Where should I relocate a trapped skunk?

Many people ask whether to use traps and relocate or to just kill the skunks. To avoid any mess, relocating would be a good idea.

The skunk may come to close to your house and it can cause discomfort, especially because of the odor. If you encounter a skunk or in any way try to relocate the skunk, you should be careful because these animals may spray you with their foul odor if they feel threatened in any way.

You may want to check with the local animal service that will give you ideas of ways to relocate or at least remove it from your home. When you relocate a skunk, it is necessary that you get help because you could frighten the skunk and it may spray you, which could cause your eyes to burn besides the terrible smell that will cling to you.

You should also check on the laws when it comes to trapping or removing wild animals in your area. Otherwise, you could get a fine or worse punishment from the authorities. Skunks are nocturnal. They appear during dusk and sometimes can go as far as a mile away but never too far from home. You can try skunk repellent toward them off, but sometimes it won’t be that effective and sometimes it works only a few hours. Skunk trapping can also involve using some of the live trappings available at the hardware store. Before you get rid of the skunks, be sure that you find a place to relocate them to far from the urban area. Or you can ask a wildlife service to come and take the skunk with them.

After trapping the skunk

Once the skunk is trapped, you should take the animal away from the area. The farther the better so it won’t come back to your house. Sometimes you need to learn about their breeding habits. The babies need six weeks before they are strong enough to leave the den.

You can avoid trapping mother skunks because normally they breed newborns which may be too weak to go on their own terms. Also, using a humane way to remove skunks will enable you to protect yourself from the stinky spray. You also need to make sure your pets do not agitate the skunks during this process so that they don’t get sprayed.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Skunks page or email us if you have any other questions about Where should I relocate a trapped skunk?