My oldest son woke me up last night at midnight. "Mom, I think we have a skunk in the house." Me: "How do you know?" Son: "Because there is a whole bunch of crashing around downstairs and it smells like skunk."

I'm finially waking up and, Oh my god!!!! The smell was so strong my nose and eyes started to burn. I'm thinking oh great! Now what? How am I going to get this thing out of the house? We sneak down the stairs with his little penlight looking and gagging the whole way. I see nothing and the cats are acting fairly normal. I look down by the back door and the cat food is gone and the dish is on the otherside of the space but, there is no skunk. My guess is it came in through the cat door and ate and left. But the smell!!!!

We tried to go back to bed but the smell wafting up the stairs and into my poor nose was almost too much. Just as I started to doze off I would move and the sharp sting would come back. I opened the window but the outside air was too still to do much good. I must have finally gotten back to sleep but it was fitful.

When I came down the stench was still just as bad. I began burning every incense I had to get the smell out. I don't think it sprayed just came in and ate and left but the smell sure lingers.

Any suggestions on getting the smell out? I don't hold much hope for this effort. I have bowls of vinegar out and will open the door to air the place when it gets a little warmer outside. It looks like it is going to be a nice day today. I'm washing all of my coats now. I feel like I reak too, I probably do! YUCK!!!!!!

Tonight the cats get brought in the house, any that don't make it in will be out for the night. The cat door is getting closed!

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 09, 2002

Answers

Susan, I don't know about getting the smell out of the house, but when the dog gets sprayed he gets a dunking in tomato juice. That take the smell out of him right away. You could try washing things down with tomato juice. Good luck.

-- Sherry (tlnifty@ecenet.com), April 09, 2002.

Set open saucers of vinegar around to mask the smell, wash the area with hydrogen peroxide and murphy oil soad.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), April 09, 2002.

hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and baking soda, mix it togethermm spray on the efected areas,, wash and vaccum up

-- Stan (sopal@net-pert.com), April 09, 2002.

Simmer a pot of tomato juice on the stove also will help. Apple and citrus slices help too.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), April 09, 2002.

Here is what I did so far! First thing this morning I burned Frankincense incense, it is supposed to purify the air. I swept the area and washed floor and walls down with a strong solution of dreft type detergent, I figured it was an enzime and would eat away at the odor. I also have a bowl of vinegar down in the area too! Every once in awhile I get a wiff of it. I am told you stop smelling it after awhile. My coats are all washed. A friend took me out to lunch and she said I didn't smell.

I think I know where it might be hanging out. Under the chicken coop! I am told moth balls will get skunks out of an area. I guess the smell is so bad they can't stand it. Heeee heeee! Revenge of the human on the skunk! I don't think I want to put moth balls in my house, that might be worse than the skunk smell. I know around here the DNR recommends you shot any skunk you see in the daylight. Skunk is the greatest carrier of rabies and any skunk out in the day is most likely rabid. If you have a pet skunk (We had one when I was growing up, they are great pets) rabies vaccine is ineffective on them. I don't understand why but they can not be vaccinated against rabies. So for the protection of horses, cattle, and any other critter, the advise is shot skunk. Just make sure it is a clean head shot, they are less likely to spray then.

Do any of you vaccinate horses for rabies? It is becoming a recommended thing around here. I don't know if I will or not>

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 09, 2002.

Hi, Susan--Last fall we had the same problem with skunks in the barn. I put out live trap baited with smoked fish. On one end of the trap I tied a 20 ft lenght of rope. Next morning skunk in trap. Slowly and carefully and quietly pulled rope to pull trap out in the open away from barn. Carried large tarp up on blind side of trap and put over trap, completely covering it. Put wood blocks around on top of it on all side to make as small an enclosure as possible. Ran pipe from p/u tailpipe under edge of tarped area. Closed tarp snugly around pipe and let truck run for about 20 minutes. Skunk dead with no spray, put in feed sack and dump in woods . Did this with 3 skunks in 3 days and not one spray. Good luck, Tomas in bc

-- Tomas (bakerzee@hotmail.com), April 10, 2002.

You can put charcoal either tied up in old socks and laid on the flour behind the furniture or in bowls and set in each room will take any smell out of your house.

Atleast it worked for me.

-- Jodie in TX (stanchnmotion@yahoo.com), April 10, 2002.

Jodie and Tomas great ideas, Thanks. This morning the smell doesn't seem as bad. Then again I'm living here in it, my nose may be just getting used to it.

Jodie, can the charcoal be the kind you use in a grill?

Tomas, I have 10 cats, I think I would catch them and not the skunk. Heaven forbid they would tangle with the skunk over the fish. I like your idea though. I think I would have a hard time shoting one. Besides all I have is a shotgun and that would be really messy.

Susan

-- Susan in MN (nanaboo@paulbunyan.net), April 10, 2002.