Skunk Removal Nassau County, New York

Skunks Nassau County, Long Island, NY

Striped skunks are native to the United States and are members of the family Mephitidae. They have an extremely good sense of smell and hearing, but have poor vision, being unable to see objects more than ten feet away. Skunks are nocturnal opportunistic omnivorous scavengers. Skunks forage at night for a wide variety of foods including insects, grasses, berries, mice, voles, chicks of ground nesting birds, eggs, moles, frogs and vegetable matter. The striped skunk is about the size of a house cat and has a unique black and white fur pattern. The striped skunk is easily recognized by the white stripe that runs from its head to its tail. The skunk's stripes begin with a triangle at the head and separate into two stripes down its back. The stripes normally meet again and form a single stripe at the base of their tail. Its tail is usually a mixture of white and black fur. The skunk is a dynamically built, short limbed animal that is found in a variety of habitats, including urban and suburban settings. Adult male skunks are larger than females, with some weighing as much as twelve pounds. Striped skunks are polygamous and ordinarily breed once a year. During the breeding season, males may wander four to five miles a night in search of a mate. Females give birth to an average litter of six kits in May and June. The skunk kits are weaned after six to eight weeks and the male offspring become independent at about ten weeks of age. Female kits may remain with their mother until the following spring. With their short, stubby legs, it is not easy for a skunk to outrun a predator. Skunks possess two scent glands, one on each side of the anus, containing approximately fifteen milliliters of musk each, which provides it with a chemical defense against predators. Predators of skunks include coyotes, badgers, cougars, great horned owls, bald eagles, bobcats, red foxes, gray foxes and fisher. Striped skunks have a life expectancy of seven years in the wild. Skunks may dig their own dens, or take over groundhog, rabbit, or fox dens. Using their powerful long front claws, skunks often dig burrows beneath decks, sheds and porches of Nassau County, Long Island homes. The striped skunk is a primary carrier of the rabies virus.

Skunk Removal Nassau County, New York

Skunk Inspection - Is the first step in the skunk control process. Our wildlife control operators will be looking for evidence of skunks on your property which may include:

Skunk Odor - Even if they are not spraying, anyplace that a skunk frequents will be tainted with their scent, primarily skunk dens. If you are smelling skunk odor emanating from under your shed, deck, or porch skunks may have taken up residence there.

Holes in the Lawn - Perfectly circular round holes in the lawn that are three to four inches in diameter are evidence of skunk activity. Skunks are insectivorous creatures and will dig up lawns in search of grubs.

Trash Cans - Skunks will overturn garbage cans in search of a meal.

Skunk Tracks - There are five toes on both the front and rear feet with visible claws.

How To Get Rid Of Skunks Long Island, NY

Skunk Repellents

There are no registered skunk repellents. Predator urine, mothballs, ammonia soaked rags and ultrasonic sound emitting devices don't get rid of skunks.

Shooting Skunks

Shooting a skunk will undoubtedly result in the skunk spraying. New York State Environmental Conservation Law §11-0931 states that a firearm can not be discharged within five hundred feet of an occupied dwelling and New York State Penal Law §120.20 states, that a person is guilty of reckless endangerment in the second degree when he recklessly engages in conduct which creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. Therefore, using a firearm for wildlife control in a residential neighborhood is not a good idea.

Skunk Trapping

Humane animal trapping has been demonstrated to be an effective method when attempting to get rid of skunks and is the method used by nuisance wildlife control operators at Nassau County Animal Removal. Knowing what type of humane skunk trap to use and what bait to use for skunk removal in Nassau County, is largely dependent upon what time of the year it is. The humane skunk trapping approach that our Nassau County skunk removal animal trappers use, is also dependent upon the situation and where the skunks are entering your Nassau County home, or business. Our nuisance wildlife control operators know what skunk trap and what skunk bait to use in every situation.

Habitat Modification

The best way to get rid of skunks is to make your Nassau County, Long Island property less attractive to them, which can be accomplished by reducing access to food, water and shelter. Fallen fruit from trees needs to be promptly removed from the ground and trash cans should have secured lids. Pet food should not be placed outside. Lawn grub control will eliminate grubs as a food source for skunks. Potential skunk den sites can be limited by cutting back overgrown shrubs, removing debris and by stacking firewood tightly. Rodent control will further reduce available food sources to skunks.

Skunk Exclusion

Upon the conclusion of the humane skunk removal from your Long Island property, Nassau County Animal Removal will send out a licensed Nassau County contractor to give you a free estimate on any repairs that need to be done to your Nassau County, Long Island home, or business to keep skunks out. Our New York State licensed wildlife control operators will suggest any modifications that can be made to your home, or business to prevent future encounters with skunks, or unwanted wildlife. Here we may be looking at how to prevent skunks from making their home under your deck, porch, or shed.

How To Get Rid Of Skunk Odor

Sometimes, in spite of your best efforts, a striped skunk will spray your pooch. Most often, dogs will be sprayed on or around the head. In the event that your dog gets sprayed directly in its eyes or mouth, seek immediate veterinary treatment. This is very important if the spray got in your dog's eyes, because it can damage the delicate cornea of the eye. To de-skunk your dog and get rid of the skunk smell mix 1 quart of hydrogen peroxide with 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid. The dishwashing detergent will break down the oil, so that it can be washed away. The hydrogen peroxide and baking soda act as oxidizing agents, changing the chemical structure of the thiols in the skunk's spray into odorless sulfonic acid compounds. To be effective, the mixture must be used immediately and must be applied directly to the areas that were sprayed.