For most of us, the only time we want to see a skunk is in a Bugs Bunny cartoon. These animals the stink bomb of the animal world. They are just waiting to turn around and nuke anything that comes at them with their horrifically obnoxious smelling liquid they spray from the glands near their anus. You know someone that has bad gas? Well they are nothing compared to these little creatures.
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Skunks not only give off this pungent aroma to scare away predators and interlopers. They also carry a wide variety of diseases, including rabies. There are literally thousands of reasons why you do not want these beasts anywhere near your home.
The only problem is that they will venture into a neighborhood in search of food and water. Once they have found a good source of nourishment, they are very difficult to get rid of. But you clearly understand that these creatures have to go, so whatever means are necessary to scare them away must be implemented.
There are many things you can do to make your property much less welcoming to these critters. The most popular and useful one is to use repellants that keep the skunks away. You can buy commercial brands or simply make one of your own.
Commercial brands provide a few things that are an advantage over making your own concoction. The most important of these is that they are built to last. The manufacturers know exactly what chemicals to add to make this repellant more full strength so that it is not as susceptible to the elements. That is a terrific part about them, but you must ask yourself if the added cost is worth a few extra days of you not have to put the spray back out. Eventually the weather will win and you will be forced to spray the repellant some more. It is simply a matter of how often you want to do this. The
truth is that skunk repellents you can buy from Home Depot or Lowe's don't actually work at keeping skunks away. Go ahead and test them for yourself.
You will also find that these commercial repellants are made with chemicals that are more likely to scare a skunk away. I am not going to sugar coat this at all. If you are willing to pay the added expense for top products, then you will get top results. Manufacturers create products that they know work on skunks. They have been lab tested and proven to meet the needs of the consumer.
Yes, there is added expense, but your purpose is to keep these horrific animals away from your home. The question you have to ask yourself is if you think that it is worth it to pay top dollar to keep this animal from spraying your pets, your home, your children, and maybe even you? If you think that answer is yes, then you should look into this.
I will say that if you have a large number of skunks who are making your home a regular stop on their dinner route, then you should seriously look into these. Homemade ones will have a great effect, but if there are six or more skunks that are making their way to your home each day, the inevitable is bound to happen, and you simply can’t afford to skimp.
While the commercial brands do work well, there are some other options that you may find work quite well as well. The homemade mixtures you can put together will have an effect on the skunks, and likely keep them away from your home. The main ingredients of these mixtures is actually used in some commercial brands, so you know you are trying something that works.
To make a homemade concoction your primary ingredients are either hot sauce, jalapeno peppers or both. What you are looking for is to create an experience that causes the skunks pain so they will not return. These products work, but the important part to be aware of is that for them to work effectively they have to be on your property first. This is not like commercial products that are creating a kind of invisible fence to scare the skunks away. This is a mixture that works when the skunk gets it on its paws or in its mouth.
You simply boil the jalapeno pieces and spray that on places you know the skunk is prone to go to. You can also boil jalapeno and chili peppers together, or even add hot sauce. The point is that you want something that smells good, tastes very hot! When the skunk eats the food it is on it will cause it a great deal of pain and send it running. Next time it detects that smell it will run away by instinct. This is how you win but, again, you only win if it comes on your property to try it out.
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