Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Solving the Skunk Dilemma

Ok...what do you do when a mama skunk and 4 babies have invaded your space?

Here's what the Internet says...
1. Moth balls will do the trick but they're a known carcenogen so don't put them where you can smell them.
2. Rags soaked in fox urine.
3. Light...constant light

After researching this, and trying the mothballs...(since I couldn't locate any fox urine), I can scientifically tell you that skunks could care less about my $15.00 worth of cancer causing moth balls.

So...on to the local bar to ask the locals about what I should do. Here's my choices there:
1. Harvest the babies...they're worth $500 each on the open market as pets..Get Rich!
2. Shoot the sucker, but be ready for a mighty big stink.
3. Go look in the Sand Castle subdivision for Perry. He's the one waving the whole chicken over his head lookin' for gators. He'd probably be willin' to catch the skunk.

No...none of these were viable options...I might have gone the gator catching route but couldn't find anyone swinging chickens over their head.

All I want is for her to relocate. Just take the babies and head on into the culvert system where we know that the skunks exist and we deal with that.

So, I scatter more moth balls, and what does Mama Skunk do? Laughs at me, as I awake to a whole NEW burrow she'd created during the night. Not only did she create another foot high mound, but she'd gone through the yard and dug up fist sized holes looking for grubs while she was at it.

So...we cover up the other two holes she'd dug...scattered what was left of our ineffective moth balls and turn on the hose aimed at the new burrow.

I must say, for as many times as she's been deluged with water, she sure has handled it well. She retrieved all four skunk babies, and this time carried all four of them two houses away. All the while I watched...and waited and thought to myself...whew! At least they're not next to me anymore.

I decided to go on with my day...got the kids and went to the beach. When I returned from the beach, I was sitting down under the house...just a mere 5 or 6 yards away from the skunk burrow, when what did I see???? MAMA SKUNK!!

At this point I'm open for suggestions...just none that involve fox urine or swinging chickens!

2 comments:

Rocking RS said...

Sandra - Oh man, that is one funny story only because I am just the reader and not the one experiencing it. Please do keep us up to date. We had a similar situation with raccoons eating our feed and cat food. Ours ended up in one raccoon being shot. We have not seen the other one since. Of course, I could not have shot the raccoon. Good Luck!

JLangston said...

Did you ever come up with something? Or just decide to coexist with your smelly neighbors?