3 for 1 Special

[WhitneyK]

This is what I had to deal with before church Sunday morning. 3 for 1 special. There were a total of 5.



Had 1 in the trap, 4 on the outside attempting a "jail break". The other 4 litter mates had worked all night to dig out around the cage and was successful enough to be able to fit all 4 under the cage and a metal cover I have for it.

Once they were under the trap (and apparently asleep, tired from their long night of digging) I sneakied up on them and covered it with a tarp with the thought of releasing the one inside and letting them all wander off together. After covering the trap (which had the metal cover in place) with the tarp, opening the trap door, and removing the tarp..... nothing! So, I removed the metal cover from the cage and the 4 on the outside came crawling out, the one on the inside was still asleep.

One wandered off, back up the ditch where I'm thinking they came from, another came up into the flower bed next to the porch and settled in for a long nap behind the rain barrel. Now, for the other 3,...... One went in to check on the other in the cage and woke it up. It stood up, walked out of the cage, looked around, then went back into the cage and laid back down. Soon, the 3rd skunk went into the cage and they all seem to be settling in for a nap.

I thought to myself, "I can't pass up an opportunity like this", so I covered the trap with the tarp, closed the door back down, covered it with my metal cover, and off to the bottoms we go.

I try to vary my release sites; far enough so they won't find their way back and to help diversify the gene pool. The skunks around our house don't have the typical white strips, but rather a white cap on their head (kind of gives them a "Don King" look with the hair standing straight up like it does), a "V" marking coming from their head and across the shoulder, and most, but not all, have a white tip on the end of their tail. Friendly little bunch too, they've never really threatened to spray, although I'm sure they are fully equipped if required.

[Mary C]

Those are so cute in the picture. I am glad it was your problem and not mine but I live on a farm,.... wheres some wood? yessss knock on wood I havent had problems with those creatures. I don't envy you.

If you didn't get sprayed........

Mary C.

[pchast]

Such pretty kitties...

[Verna]

Thank you, Whitney, for your advice that I probably have skunks in my back yard Sunny Day was so nice about rolling in it Sunday morning....you didn't bring your 3 up here did you??? She wants me to get rid of mine because she doesn't want any more cold baths on the patio with me using rubber gloves

I have never smelled any animal poop that smelled so bad, nor was so yucky. I caught her Tuesday sniffing at another spot, and I raised my voice at her. She backed away!!! I cleaned it up, and put chili pepper on it so she definitely wouldn't want to roll in it.

So, now to figure out if I really want to set a trap for a skunk this weekend.......I think I'll just work at blocking the two places where I know a skunk could get between the house and the fence post. I've never seen a skunk in the 22 years I've lived here, so maybe they will go away...I hope, I hope, I hope

[Oldragbaggers]

Where I come from we call them "pole cats," and my mother was an absolute MAGNET for the darn things. We used to camp in the Smokey Mountains when I was a kid and rare was the summer vacation that my mother didn't manage to get herself sprayed. Ugh. Riding home with momma was NOT the high point of the vacation, believe me. Supposedly this works for removing the smell:

Deodorizing You, Your Pets and Your Clothes:

This solution loses effectiveness almost immediately, so it cannot be stored and you will need to make a fresh batch whenever the skunks attack.

Store a sealed bottle of hydrogen peroxide and a small container of baking soda (separately) up in your cupboard so you'll be ready in case of an emergency.

1 quart of 3% hydrogen peroxide (from drug store)
1/4 cup of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon of liquid detergent

Mix together the vinegar, baking soda and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. This is extremely effective at removing skunk smell and is actually recommended by chemists and proven to be highly effective. The vinegar and baking soda work together to neutralize the odor, while the degreasing action of the dishwashing liquid help to remove the oily substance that contains the odor causing chemicals.