Serving the Denver Metro Area from Castle Rock to Boulder​

Signs You Have a Skunk

Smell:

• Strong, pungent, sulphurous
• Strongest in the morning
• Check several days in a row to see if it lives in your yard or just passing through

Tracks:

• Look like little dog or bear prints
• Front paws 1 inch by 1 inch, back paws about 2.5 inches by 1.5
• Often lead from places burrowed under fences or other barriers

Foraging:

• Digging in the lawn
• Eaten fruit and greenery in the garden

Droppings:

• About the size of a cat’s
• Contain refuse, including insect skeletons, fruit seeds, or animal hair

Doesn’t match the signs you see? Return to Pests Page.

If you think you have a skunk problem, please call or contact Animal & Pest Control Specialist, Inc, serving homes across the Front Range, including Denver, Evergreen, and Castle Rock.

Skunk Nuisance Concern:

• They typically dwell beneath houses, buildings, decks and sheds
• They like warm, dark, dry defensible places
• They are common carriers of rabies and fleas

Skunk Removal:

• Skunks cannot be relocated under state law
• We recommend trapping (most effective) or strobe lights if possible
• After they are trapped we euthanize and dispose of them

General Information about Skunks:

• They will feed on almost anything
• They are nocturnal animals
• One litter a year consisting of 2-10 babies
• Birthing months are typically in the spring
• They can spray their noxious odor up to 23 ft, accurately to 10 ft