Do skunks have to spray before they stink the place up?

[zanana1]

Almost every night, I've gone to sleep smelling a skunk. I never hear any commotion going on outside my window, no signs of a savage skunk attack and no noise coming from inside the house.
Please tell me how to reason with these skunks so I don't always feel like I need a shower!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

1. Not necessarily.

A skunk tends to carry its skunk odor with it, without spraying. I know from personal experience.

Some years ago, a skunk took up residence on my front porch, quietly exuding skunk odor. I'd open the front door periodically to see if the skunk was still there, then withdraw into the house. Luckily, we could continue to go in and out of the house through the garage, far enough away from the skunk not to disturb it. After about three days it wandered off.

And, for what it's worth, the last two or three nights I'm smelling a skunk outside my back door. I can tell (based on that earlier experience) that it hasn't sprayed. But I don't want to rile the skunk up.

The essential thing is to understand that a skunk will often, maybe always, be surrounded by that skunk odor. It will get a whole lot worse if the skunk is riled up and sprays. Or is killed. Then you'll have that skunk odor for at least two weeks. Again, speaking from personal experience.

[zanana1]

4. Thank you. That was informative.

It doesn't keep skunks from stinking, but it's informative. Thanks!

[zanana1]

5. Never piss off a skunk.

Now I'm wondering if skunk spray could be used by humans for self defense.

[jmowreader]

11. You can buy the active ingredient from Sigma Aldrich

Go to sigmaalrich.com and look for butyl mercaptan. I don't think you want any; you can smell it at concentrations of one part per billion (with a b, like the amount of money Trump is supposedly worth) and the MSDS reads like the one for gasoline.

[tymorial]

2. It could be another animal that was sprayed

Or a skunk that sprayed recently. You can by skunk repellent and out it on your yard. It won't harm the skunk but it will encourage it to go elsewhere.

[zanana1]

3. Do I have to go online to buy this Skunk-Be-Gone? nt

[tymorial]

6. Nope home depot probably has some

Your smaller local mom and pop hardware might too.

[zanana1]

7. Thanks. nt

[Kleveland]

8. Will that work on the White House?

Pretty sure there is skunk odor there...

[csziggy]

9. They could just be wandering through

Most wildlife has a routine they follow and will keep the same schedule unless they are disturbed. There could be a skunk or family of skunks that are outside your window at your bedtime. The best bet is to make them uncomfortable - without upsetting them. Skunk repellents are probably your best bet.

Could be worse, though:

[zanana1]

10. That was funny.

And the baby skunks look so cute.

[csziggy]

12. Baby skunks are adorable

When I was a tiny child Mom had a pile of bricks in the back yard, intending to make a rock garden or raised bed. A family of spotted skunks moved in. I was a wild little kid and would wander around on my own and I went out and made friends with the skunks.

Mom would come out to get me but was afraid if she came close or called to me the skunks would spray. So she'd stand some distance away, whispering my name until I would say goodbye to my friends and go to her.

A few years later one of the skunks fell into one of our garbage cans and was trapped. Mom called all the vets in town, thinking she'd get it de-scented and I could have it for a pet. No vet wanted it close to his office, so Dad found a long pole, tipped over the can, and let the skunk loose.

I was just as happy - I didn't think the skunk would be very happy as a pet. It was much better suited as a wild animal.

[Skittles]

13. oh dear

the other night I took a 2AM walk from work - I saw some movement a short distance away and was wondering what the heck critter is that.....I stood still and let my eyes adjust and then I realized it was five adolescent skunks, moving as a group.....they're so darn cute but you can't get close!

[csziggy]

15. That's cool to see them!

A few years back the Florida Wildlife people did an informal skunk survey. They asked people to report when they saw or smelled skunks. They were concerned that skunks might be endangered and this was a first step before they did a serious study on them.

The results were encouraging. They didn't get many reports of skunks seen but plenty of skunks had been smelled all over the state. The discouraging part was that most skunks that were seen were road kill. Even so the numbers of smelled but unseen skunks were high enough the wildlife guys decided that the populations were in good shape. It's just that skunks are nocturnal and smart enough to stay away from humans for the most part.

[Skittles]

16. there's quite a few around here

there is a big mother skunk who has chased so many people they put a warning sign up - the guard said he kept hearing people screaming, "I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!" (she is way over-protective)

[csziggy]

17. Yeah, but I bet it's like that guy that was chased by the bear family

The babies just want to check out the new to them creature and Mom didn't approve!

I'm glad they are just warning people about the skunks - some places would insist they be captured and relocated. They deserve a place to live, too.

[Skittles]

18. one guard was out smoking a cigarette and looks down and there's five baby skunks checking him out

he stood still, praying that his radio would not go off......the mom came over and shooed them away

[csziggy]

19. LOL! That would be scary!

Not being chased by two baby bears with a mama bear scary, but that it could be very inconvenient to get squirted.

[Skittles]

21. I know

I imagine the mother was like, gawd, I turn my back for one minute and this is what you do

[LeftInTX]

14. Skunks always pray before stinking

Then they go to skunk church

[hay rick]

20. Better a skunk than a Trump voter.

Ready to stink up the whole country for four years? Now that's a real varmint.