Skunks are given good riddance in Piscataway, NJ complex.

Challenge

Recently, Cowleys received reports from one of our accounts, a large residential complex in Piscataway, NJ that skunks had formed a den underneath a shed adjacent to the main building. I was immediately dispatched to handle the infestation. 

Although there are four species of skunk in the United States, only one is found in New Jersey — the striped skunk. The stripped skunk is the most well-known and easily identified all the skunks because of its distinctive coloration. These animals, about the size of a house cat, are black with white fur triangle on the top of its head. The white coloring extends all the way down the skunk’s neck and back where it separates into two white stripes. Its tail is a mix of black and white fur. 

Skunks are primarily crepuscular, most active during twilight, dawn, and dusk. They are also omnivorous scavengers that can eat a wide variety of foods for their survival. In nature, they’ll forage for berries and nuts if available, insects, earthworms, and even dead animals. One major problem with a skunk infestation is lawn damage. They will tear up lawns digging for grubs and insect larvae. Like raccoons and other nuisance animals, they will raid garbage cans for food debris. Skunks rarely seek access inside homes, and instead, we find skunk problems around the exterior perimeters of structures. They are especially attracted to the spaces underneath decks, porches, and, as with this infestation, sheds.  

For those with pets and curious young children, there is always the risk of bering “skunked” or doused with skunk spray, a secretion from their anal glands. The foul-smelling fluid is often described as a combination of rotten eggs, garlic, and burnt rubber. This spray not only has a lasting, deep permeating stink, it also stings and can cause conjunctivitis or even temporary blindness if it gets in one’s eyes. I treat skunk spray as the equivalent of a can of mace. Also, skunks can spray a target as far as 15 feet away with amazing accuracy, so you don’t want to ever be perceived as a threat to one of these animals.

Solution

Although some use generic wire cage traps for skunks (the same traps for squirrels or raccoons), at Cowleys, we prefer tubular solid-wall traps with breathing holes. With these traps, the skunk is unable to turn around to direct its spray and they can’t see you. A skunk is much less likely to spray a target that it cannot see, although I am able to know which way the skunk is facing when approaching the trap. There is an old saying about not taking your work home with you — that holds especially true when trapping skunks and avoiding their defensive spray. No one, not even wildlife technicians, want to come home at the end of a day’s work coated with the skunk spray!

With these solid wall traps, when retrieving the animal, I can control my positioning and make sure that I’m not “in the line of fire” and stay away from the skunk’s backside where its scent glands are located. I’ve had much success baiting skunk traps with sweet materials, pretty much anything with sugars or berries. Also, skunks love peanut butter as well, and that can be an effective bait.. 

With these special skunk traps in place, I’m confident that the animals will be trapped quickly so they can be relocated to a more suitable environment.