Welcome to the Wild Kingdom!

Ok…maybe it’s not quite that bad, but we do live in a rural area, and as the weather warms up, we will begin to see more and more of those woodsy critters taking shortcuts through our yards. And our flower gardens!

It is to be expected that some of these encounters with our furry neighbors will be less than pleasant. Which brings me to the point of this article. This will be the first of a three part discussion on animals in our community, both wild and domestic. Hopefully, you the reader will be able to learn something you didn’t know, and find something useful should you come into close quarters with a free-ranging skunk at 9:00 in the morning. So sit back, grab that cup of coffee or herbal tea, and read on.

Just for the record, that little item I just mentioned about the skunk wandering around at 9:00 in the morning, just happened the other day. Last year, I saw two skunks meandering about during daylight hours – generally not a good sign – and four raccoons, also wandering around during daylight hours. All shared one common behavioral trait. They walked as though they were drunk, and appeared to have trouble with their balance when they sat down. A few even fell over. While it was obvious they were sick, what they were sick from was not so obvious.

So here are a few general tips for those who may have a chance encounter with a woodland friend. Whether you are planting flowers in your garden, or taking a short hike through the woods…if you should encounter a skunk during daylight hours behaving erratically, give it a wide berth. If you live within the city limits, call Animal Control. If you are in the great outdoors, head back the way you came and report it to the local Fish & Game Warden.

Now, that is not to say that all skunks you might see during daylight hours are ill. Often, they may just be looking for a new place to hole up, having been driven from their old den by noisy lawn mowers, weed eaters or back-hoes. Also, if we have just had a particularly heavy rainfall, they may just be looking for a dryer place to stay. Generally speaking however, skunks are nocturnal creatures that usually come out at dusk to forage for food, mate and stink up the neighborhood.

Believe it or not, back in the 1800’s, skunks were actually hunted for their fur…which may account for why there were so many single men in those days! Once believed to be a member of the weasel family, more recent genetic investigations have led taxonomists to group all North American skunks and Asian stink badgers into their own separate family.

Skunks are true omnivorous mammals. When they feed at night, they will eat insects, rodents, frogs, crayfish, bird eggs and nestlings, and carrion. They will also eat berries, fruit and other plant material…like those beautiful roses you’ve been cultivating! As the weather and seasonal changes impact food availability, skunks will adapt their feeding habits accordingly. Generally speaking, skunks are opportunistic foragers that will eat just about anything they can find or catch. Including that cat or dog food you left out for Fluffy and Fido.

Skunks carry a multitude of diseases, including rabies and canine distemper, which is why you should always contact your local Animal Control Officer should you observe one wandering around your yard at 9:00 AM.

To wrap up the discussion on skunks, here are the answers to a few of the most frequently asked questions regarding skunks:

1. I think I may have a skunk under my house, what should I do?
Answer: Sprinkle a layer of flour by the suspected entrance, and check it during the night for foot prints leaving the hole. Once you see the prints, you can block off the hole to keep it from getting back in. Sprinkle a large amount of moth-balls just inside the entrance before you seal it up, and another generous layer around the outside of the entrance. While not 100% effective, most skunks hate the smell of them, and they usually work 90% of the time.

2. I think a skunk sprayed the side of my house. How do I get rid of the smell?
Answer: If you or your dog are sprayed, you can always try the old fashioned tomato juice bath. That seems to work most of the time for smaller, more confined items like pets and people. Another home remedy that has been reported to be very effective is as follows:

1 quart 3% hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 teaspoon liquid soap

Once the hydrogen peroxide is mixed with the baking soda, the mixture is unstable and generates oxygen, and thus cannot be bottled or stored. Apparently, oxidation changes the chemical composition of skunk scent so that it no longer smells. When the fresh mixture is applied to items contaminated by skunk odor, the smell diminishes quickly. Any leftover mixture should be diluted several fold with water and poured down the drain. Hydrogen peroxide mixtures can be used safely on pets and people as well as on clothing and furniture. Rinse pets thoroughly with water after treatment.

