it also protects you incase of spraying , the old wise tales of they cannot spray if there tail is not up is not true, they can!! as long as it clears the gland orfice which is next to there **** they can also spray if you hold them by there tail , also the babies are armed from day one ( neighbor also found that out the hard way )

 

[Redwolf947]

Same as the mothballs but better = fox or coyote urine they sell it in a can. We had a skunk family under our trailer at out place in the UP. We bought this stuff and divided it up into some nylons (the foot part) ******* and chucked um like bombs under the trailer. The skunks decided to move out..

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VZYCQM/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[BigT69]

I catch skunks in my hay barn with a wire cage trap from tractor supply. Bait it with some cheap cat food and tie a long string or small rope to cage and leave the end outside. Then you can drag it outside if it starts spraying. If you shoot them right they usually don't spray. Then you can drag it out. it's bad enough in a hay barn I would hate to have one in my shop. Good luck

 

[BigT69]

Do not shoot them !!! it will cause them to evacuate there scent glands ( kind of like when a person will evacuate there bowels when they die ) , My neighbor made the mistake of doing it after I told him not to do it , his side of the house and yard smelled for 2 weeks !
, and to get rid of the smell you use Hydrogen peroxide and a little dish soap mixed in it cuts the oils down and nuetralizes them . we mixed up 15 gallons of this ( I have access to tech grade H202) and diluted it to 3%) and sprayed it thru a pull behind lawn sprayer .( besides removing the smell the lawn was greener )

if you get them under the shed/porch , the old trick of putting a bar of exlax under it or in the burrow works great as a skunk as smelly as they are ( actually there very clean) will not live in a burrow that has feces in it . this I learned from living on the farm.

as for eradication out of the house /garage , canned dog food and live trap , put a sheet over the trap so they cannot see you as it also protects you incase of spraying , the old wise tales of they cannot spray if there tail is not up is not true, they can!! as long as it clears the gland orfice which is next to there **** they can also spray if you hold them by there tail , also the babies are armed from day one ( neighbor also found that out the hard way )

I was typing as you posted and just read your post the sheet over the trap seems like a good idea. Going to cover my trap next time.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Like bigt69 mentioned, the rope tied to the live trap will help you get it out of the garage.


A buddy was trying to catch a neighborhood feral cat and baited the live trap with a can of sardines. He let the dog check out the trap and he knew right away it wasn't a cat in the trap. He ended up shooting it and double bagging it. He put it out with the rest of the garbage. All was good till the garbage truck compacted the load and the guys had to smell skunk for the rest of the day.

 

[revkev6]

Like bigt69 mentioned, the rope tied to the live trap will help you get it out of the garage.


A buddy was trying to catch a neighborhood feral cat and baited the live trap with a can of sardines. He let the dog check out the trap and he knew right away it wasn't a cat in the trap. He ended up shooting it and double bagging it. He put it out with the rest of the garbage. All was good till the garbage truck compacted the load and the guys had to smell skunk for the rest of the day.

your story reminds me of an ex girlfriends father... guy was a drunk who spent every night at the bar til close. well, "the cats" kept getting in his garbage and he kept getting mad about it. so, he pulls into his driveway one night after being at the bar and sees a tail disapear into the can. "AHA!" He says to himself "I've got you now you dang Cat!" so he runs over and slams the cover on the metal trashcan and pics it up and starts shaking it... then when he's tired of that he starts banging it with a stick.... then in a fit of triumphant rage he rips the lid off and reaches in to grab that dang cat and really show it who's boss only to find himself the target of a skunk right in the face! (I can only imagine how badly a pissed off cat would have actually mauled him).... being blinded by the skunk and the booze he admits defeat and stumbles into the house and tries to crawl in bed with his wife

 

[maxpower_hd]

A few good ideas here. We are trying to confirm the identity of this critter this afternoon. I am going to look better now that I have a better idea where it is.

The garage is pretty full and has stuff all over the place. I didn't look everywhere I only looked where I thought it was. And the odor was like when one circles the house not when it actually sprays so it wasn't real strong. It doesn't smell at all at the moment. Hopefully it stays that way.

I like the hot pepper idea and I have that already. I also like the rope idea on the trap. I'm going to try to lure him out first and let him be on his merry way. If not then the trapping will commence.

