ANNE ARUNDEL SKUNK REMOVAL

SKUNK REMOVAL PROCESS

Skunk Control in Anne Arundel County

Skunks are a common sight in the Eastern United States. You can find them living in wooded areas, fields, or anywhere they can access food, water, and shelter throughout Maryland. You may even notice some smell of skunk in the air during the peak of their mating season, from February to March. However, if you notice a more persistent skunk smell throughout the year, you may be dealing with skunk residents on your property.

These weasel family members can become a nuisance if they live too close to your home. In addition to being a potential carrier of rabies, their scent can be irritating, and their droppings can be harmful to your health. However, the removal of these animals takes a special approach and experience. Our team at Skedaddle encourages you to learn more about skunk removal in Anne Arundel County and contact us if you have problems with them on your property.

Maryland’s Diverse Wildlife

The Free State houses a diverse animal population. Because the state has so many different waterways and types of terrain, you may encounter everything from seals to coyotes to frogs — and many in between. Maryland’s beautiful and varying ecosystems are also home to more than 300 species of rare animals.

Most of the time, humans and wildlife live harmoniously. You may even welcome it in your backyard by providing bird feeders, pollinator flowers, bat houses, or native plants. Supplying animals with food and shelter can benefit the environment and help keep the ecosystem balanced.

However, as urbanization increases, more animals seek refuge in people-made habitats. Sheds, barns, garages, and houses become appealing to wildlife; they can also find food and water nearby. Once animals discover a way to get into or under your home, they can cause problems. Skunks can become a nuisance and cause you to seek skunk removal in Anne Arundel County and the surrounding areas.

Skunk Species in Anne Arundel County

Eastern striped skunks are common in Anne Arundel County. They weigh up to eight pounds and are about the size of a house cat. You can easily identify a skunk by the white stripes that extend down its black fur. Most people also know that their bushy tails hide powerful glands that release a strong, foul odor that can linger for weeks.

Because skunks aren’t overly picky about their habitats, you may find them around your home no matter where you live. In the wild, skunks eat an omnivorous diet of vegetation, grubs, amphibians, birds, and eggs. When living near humans, they forage in garbage cans or pet food bowls.

Skunks are nocturnal animals, so you might not see them out during the day. You may find claw marks or burrowed holes under buildings or woodpiles. You may also smell their presence. If they create a nuisance, call us for skunk removal.

Skunk Behavior When Threatened

Skunks aren’t usually aggressive animals. However, when they feel threatened, they give warnings by stomping their front feet, hissing, charging forward, and raising their tails.

If their scare tactics don’t work, or if they are defending their young, skunks will use their odor as a last resort. Once they raise the tail, backing away slowly is your best defense against a nasty spray.

Dogs usually pay no attention to a skunk’s warning signals. As a result, they often fall victim to a skunk’s foul defense mechanism. They don’t have to get too close — a skunk can spray you or your pet multiple times from 10 feet away.

Most of the time, skunk odor is more bothersome than harmful. However, it can cause problems. A direct spray can make you sick to your stomach and cause vomiting. It also contains sulfuric acid, which can cause eye irritation and even blindness if it directly enters the eye. The smell can irritate the lungs, especially in people with breathing conditions.

Skunks can become aggressive if you or your pet get too close, so we advise professional skunk removal in Anne Arundel County. They will scratch and bite to defend themselves or their nest. They can also transmit rabies through open wounds, and their droppings can contain harmful bacteria, making children or pets sick if they ingest them.

How To Get Rid of Skunks

If you are wondering how to get rid of skunks – remember – removing wildlife from your home or property is a task you should leave to a professional. Handling wildlife yourself can be dangerous and smelly if the animal is a skunk. At Skedaddle Humane Wildlife Control, we can help you with skunk removal.

Removing a skunk family is particularly difficult. Skunks are excellent at digging, and they can burrow into tight spots. Mother skunks are smart enough to find hard-to-reach places to have their babies, and they can dig into narrow, hidden spaces under your deck, beneath your barn, or in your crawl space.

Our staff is trained to recognize skunk entry points. We can locate skunk nests with thermal imaging equipment and discover their secret hideouts. Our experienced team is also trained to hand-remove defensive mother skunks and their kits from these challenging spaces.

Once we find the points of entry and determine the den location, we will review each step of our plan with you. We hand-remove baby skunks and place them in a heated box to wait for their mother. Once the babies are out, the mother will leave and relocate the young to another of her multiple dens. One-way doors block the skunks from re-entry.

Cleaning Up and Preventing Re-Entry

Our skunk removal includes cleaning contaminated spaces. Because their droppings may carry disease, they must be removed carefully and professionally. Once the area is decontaminated, we apply a deodorizer. This step eliminates the scent that may attract other skunks.

Because skunks are burrowing animals, we install high-quality screens deep in the ground around the building. The durable screens prevent skunks from digging underground to re-enter your space.

Contact Skedaddle for Skunk Removal in Anne Arundel County

Although skunks aren’t usually aggressive, they can become harmful if threatened. In addition, unusual behavior in this creature, such as acting overly tame toward humans, wandering aimlessly, or appearing uncoordinated, can be a sign of rabies. Even if you think you can take care of a skunk infestation on your own, Maryland requires a permit to trap and remove these creatures.

Due to the risks involved with approaching these wild animals and the permit required for trapping, leave skunk removal in Anne Arundel to the professionals at Skedaddle. Contact us today to learn how we can safely remove and relocate nuisance skunks and other wildlife from your property. We also have access to educational resources and partnerships to teach your family and friends about how to coexist with the many types of wildlife found throughout our beautiful state.

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