3. Can I trap a skunk?
Answer: Trapping a skunk is not hard. It’s what to do with it once it has been
trapped that is the problem. If you have a skunk in a regular open mesh trap, it
may be hard to get close enough to pick it up without risking being sprayed. I recommend an enclosed trap, specifically designed to trap skunks. Contact your
local Animal Control Officer and ask for help.

Ok, so enough about skunks. Let’s talk briefly about Raccoons. Typically, Raccoons breed in February and March, but matings may occur from December through June. Raccoons have a large territorial range, and males tend to be especially aggressive during mating season.

The Raccoon diet is extremely diverse. They will eat fruit, berries, grain, eggs, poultry, vegetables, nuts, most insects, rodents, carrion garbage and pet food. Raccoons will den up in hollow trees, drain pipes, in unoccupied buildings, under decks and storage buildings, brush piles and abandoned burrows.

Raccoons can cause substantial damage (particularly to attics and roofs), lawns, fruit trees, garbage cans and trash containers. Raccoons are opportunistic foragers, and will take the easiest meal they can get. They are quite attracted to pet food left outdoors, and will attack pets to get it.

Raccoons are known to carry a wide variety of diseases, including canine distemper, rabies, encephalitis, histoplasmosis, mange, and tuberculosis to name a few. Raccoons also carry a roundworm often referred to as “Raccoon Roundworm”, otherwise known as Baylisascaris. This type of parasite is known as a “Zoonotic” parasite, meaning it not only readily transfers between different species of animals, but also from animals to people. The eggs of this parasite are readily found in the feces or scat of the Raccoon. The eggs are resistant to most environmental conditions, and with adequate moisture, can survive in the ground for years. Raccoon feces usually are dark and tubular, have a pungent odor (usually worse than dog or cat feces), and often contains undigested seeds or other food items.

It is recommended that homeowners police their yards regularly for all types of animal remains, especially if you have pets of your own. Often, dogs are attracted to the left behind Raccoon remains because of the undigested materials it may contain, and this is where they can become infected with Raccoon roundworm. Generally, Raccoons are infested with ticks and fleas, which are known transmitters of many of the illnesses previously mentioned.

At this point, many people might be thinking that those ugly Opossums are dirtier than the Raccoons…but they would be wrong! Opossums groom themselves like cats, and are considered to be quite clean…as far as woodland creatures go. Here are a few other interesting Opossum facts:

1. They are exceptionally non-aggressive and non-destructive. They will not harm people or pets.

2. They present far less of a health risk than do dogs or cats. Opossums are more immune to many diseases than other animals, and are far less likely to carry rabies.

3. They are beneficial to the environment because they eat insect pests, snails and slugs.

4. Opossums have a remarkable resistance to poisonous snake bites (Rattlesnakes, Cottonmouth, Russell’s Viper, and Asiatic Cobra to name a few). None of the Opossums tested showed any effects from these snake bites, other than fang punctures.

5. They are one of the few animals that regularly prey on shrews and moles.

6. Adult Opossums have 52 teeth, more than any other mammal in North America.

7. Contrary to what you may have heard, Opossums do not turn over garbage cans. They also do not dig holes or destroy gardens and shrubs.

Finally, let’s not forget that digging machine, the Armadillo. If you are suffering garden destruction on a biblical scale…it’s probably an Armadillo. Armadillos are not blind, but have very poor eyesight. Their diet consists mainly of grubs, insects and other invertebrates. Some species feed mainly on ants. In general, it is difficult to trap an Armadillo in a regular mesh or wire trap. As mentioned, their eyesight is quite poor, and they have trouble seeing the opening of the trap. A V-shaped funnel made from wood will help them find their way into the trap, if it is baited properly. They do not eat fruit or veggies, and are not attracted to cat or dog food. A small plate of worms & grubs will do just fine! Also, they cannot stand the feel of that wire cage under their feet. They have very long claws, and they tend to get stuck in the open spaces of the wire. If you wish to use a conventional cat trap, cut a small piece of cardboard that will fit in the space before the pressure plate of the trap. Once in, providing the cardboard does not interfere with the pressure plate, the cat trap will work just fine.

Wow! Who knew this rural country living would be so much fun! Skunks and raccoons and opossums, oh my! Oh, and don’t forget the snakes!

What’s that Animal Control fellow’s number again?