Skunks

Skunk description- Skunks are nocturnal ground dwelling animals. Most skunk issues that occur around Chicago's northerly suburbs are due to available food, shelter, and lack of conflict. Their black coats with that unmistakable white stripe(s) running down their backs gives them away every time. Their eye sight is poor, but they make up for it with their sense of smell and hearing. 

Habitat- Skunks enjoy den like comforts provided by front stoops, patios, sheds, concrete slabs, burrows, etc. Their front claws and feet are perfectly designed to dig. Males and females alike will utilize ground dens for shelter, but it's only the female who searches out a den to raise her young. Research has shown that males will have 5-9 different nesting sites throughout their territory. They will frequent these den sites in search of food, mates, and to avoid potential predators. 

Reproduction- Mating begins mid February and goes through March. Males travel great distances during this period in search of females. Females make themselves known by spraying an even more potent odor around their den site to attract nearby males. Skunks are not monogomous and therefore are not involved with raising their young. Females will have litter sizes that average 4-6 young. These young will remain in the den site for 5-6 weeks and then start showing up outside their den at random times of the day and night. The reason young skunks are active during the day is that they haven't quite developed into nocturnal animals. The female is also sleeping during the day so it is difficult for her to keep an eye on her 4-6 young, 24 hours a day.  

Solutions- Many of our customers report smelling skunk odors inside their homes when a skunk moves onto their property. If you're smelling a strong skunk odor you will want to check your home's exterior to be certain an unwanted visitor hasn't taken up residence on your property. If you find a den site, I would recommend calling the professionals. We have seen too many homeowner try to remove them without success. Skunks are often the most difficult animals to remove, but we have developed trapping techniques that are fail proof as long as the skunk is still living on your property. For skunks living under stoops, patios, and sheds, we can typically have your skunk removed after the first or second night (depending on the number of skunks living in one site). We recommend these dens to be partially excluded (preventative measure to keep animals from exiting or entering a certain way) so your unwanted animal may be removed much quicker. Wandering skunks that pass through your property can cause damage to your lawn, flower/plant gardens, landscaping, and more. Even a skunk that sprays close to your home can make your inside air smell as if the skunk was in your living room. Reason for this belongs to the way most homes infiltrate air. Homes breathe through convection (warm air rises and creates a vacuum within the lower levels sucking in outside air through cracks and microscopic airways in concrete. This is normal for homes to breathe in this manner, but if a local skunk wanders and sprays near your home you'll be certain to smell their presence. The worst situations are when skunks burrow under structures of your home for a place to live and then spray under your home. You can be sure that when a skunk sprays under your deck, patio, or stoop because your home will smell awful, often for days. Worst case scenarios, homeowners temporarily move out until the smell resides. Unfortunately, skunk odors permeate fabrics and can take much longer to air out. It is important to remove the problem skunk(s) before experiencing this unfortunate situation. Our team at Prime Time Wildlife Removal are ready to respond to your needs with the utmost care and diligence.