 

[maxpower_hd]

And as much as I would like to shoot it I'm afraid my wife wouldn't allow that anyway. Even though it's a ******** skunk she wouldn't be too tolerant of my shooting it I don't think. But if I "relocate it" in the woods it might fall onto a bullet.

 

[Voi]

And as much as I would like to shoot it I'm afraid my wife wouldn't allow that anyway. Even though it's a ******** skunk she wouldn't be too tolerant of my shooting it I don't think. But if I "relocate it" in the woods it might fall onto a bullet.

Pretty sure it's illegal to relocate any wildlife in MA. If you trap it there are probably are authorities who will come get it for you.

 

[cbusters]

A while back a woman in California died from using an excessive amount of Moth Balls in a closed area. Asphyxiation from the naphtha as the Moth Balls "melted".

If you trap, set it in a trash can on its side with bait and then place a cover on it after it is captured. Skunks spray at what they can see. If they can't see you, you are safe. We wear a raincoat and walk up to a cage style trap with black plastic in front of us so it can't see us. Never been spayed. Then we just wrap it and tape it like a Christmas present with duct tape. Any food you set out to check for tracks in the flour can also be eaten by insects and leave no tracks. Skunks love sweets, Orange Slice candy and other baits that have a strong fruit smell are hard to resist.

It is amazing how many things are said to be cured with Moth Balls. In Florida, it is against the law to use chemicals that are not labeled for a specific use to control pests. Nevertheless, I have always wondered how they get their tiny little legs apart.

 

[MScott]

Do not shoot them !!! it will cause them to evacuate there scent glands ( kind of like when a person will evacuate there bowels when they die ) , My neighbor made the mistake of doing it after I told him not to do it , his side of the house and yard smelled for 2 weeks !

There is a way to shoot them so they do not spray. We used to have a border collie that hated skunks with a passion and would "corner" them in the open by staying nose to nose with them so they couldn't spray her. I would take the 12 gauge shotgun and shoot them through the base of the spine (where it attaches to the head.) Shot dozens of them and never had one spray. I think destroying the spinal cord shuts of the spray signal. We kept chickens at the time and skunks were a constant pest.

 

[kc10a]

Tomato juice always worked for me. I got sprayed several times when we were catching them.

 

[DCarr2]

Why not call your local animal control officer?

 

[MichaelBikel]

Whatever you decide to do just be careful. Although it is believed that skunks rarely carry rabies it is still a possibility, not to mention the appearance of the animal may not reflect this. I personally like the car alarm idea.

 

[maxpower_hd]

Well now I am mystified. The last batch of identification bait was untouched after a couple days. This is after the last one was taken, and it was too big for it to have been insects. No takers and no smells either. I worked in and out of the garage for several hours yesterday and saw, heard and smelled nothing.

So my wiff of skunk maybe was an anomaly? And my wife's initial thought that it "sounded too big" to be a mouse may have been an slight exaggeration? At least that is what I am going with for the moment.

I laid out some mouse traps last night and I am waiting the results. I left the flour for now to see if any identifying information might be gleamed from that effort.

I may be forced to clean out the garage. The issue is the majority of the bulk is the project truck. I may have to shift gears and finish it enough for it to run. I am still leery every time I go in the garage...

 

[58Yeoman]

Funny thing...we used to drink Yuban coffee, and there were times when I was loading the coffee maker that it smelled just like a skunk. We've had skunks around spraying anything/everything (but not our cats), and damn...it smelled the same. We're now back to Folger's.

 

[DenisG]

Skunk smell chemistry:
http://users.humboldt.edu/wfwood/chemofskunkspray.html

 

[Kaizen]

if it were me i'd lay down buckets of flower, put out a few cans of cat food, and put a camera on them. this would tell you what it is, where it was and where it went. a rat can sound pretty big. is your garage sealed tight? if not it might be coming and going. could also be a squirrel or raccoon. all nasty when locked up.
if it is under the tool box i'd put together all my scrap plywood into a corral out to the door.
last go get some new cats. yours have failed their assigned duties. also I did see someone get sprayed by a skunk that partially lifted its tail. more like to the side. he was putting a tarp on the cage and even though it didn't hit him he smelled like it. I am with you. tread lightly. maybe put on a neil diamond cd on repeat too? that normally clears a room