A few years ago, one of my high school workers came running over excitedly. “Mrs. Snyder! Mrs. Snyder! I found a bunch of baby kittens in the mulch pile!” The boys had been forking old hay into the trailer, and uncovered a small “nest”. I walked over and looked down at 7 little squirming black & white babies. “Those aren’t kittens! Those are skunks!” I exclaimed, just an adult skunk appeared from a tunnel in the hay. We all ran for cover, while I debated what to do. The first task was to put my faithful black lab into my truck, so she wouldn’t attempt to “protect us” and become a casualty of Momma Skunk’s anger. It was nearly time to close, so we left, and I just hoped that since her hideaway had been discovered, the mother would move her babies.
The next morning, I cautiously peered into the hay, and sure enough, the nest was empty. Since skunks are nocturnal, I figured everything would be ok for the day. We opened, and a group of influential political wives arrived to tour. Just as they were entering the Cottage, my dog frantically ran around the building. She began trying to pull a piece of the siding off. My heart sank, as I grabbed her collar & put her back into the truck. Unfortunately, Mrs. Skunk had found a new home for her family under my Cottage! Luckily, the tour group walked softly, shopped quickly, and departed.
Meanwhile, I contacted a local trapper, who brought a specially designed trap that would not harm the skunks, and would enclose most of any odor released by an unhappy prisoner. He assured me that the bait of peanut butter on marshmallows would lure them in, and positioned the trap so that the only way out from under the Cottage was into the trap. The next morning, I hurried to the farm early, but the trap was empty.
After two days of panic that a customer would alarm the skunk, and she’d spray the crawlspace, which would probably make the Cottage unusable, the trapper returned. “Well, I’m really surprised”, the trapper mused, “but this will do the trick”. He rebaited the trap with two-day old blue gill. No results. On the fifth day, I discovered that the trap had been moved and the bait was gone. My dog was curious, but calm, which led me to believe that Mother Skunk had moved her family again. I breathed a sigh of relief & was happy to not encounter them again.
Skunks are common in
Skunks breed in February or March; babies are born in May and June. As soon as the babies are mobile, they accompany their mother in single file, as she hunts each evening.
A skunk’s only defense is its familiar odor, which is created by a sulfuric acid that the skunk can spray from either of two glands. The skunk does not use this spray unless it feels very threatened, as it takes a prolonged period to recharge each gland. Normally, a skunk will retreat if possible, as they are gentle creatures by nature. And, many people believe that a deodorized skunk is an excellent pet.
In fact, there is a National Grand Skunk Championship &
Show, which will be held in April in