I have a skunk in my house. We tried to lure the little monster out---any suggestions, experience? Quick!?

Question

The skunk got into the house thru an open door (you wouldnt believe if I told you, so I wont). Later, the kids thot the skunk might be 'just shadows'. Thats night one. Nite 2, the skunk gets spotted by a neighbors son. It's late so we get on the web and it is suggested we make a sub for the skunk---skunks dont like subs. Since then, we set two traps in the house. Last night, we tried opening the same door and watching for him to meander out on his own, luring him w/tuna. This is day 3...There is an odor in the basement that is not skunk spray (yet) but still nasty. Animal control will remove the varmit for $200 but cant do it today or tomrw....the critter has been a better house guest than some of the teen friends---but he's got to go. when you get done laffing about the sub and making fun of the situation, I would appreciate your help...skunk bait, habits, lure, trap ideas, how to get rid of smell(not spray)? skunk is active in from 1-3pm...cause bsment is dark---

Answer 1

I have had this problem before as well. We used a small radio to make a continuous level of noise in our garage. We also left the lights on at night.

If you want to be sure your little house guest has left the building put a 6" wide strip of flour across any exits. Look for tracks in the flour leading out of the basement.

Skunks are attracted to smells that indicate the presence of food. They eat decaying fruit and insects. They love household garbage if they can get it. They can't see very well at all but they hear very well. To keep from scaring them you should speak softly while checking around your basement. They will usually hiss and spit like a scared cat. If this doesn't make a threat (you) back off the skunk will spray. Good Luck.

Answer 2

You could get a live trap and put a bowl of cat or dog food on the switch that sets the trap off. Even then you still have a live skunk on your hands. You need to be careful they can spray up to 40 feet. Also, if you kill it there might be fines or something if you have already reported a skunk being there.

I'd recommend tying a really long rope onto the live trap so you can halfway cart the thing off at a good long distance and not get sprayed.

The way my dad sometimes had to take care of them when they got in our barns was to gas them to get them to fall asleep, basically knock them out. Then you can remove them without the worry of getting sprayed. However, this is your house, so if you did something like that you wouldn't be able to stay in your house till you aired it completely out.

Animal control or the DNR might be your best bet. As long as you don't bother him or don't scare him, he shouldn't spray you.

You absolutely don't want to get sprayed.

Probably your best course of action is to lure the skunk outside with a bowl of cat or dog food late at nigh. Then while one of you has the skunk spotted outside. Another person should go into the basement and close up the door from the inside. The next day or so when the skunk isn't around spread some dog or coyote urine around the area, the smell of a predator might scare the skunk away.

Answer 3

Skunks are nocturnal. They see, and hunt, at night and love the darkness. We had one in ours. A game warden told me a simple trick. Turn the light on in the room the skunk is in. Close all doors, and form a barracade to the outside so he does not go into other parts of the house. Turn out all outside lights. And simply leave. When the skunk settles down, he will leave the lighter area where he feels vulnerable, and go back into the darkness where he wants to be.

Answer 4

One of a skunk's favorite foods is eggs. When you want lure him out, try a dish of eggs, out of the shell and a day or two old.
Just set them outside the door and he'll find them. But don't have the whole family standing around waiting for him to come out, he'll do it only when no one is around.
Once outside, close the door behind him.

Answer 5

use a have-a-heart trap bait the trap with a peanut butter sandwich. leave the trap about 20 feet from his entrance overnight. he should be in the trap the next morning. now the tricky part. use a dark colored sheet blanket drop-cloth that you do not want to keep. hold blanket in front of you so stinky cant see you and cover the trap entirely. if he cant see you he wont spray. also the spray shoots over their head not backwards . also if you pick them up by their tail they cant spray. anyway now that you have him in the covered trap you must lower it by rope over a bridge to drown him or he will find his way back even from miles away

Answer 6

geet an exterminator and don't cut yourself short on using a animal control person cause in the long run your house will have a odor youll regret..

Answer 7

I often end up asking the same question on other sites

Answer 8

throw a blnket over it then catch it and let it out. if u are too scared call animal control.

Answer 9

This is puzzling to me too

Answer 10

Hope this helps!