[Danaus29]

I used to have a dog that went out and got a good dose of skunk spray every spring. The first time Grandma washed him with tomato juice. The next time she said she wasn't going to waste good tomato juice on a stupid dog.

Hubby got hit at point blank range. He dropped a garden hose on a trap with a skunk inside. Dawn dish soap and peroxide got the smell off him. We had to throw away his shoes and wallet.

My car got a direct hit when a neighbor's dog scared a skunk in my yard. That was several months ago. My car still smells on wet days.

I don't mind the old smell of skunk but that fresh stuff is another story.

 

[Danaus29]

What does it mean when you smell skunk in your house?

It means a skunk sprayed near your house. They don't have much scent unless they have sprayed and they are very careful to not get it on their fur. We have skunks in our yard quite often but we never smell them when they are around.

 

[Danaus29]

Lol, your grandma must have really liked her tomato juice. How long ago did you husband get skunked?

Grandma didn't buy tomato juice. It was hand processed and home canned. She said the dog could just stay outside if he was too stupid to avoid skunks.

Hubby got sprayed about 5 years ago. He was getting ready to visit the health department to get our well permit. Their upholstered chairs might still smell like skunk, the car he drove there in still smells on warm, humid days.


I have released many skunks (the same one a few times) from my live traps. Never had one lift it's tail or stomp at me, never got sprayed.

 

[Danaus29]

Jan 16, 2021

I don't know how accurate this is but it says 6 times in succession and it takes 10 days to replenish the sprayers.

https://www.doyourownpestcontrol.com/trapping_skunks.htm#odors

The skunk that was kept at a nature center where I worked never raised it's tail, maybe because it knew it had been descented and couldn't spray. It did stomp with it's front feet if people got too close to the cage. I watch for the foot stomping when I approach trapped skunks.

Another site said when a skunk sprays it turns it's backside toward it's head, sideways. Then another site showed a spotted skunk doing a handstand. Either way, by the time they do that it's too late to avoid getting blasted.

 

[Danaus29]

You can also live with a homicidal paranoid schizophrenic....Just don't make him mad.

Skunks may be valuable members of the ecosystem, but their droppings can contain a certain pathogen. If they contaminate your hay, it can kill your horse. You don't want them in your barn.

Cat feces can contaminate hay too. The Columbus Zoo lost several animals after cats pooped on their hay. Raccoons are the worst at contaminating hay. Best to keep all critters out of the hay.

 

[Danaus29]

Ohio will put up with anything to get your money, even skunk odor.

No, not tomato juice. A lady at the bank told us to use Dawn and peroxide which we bought on the way home. Got the smell off him but his wallet, belt and shoes still stunk. Later we threw away the wallet and shoes, the belt was washed several times because it's a woven belt with a slider adjustment, not a leather one with punched holes.

Edited to correct spelling, I do know how to spell peroxide but my tablet likes to add extra letters to words