Skunk On My Porch

[Diesel911]

I have lived in Long Beach CA since 1977 and have never seen a Sunk here. Yet it is clear that over night something has cased them to spray something (once under one corner of my House which was a bit bad).

When you put out Cat food for your own Cats you don't know what shows up to eat it.
On Tuesday I found a near empty plate of food with a tiny paw print I had never seen before (Raccoon and Opossum prints show up frequently so I am used to those as well as other Cat prints).
This print would have fit into a 3/4th inch square and all of the tiny toes were together at the front.

Wednesday night I put my Cat out of the front door and it immediately froze. On the other side of the Poarch was a Skunk eating the Cat food. I was able to get kind picture standing in the Door way (see attached pictures).

Since this is the only skunk I have seen close up that was alive except for staying away from the butt end of it I don't know how to be carful around them.
(My prior Skunk experience was in the Boy Scouts one of the times we went to Camp at Camp Pendelton Marine Base and the Marines had killed a Skunk and run it up a Flag Poll. Myself and another Scout showed up late for formation and we were detailed to bring the Skunk down, remove it from the rope and bury it.
Things went fine and the Skunk was in the hole belly up and the other guy decided to throw a rock at the Skunk and hit it right in the pelvis area which released some of the spray.
We did not get any on us but had to take turns zooming in with single shovels full of dirt till it was covered. It is nice to see an actual live Skunk.)

I usually bring the Cat food in at night but I had forgotten and it line 1 AM so nocturnal animals are out there.

2 attached pictures. With the animal prints it was easy to find a pic once you know what animal to look for. Only the front paw prints were on the plate.

I have been putting out more Cat food then normal (I have 2 female Cats) a large male has bee showing up which I used to chase but I found out that when he eats he woffs down food like a Dog does so I figured he was desperately hungry. I had been feeding another Male Cat for a year and half that hung around my House and let me pet him and handle him but he got pissed at me for twice locking him in my Motor Home when a bite he had got infected and he left over 6 months ago and he has started coming back.
Not sure if I can make friends with the newest Male as he keeps his distance or runs when he sees me.

[oldsinner111]

they make good pets also. when they are afraid they will stamp their front paws to warn you. They don't like to spray as it takes a week to build back up. I let mine eat around my house with opossums. they dig in the ground here, and eat yellow jacket nest

[Idle]

The country usually has someone who deals with removing wild animals from an area. You might contact the country Animal Control and see what they say.

I had a problem with badgers on my front porch. This guy would come up sleep because of (?).

So I started shooting him through the kitchen window with a water gun. He finally left.

[P.C.]

Rabies.

[Mxfrank]

Absolutely. We periodically have animal population crashes due to rabies. Raccoons are frequently affected.

Best way to deal with a skunk is to slowly walk away. If you have them hanging around, keep a few cans of tomato juice on hand, it washes off the scent when they get you.

[t walgamuth]

They are not skittish in my experience. They also are not that afraid of people. l would suggest not leaving food outside.

What will you attract next?

[Diesel911]

Originally Posted by Idle

The country usually has someone who deals with removing wild animals from an area. You might contact the country Animal Control and see what they say.

I had a problem with badgers on my front porch. This guy would come up sleep because of (?).

So I started shooting him through the kitchen window with a water gun. He finally left.

I don't have a problem with the Skunk being around. As I said I have lived here a long time and never seen one. I also fixed all of the vents at the base of my House and covered up the access opening at the back of my House so nothing can get under my House any more.

Besides the one time a Skunk sprayed under my House something either killed a Possum under the House or drug it there and stank when it started to rot (fortunately I was able to snag the body trough one of those open vents and drag it out).

I bought a live animal trap (and then misplaced it) but if I had it I would not want to catch a Skunk in it because they can still spray while they are in the trap.

[Diesel911]

Originally Posted by t walgamuth

They are not skittish in my experience. They also are not that afraid of people. l would suggest not leaving food outside.

What will you attract next?

I deal with things the way I want to. I have 2 Cats. One is entirely an outside Cat and the other is sort of half inside and half out side (their sisters). So they get fed outside.

Normally I bring the food in before dark. However, before bed I put food out for the Cats and sit out their while the eat an bring the food back in.

My neighbor has a large Avocado Tree (hangs over on my side also) and Raccoons pull off the Avocado and let the lay several days to eat them and repeats that.

There is also Possums and Squirrels around but the Squirrels don't come down into my property.

I forgot and left the door on my Motor Home open all night and an Opossum got inside (see attached pic). I had no interest in grabbing it so I locked it inside for a day and a half and left the door open and it left to get Water or Food but not without pooing inside the Motor Home.

[Diesel911]

I was out on my Porch this morning and one of my Cats chases and catches a Mouse on the front lawn. Snack time. My Cats eat what they catch including occasional Insects.

[t walgamuth]

I keep finding shrews on the sidewalk around my house caught and killed by the feral cats my crazy neighboring ladies feed. If they did not get fed so much they would eat the prey they catch. Of course they also feed possum and raccoons at the same time.

[vwnate1]

I went out last night to check the sprinklers and surprised a young opossum , it ran across the porch and tried to get into the access panel leading under my Sweet's house before running off down the sidewalk .

To me, opossums are just bug greasy rats, when I was young and lived rural, many folks trapped and ate them, ugh .

In the 40 years I've owned my little house skunks have repeatedly gone under neath it only in the corner that's my bedroom, they don't have to spray to stink up the area pretty badly .

[Mxfrank]

Originally Posted by vwnate1

To me, opossums are just bug greasy rats, when I was young and lived rural, many folks trapped and ate them, ugh .

No, not rats, or even rodents. They are the only marsupial species in North America. Don't get near those nasty little teeth.

Squirrels, OTH are tree rats. Chipmunks are ground rats. The jury is out on deer. Science says no, but I think they're actually lawn rats.

[vwnate1]

...Is pretty tasty if done right .

When I worked in No. Ho. we had a hunting club and every year they'd make Bambi tacos, Mmmmmm delicious .

That doggoned skunk came back last night and parked his stinky behind underneath my living room, I was trying to sleep in my recliner, whew .

[t walgamuth]

The other day I saw one of the feralish cats carrying a vole up the sidewalk. This morning I saw a groundhog sauntering up the sidewalk.

The last few days we have been seeing a deer in our little urban woods.

[oldsinner111]

Possum's give us coral,and rattlesnake anti venom,they don't get rabies,and eat over a 100,000 ticks a season.They also fed on mice,and rats.I had two as pets in the 80's Jim an Tammy. Yes ate one once,and groundhog. ground hog like beef.Kept wild turkey's too.Better than cloned ones.