How Can You Tell If a Skunk Has Visited Your Office?

[Ivan Seeking]

So, the one that crossed my path and ran into the garbage shed is not what bothers me. It is the ever so slight odor in my office that tells me that I had a visitor. I'm afraid that a skunk has figured out the cat door! Even if they don't spray, a slight odor is detectable, as it was this morning.

 

[Math Is Hard]

Don't you have one of these cat doors?

 

[dextercioby]

But what if someone has a pet skunk with an IR sensitive collar...?



Daniel.

 

[Moonbear]

Don't you have one of these cat doors?

Hey, cool! Seems that's what he needs now! Though, how safe is it to leave a cat with a collar on like that? Cats seem to get into so much trouble, you don't really want to leave them with a collar that they can't break off if it gets caught on something.

Maybe you need paw print ID to open the door or something.

So, how many new names do we need to come up with this year, Ivan?

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Oh man, I've been joking about doing this!

Only I go one step further: A load cell measures the weight to insure that Bun or Zoobie isn't bringing in some nearly dead thing to eat.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

So, how many new names do we need to come up with this year, Ivan?

Just like last year, I think we may have another mommy in the making, living in or under the garbage shed. So my guess would be seven.

 

[Math Is Hard]

But what if someone has a pet skunk with an IR sensitive collar...?

Ivan, I think you should design a special cat door. You're so great at coming up with inventions - this should be a piece of cake for you.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Even if they don't spray, a slight odor is detectable, as it was this morning.

If a skunk smells like skunk it indicates that it has been sprayed by another skunk in a fight, which happens a lot. Otherwise skunks don't smell like anything in particular.

I wonder what would cause their visits to be "seasonal". They wouldn't have to hibernate in that climate. I don't think.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Don't you have one of these cat doors?

I think Tom Cruise' cat could circumvent this security system.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

If a skunk smells like skunk it indicates that it has been sprayed by another skunk in a fight, which happens a lot. Otherwise skunks don't smell like anything in particular.

I wonder what would cause their visits to be "seasonal". They wouldn't have to hibernate in that climate. I don't think.

It seems that they spray enough to maintain a slight odor. But they must hibernate... We never see them in the winter. And in the spring, the back roads have plenty of skunks, then later, opossums, as road kill. You can always tell its spring when the trees explode with new growth, the flowers are filled with blooms, and you smell the dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinkin' to high Heaven.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Here is a good link with all the info you could want on our little striped friends. It includes list of things to do to drive them away:

Address:http://www.projectwildlife.org/living-skunks.htm

 

[Evo]

dead skunk in the middle of the road, stinkin' to high Heaven.

My girlfriend Corky used to sing that all the time and she was a bit tone deaf and had a terrible voice and now I can't get the sound of her singing this out of my head.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Here is a good link with all the info you could want on our little striped friends. It includes list of things to do to drive them away:

Address:http://www.projectwildlife.org/living-skunks.htm

Thanks Zooby, there's a lot of useful information there. And it seems that we hit the jackpot last year with six [seven?] babies. That was a big litter! So this year may not be so bad.

a skunk will usually fluff its fur, shake its tail, stamp the ground with its front feet, growl, stand on its hind legs, turn its head and spit to scare the potential attacker.

So it seems that fair warning is given, but their spray is effective for up to 15 feet! I didn't realize that they had such range.

 

[Evo]

will usually fluff its fur, shake its tail, stamp the ground with its front feet, growl, stand on its hind legs, turn its head and spit to scare the potential attacker.

I do the same thing when someone wakes me up too early.

 

[zoobyshoe]

My girlfriend Corky used to sing that all the time and she was a bit tone deaf and had a terrible voice and now I can't get the sound of her singing this out of my head.

Which brings up the quetion: do skunks make noise?

"Their vocabulary is varied from a soft bird-like whistle to the loud raucaous screeching of the maccaw"

h1>Skunk FAQ /h1>
Address:http://www.accs.net/users/whyden/skunkfaq.htm

 

[zoobyshoe]

I do the same thing when someone wakes me up too early.

I keep a shotgun by the bed.

 

[zoobyshoe]

Thanks Zooby, there's a lot of useful information there.

And some that's just cool, like the fact a skunk can eat a black widow.

So it seems that fair warning is given, but their spray is effective for up to 15 feet! I didn't realize that they had such range.

Their first line of defence is to run. That being the case, a person need never get sprayed. If you come upon a skunk in a situation where it's accidently cornered, it will hit you with plenty of "trash talk" before shooting, so you have the opportunity to retreat.

 

[Moonbear]

I think the one time we had baby skunks visit, there were only about 4 in the litter. The only problem was they showed up about the same time as the baby racoons and got into fights over the food (the racoons got into the trash can and pulled everything out...didn't actually ever knock it over...and then the skunks would come along for the second seating, except they didn't always wait for the racoons to leave). But, they didn't seem to mind having their feast on a brightly lit patio, so once someone bravely slid over to the patio door and closed it (we usually just had the screen door closed by this time of year, and the adults kept coming year round), we could safely enjoy watching the cuties from behind our glass enclosure.

Ivan, they may be around all year, but maybe only come out of the bushes enough to be really noticed during their breeding season when they're busy chasing after the boys and the kids?

 

[hypatia]

I had a baby skunk under my car last week, about the size of the palm of my hand. My neighbor scooped him up in a net and I put it in a cat cage under a pine tree. He stomped his feet and tried to squirt...thank God he wasn't fully loaded. Around 10 PM. I opened the door to the cage, and by morning the little skunk was gone. Hopefully Mom found it.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For those who missed the fun last year.

The kids:
http://imageuploader.milbrathnet.net/uploads/skunks1[/URL] 6-29-04.JPG[/PLAIN]

and in the house:
http://imageuploader.milbrathnet.net/uploads/Ivan's[/URL] in the kitchen with Evo!.JPG[/PLAIN]

From
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=33062&page=1&pp=15&highlight=skunks

 

[Astronuc]

I haven't seen any lately - they are usually around by now. Haven't seen any raccoons yet either.

I have heard owls at night - usually anytime between 1 - 4 am. The owls take care of skunks and other nocturnal mammals who aren't careful.

 

[hypatia]

Ivan, they are really cute. And they make great pets, litter trainable and everything! Of course getting them descented can set you back a buck or two.