Skunk Removal

A skunk living under your slab, shed, porch or deck will not leave on its own as long as the den stays open. Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests catches skunks alive in covered cage traps set so the animal stays calm and does not spray, then seals the dig-under with buried mesh so another one cannot move in. He works in Cypress, Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands, Klein and north Houston. Call Michael at 713-775-8799 to have him look at where it is getting under.

How can I tell a skunk is living under the house?

Skunks are night animals, so most people notice the signs before they ever see the skunk. The smell is the obvious one, but it is not always strong. A skunk that has not been threatened often leaves only a faint musky odor near the den. Look for the other clues too.

Where do skunks get in under houses around here?

Skunks dig. They do not climb into attics the way raccoons and squirrels do, so they move in low, wherever they can scrape out a sheltered space.

• Slab edges: where soil has washed away from the edge of a slab, a skunk can widen the gap into a den under the concrete.
• Pier-and-beam skirting: on raised houses, a loose or broken panel in the skirting opens the whole crawl space.
• Crawl-space vents: rusted or missing vent screens are an easy entrance.
• Decks and porches: the open space under a low deck or concrete porch is dry, dark and close to the ground.
• Sheds and playhouses: anything that sits on blocks or skids leaves a gap a skunk can dig under in a night.
• Air conditioning pads and stairs: soil under concrete pads and steps can be hollowed out.

Why does trapping alone not fix a skunk problem?

A skunk den is a good den, and other animals know it. Once one skunk is removed, the space it dug is still there, still smells like a den and is still sheltered. Another skunk, an opossum or an armadillo will find it. The fix is to close it so nothing can dig back in. That is the heart of Michael’s animal exclusion and live trapping work: catch what is there alive, then shut the way in for good.

Skunk under the house? Call 713-775-8799 and describe where the hole is.

How do you trap a skunk without getting sprayed?

Skunks give warning before they spray. They stamp their feet, raise the tail and turn sideways. They spray when they feel cornered or grabbed, not when they are calm. Michael uses cage traps that are covered so the skunk cannot see out, sets them along the path it already uses, and moves slowly and quietly when he picks the trap up. A skunk in a dark, covered trap usually stays settled.

How Michael handles it

1. Inspect the whole house. He walks the slab edge, skirting, vents, decks and sheds to find every den entrance, not just the one you noticed.
2. Check for young. In late spring a mother may have babies in the den. Sealing her out would leave them inside, so Michael plans the timing around them.
3. Trap alive. Covered cage traps go at the active entrance and are checked often. Every skunk is removed alive and handled following Texas rules.
4. Confirm it is empty. Before anything is closed, he makes sure no animal is still under the structure.
5. Seal the dig-under. An L-shaped skirt of galvanized mesh is buried along the edge of the slab, deck or shed and bent outward underground, so a skunk that tries to dig back in hits wire. Vent screens and skirting panels get repaired.
6. Clean up. Den material and soiled soil near the entrance are removed so the spot stops attracting new animals.

The same low spaces that hold skunks also hold opossums, and skunk dens draw snakes looking for shelter. Rodents feeding under a house are another draw, which is why rat and mouse control sometimes goes along with a skunk job. If a skunk has already died under the floor, the smell calls for dead animal removal. Businesses with sheds, dumpsters or loading areas can ask about commercial wildlife and pest control. See every animal Michael handles on the wild animal control services page.

A skunk out in full daylight, stumbling or acting unafraid of people may be sick. Keep children and pets away from it and do not try to get close. The Texas Department of State Health Services says not to handle any wildlife, whether it looks healthy or sick.

Where Michael does this work

Michael removes skunks and seals dig-unders across the northwest side of the Houston area. Read about what he sees in each town:

• Cypress, Texas
• Spring, Texas
• Tomball, Texas
• The Woodlands, Texas
• Klein, Texas
• Houston, Texas

What goes into the quote?

Michael quotes a skunk job after he has walked the property. What moves the number is how many den entrances there are, how long the edge is that needs buried mesh, whether the house is slab or pier-and-beam, whether there are young in the den, and how much skirting or vent screen needs repair. Call Michael at 713-775-8799 and he will tell you straight what it will take, or reach him through the contact page.