If you have or think you have skunks, call 1st Response Wildlife for humane live-trapping and removal!
Southern Arizona has 4 different species of skunks- common Striped Skunk, Hog-nosed Skunk, Spotted Skunk, and the Hooded Skunk. One of them, the spotted skunk, can climb, while the other three stay, dig, and forage at street level. What this means is that, for the most part, only the spotted skunk will be found in attics, on roof tops, or in storage spaces off the ground. Any of the 4 species, however, may find an entrance at ground level to a home, office building, foundation, or shed and enter looking for insects, mice or even shelter. From time to time, skunks, will eat something or just come to the end of their life and die inside a building, a wall, or a storage area. When this happens, the faster the location of the dead skunk can be found and the animal removed the better.
In areas where people have a habit of feeding feral cats, skunks, which are omnivores-eating insects, grubs, worms, plant root/bulbs, dead animals, mice, eggs, fruit, and small birds, a skunk will happily add food left out for a feral cat to their menu. With the exception of the spotted skunk, if one wants to leave food out for a feral cat, the best advice is to place it up on some elevated platform and the other three species of skunks will leave it alone.
For the business owner or the homeowner, skunks can be a real nuisance. A skunk startled or chased can spray and leave the distinct skunk smell for days. If this happens inside a building 1st Response Wildlife has equipment that will help remove the smell.
Homeowners and Property Management Companies that have property with well-established plants may check their property one morning and, while they might not have considered it, realize they have had grubs or insects living around plant root systems. When a skunk shows up and starts digging for those insects and grubs, the damage to the plant/roots can be significant. (1st Response Wildlife has trapped over a dozen skunks recently that dug under plants, looking for grubs, totally exposing root systems and, in some cases, killed the plant.) If you see significant digging, call 1st Response Wildlife and have the culprits live-trapped and removed/relocated.
On pretty much a yearly basis, rabid skunks are reported in southern Arizona-from Sierra Vista to Phoenix. Erratic behavior, seeing skunks in the daytime, or having a skunk, seemingly unafraid of a pet or human could be cause for concern. If you see this, call a professional.
If you have not seen skunks yet, here in southern Arizona, be aware that skunks amble slowly about their business and are usually are seen at dusk, dawn, or as many travelers have experienced, in the headlights of your car at night right before you run over them on the highway. Regardless of whether you have digging in your patio or around your plants at night or a skunk is acting erratic, walking around during the daylight, it is best to call a professional to come and remove it.
These pictures, below, highlight the extent to which skunks caused damage diging for grubs.
The skunks responsible for this damage were live-trapped by 1st Response Wildlife and relocated.
The spotted skunk is the smallest of the 4 species of skunks and is, by far the friendliest and most inquisitive. The pictures and video below shows a spotted skunk, in a trap that feels pretty safe and takes its time leaving to go back into the wild.
Here, below, is a YouTube of the release of a spotted skunk.
Striped and Hog-nosed skunks are a little more disquieted by human interaction and, like all skunks when provoked, either in a trap or after leaving a trap, will stamp their feet and try to warn anyone too close that they could spray at any time. Video, below, will show several skunks being released and one of them kind of turns around and being a little agitated, thinks about spraying, but finally decides instead, to amble off, just like the others.
Below are three YouTube videos of releases, first of a striped skunk and then, following, two Hog-nosed skunks headed out in their new home.
Striped skunk
A beautiful Hog-nosed skunk in the trap.
A calm Hog-nosed skunk ambling away
A slightly agitated Hog-nosed skunk being introduced to its new surroundings stops and considers spraying a few times. Note it keeps its tail straight up, ready, if necessary to spray.
If you have skunk living and spraying/digging/grubbing in your area, around your business, home, or property you manage and believe they are a nuisance, call 1st Response Wildlife, a professional wildlife live-trap service company, who would be happy to talk with you about trapping and relocating them for you. Giving 1st Response Wildlife a call will result in the best outcome for you.
If you would like help with any other nuisance animals, noises in your building, see or hear something in or around your home, business, or property and would like help identifying it, humanely removing it, with the assurance it will be relocated to live in a safe environment, please give 1st Response Wildlife a call to discuss your options.
Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife
Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517
Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), coyotes, snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, ducks, opossums, squirrels (ardilla), peacocks, Coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), ringtails, exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7. Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!
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