Until I had a skunk problem, I was completely unaware of the high cost of having a critter invade your home. It turns out skunk removal is a very lucrative business during rutting season. Very.
This year professional skunk removal was out of my budget, so I set about DIY skunk trapping. I ordered a special skunk cage, invested in some chicken wire, and bought supplies to fill the hole the skunk was using.
As I was getting the cage ready, I decided to research where to take my captured skunk. Like is there a skunk refuge? Can I call animal control? How best to travel with said captive skunk? And that’s when I discovered that it’s not legal to DIY trap skunks in Franklin, Tennessee. And that the only way to capture a skunk where I live is to call a licensed person.
Okay, I admit that was an obstacle. I still didn’t want to blow my budget over a skunk, so it was back to the drawing board. I’m a researcher after all. I found that skunks leave their dens around dusk. So, I figured all I had to do was wait till after dusk and change the locks on her. But how would I know for sure? I didn’t want her to stink the house again.
So, I repurposed one of my security cameras for the night and waited. And waited. And waited. And finally went to bed. Just as I was dozing off the camera alerted me. And sure, enough there she was.
A few skunk tricks
- If you get your house skunked an Ozone Generator completely eliminates skunk stink in a short period of time. I was glad I had purchased one when a set of foster kittens were very bad guests. No amount of scrubbing got the stink out of the kitten foster room after they left, but the ozone generator worked magic.
- If you are allowed to track skunks where you live they do make special skunk cages.
- Skunks and many other critters are trickly little buggers. It does not take a large hole for them to get into your house. I’ve sealed the hole, but also getting new crawlspace vents. Make sure you check yours before you get a guest. Cheap fix that can save you thousands of dollars.
- I used an indoor camera because I already had it, but I recently purchased this trail camera for another security issue. I’m ready to go next time I need to watch for a critter!
I ended up spending less than $100 on my skunk problem. The lowest quotes I was given to get rid of my skunk started at $1500-$1700.
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