While skunks are commonly thought of as being only black and white, they can also range from brown and gray to cream and ginger colored. All skunks are striped (even newborns), but their stripes vary between a single thick stripe, two thinner stripes, or a series of spots and broken stripes. Skunk species vary in size from 15 – 37 inches long and weigh between 1 pound (spotted skunks) – 18 pounds (hog-nosed skunks). Skunks will try to get an intruder to leave by growling, spitting, fluffing their fur, shaking their tails, and/or stamping the ground before they resort to spraying their strong unpleasant smell. When a skunk does spray, it has a range of up to 10 feet and the odor is able to be detected up to 1.5 miles away. Skunks can live up to seven years in the wild but most rarely live beyond a year due to their poor vision (death by road traffic).

Diet
Skunks are opportunistic, omnivorous eaters with flexible diets that shift with the seasons. They eat larvae, eggs, leaves, grasses, roots, fungi, nuts, fruits, berries, beetles, grasshoppers, lizards, salamanders, frogs, birds, moles, and small rodents. Skunks are also one of the primary predators of the honeybee and are known to eat poisonous snakes like rattlesnakes, as well as garbage left by humans.
Digging
Skunks have strong forefeet and long nails, which make them excellent diggers. They dig holes in the ground to search for their food and, if necessary, to burrow. Nocturnal skunks will sleep the day away in tree hollows; hollowed out logs; abandoned animal burrows; and brush, wood, and rock piles. They also like convenient denning sites like elevated buildings, openings under concrete slabs and porches, and crawl spaces. Skunks will occasionally dig their own burrows underground if no other shelter options are available.
Trust Wild Trappers
Skunks invade your yard or home in search of food and denning sites. By eliminating any potential food sources and denning sites, you make your yard less inviting. Preventive measures, such as removing attractants around your home and surrounding  buildings, will decrease the likelihood of an unpleasant skunk encounter. This includes securing trash; covering exposed openings under your home, porch and nearby buildings. Feeding pets indoors, or if fed outdoors, remove food immediately after pets eat. Make sure all garbage bins are tightly lidded and secured against tipping. If you need skunks removed from your residential or commercial properties, call Wild Trappers. Our state certified wildlife trappers will remove skunks and any other nuisance wildlife from your property via safe and humane animal trapping and removal techniques. We repair any animal damage and clean-up droppings and nesting materials. We’ll also inspect your property inside and out, top to bottom, to identify the entry points and potential problem areas and offer you safe and cost effective solutions. Call us today for a quote or inspection.