help! how can I remove a babyshunk from under the house.
thanks Linda
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If it is truly a baby skunk, you can gently remove it by hand as they haven't learned how to spray yet. As soon as you touch it, push the tail down between it's legs. It cannot spray without lifting the tail
NOW, having said all that, extreme care should be taken as getting sprayed is not the worst thing that can happen to you. Skunks are a prime vector of rabies and regardless of whether it has rabies or not, the animal will have to be destroyed and tested. Many true warmblooded orphans become that way because the mother dies of rabies. An infant animal WILL contract rabies through her milk.
So you have to decide. Is the skunk that much of a problem. If it is, lure it out with canned peaches or some sweet smelling goodies, then enclose the house skirting to prevent new visitors.
George is so right about skunks. Many pet skunks are also carriers, though not even suffering from the disease. A woman near Ponca City, Oklahoma found this out the hard way. No, she did not get rabies. Babies just don't get rabies through mother's milk, either. If the little guy's mother had rabies, believe me, it was in his bloodstream as well. Wear non-latex rubber gloves, too. Rabies can be transmitted through the pores in human skin. Yes, it is dangerous. I fear rabies more than snakebites! Do not try to make a pet out of it, either. Skunks can and often have contracted the disease through the very vaccine for it, as it contains weakened, active rabies virus!
Because yogurt is a milk-based product and sweet, baby skunks love it. Some adults do, too. Lure the animal out by yogurt, sweetened milk or even fruit as george suggests. handle him just like George says and let it go somewhere far away from your house. I don't believe there is any reason to kill it if a baby. beside, you may want to harvest it a year from now for a nice mount or pretty pelt to hang on a wall or use as a throw.
Good luck!
Remington 870 mag. with 31/2 mag. Federal tungston #2 or BB right in the head will remove the varmint once and for all.
When I did nuisances wildlife control the police had a list of all our names. Depending on where you live and what time of night it is, it will cost anywhere from $50.00 - $200.00. Rabies shots will run you around $400.00. You might want to keep in mind that once you start exhibiting symptoms of rabies exposure it's to late for the shots.... your toast.
Bill K.
where on earth do you live? $400 for rabies shots? Never heard that before.
Got them about 5 years ago in NY. I have no idea what post exposure cost are.
Bill
Ya got me thinking now. What do they cost in Texas now-a-days?
If you have seen one baby, there are probably more. And baby skunks can spray, it is instinctive and not a learned behavior. Their scent is just as bad as the adults. Get a small plastic box trap or Havahart cage trap and place it where you saw the skunk, in a pathway that is uses or by where it goes in and out from under the house and bait it with sardines or something odorous, you can buy special lure made from crustaceans but sardines or peanut butter and honey work well. Cottage cheese and yogurt are good too. Once it's trapped, you can either cover the trap with a sheet or blanket if it's an open cage trap to avoid being sprayed and you don't have to worry about getting rabies because it won't be able to bite you-skunks don't lunge out like raccoons trying to bite while in a trap, they will however spray if upset. Then you can relocate the animal if it's legal in your state.
Hi,
I am very concerned about what L.R. Chamberlain has said about Domestic skunks carrying rabies. That is exactly the kind of misconseptions that have let skunks to be illegal pets in some states. Now, maybe the pet skunk in question was a wild orphan that had rabies, but domestic skunks will NOT give you or have rabies, unless unvaccinated and exposed to the virus. Skunks have been captive bred for decades, and although not considered domestic, they are by the definition, having been bred for the fur market, in many many colors. There hasnt been a documented case of rabies on Rubies fur farm (really the only true skunk farm left) since the early 70's. I love my skunk, and they make better pets then youd think. For anyone interested please visit: http://www.skunks.org/
Its possible that the skunk did get rabies from the vaccine, if her vet was not smart. They should always be given the KILLED virus vaccine