If you tend to spend most of your time in the garden, you probably don’t want to see it ravaged after one night’s visit by wildlife animals?
Skunks, rabbits, raccoons, and similar garden predators can quickly destroy your hard garden labor in only a few hours.
For this reason, many owners opt for electric fences for skunks as it proves to be the most effective way to keep intruders away.
What’s that smell?
A skunk is a nocturnal animal, usually non-aggressive but favorable to insects and grubs.
They rarely visit the garden for crops, but they eat corn and other ground vegetables when they do.
Believe it or not, skunks are not that bad to have around the garden.
Because they feed on larvae of cutworms and hornworms, they are beneficial for exterminating crop-eating insects.
Unfortunately, a skunk’s nature will not prevent them from feasting on berries, mushrooms, and other human food.
Additionally, they are known for digging underneath the plants and searching for food.
Therefore, the backyard crops must be fully protected from these animals.
They are primarily famous for their spray. An angry skunk can be smelled from a mile away! Humans can be sprayed from even 15 feet of distance, so beware!
A skunk will usually spray when feeling threatened, so whenever you see them in the garden, turn around and let them be.
After that, you can plan how you wish to prevent them from entering the yard.
How to identify whether a skunk has visited your yard?
One of the most effective ways to identify a skunk’s visit is the odor.
As soon as you smell a pungent scent in your yard or garden, especially in the morning, you will know that you have a skunk problem.
Additionally, these animals are quite the diggers.
If you notice any digging holes or damage on your flower beds, grass, and garden, you are one step closer to identifying an intruder.
Your dog also can quickly tell whether a skunk has sprayed the ground.
You can also spot tracks. However, raccoons and skunks are five-toed animals, so it can be tricky to tell the difference.
Since skunks delight in berries and other fruit, a sudden disappearance can also indicate a skunk problem.
In this case, you should remove any fallen fruit from the trees.
What is kind of electric fencing best for skunks?
Let’s face it; a regular garden fence will not stop a wildlife animal. Therefore, you will need to call in for reinforcement and install an electric fence.
Due to the skunks’ long fur, one electrified wire will not be enough. The fur of a skunk acts as an electric insulator, so they are not that affected by a low shock.
For skunk control, it’s best to use two wires or, in some cases, even four if you want to prevent other small animals from entering the property.
A fence wire needs to be installed around 6 inches vertically from the other one.
Additionally, a bottom wire should start approximately 4 inches above the ground. Wires for the fence can be made from the poly product, steel, or aluminum.
You should never forget that skunks tend to keep their bodies close to the ground, so the wire needs to cover enough space.
If you have a nearby tree, they can climb it up and jump into the garden.
What you will need for electric fencing?
To keep these critters away, you will need the following electric fence supplies:
- AC fence charger or a solar power charger
- Fence wire of your choice (poly wire, tape, or rope)
- Step-in insulators and fence post
- Ground rod
- Hookup wire
As for the power source, you can go versatile here. If you want to cut down on the budget, solar chargers are the best.
Otherwise, you can use electric energizers but never connect them to the primary house current!
Before installing an electric fence, make sure you cut down all the tall grass, plants, weeds, and heavy vegetation around the posts and insulators.
These can significantly impact how low or high the voltage will be.
Next, attach the metal posts with insulators around the fence at a 3-foot interval. Then, install a metal wire from the pole while keeping the wires separated.
Ensure you hang a warning sign on the fence for extra protection to prevent children from getting zapped.
Read more —
Best Electric Fence For Raccoons: Effective Tips On How To Keep The Scavenger Animal Away!
Seal all the entry points
Skunks are clever animals, and with inadequate fences, they can easily find their way back into your yard, house, or garden.
For this reason, you must seal and protect all the familiar dwelling places of skunks. They tend to dwell in warm dirt areas beneath the house floors, the roof, porch, and deck.
Surround all the areas you suspect the skunks enter with a bit of wire mesh. Some even recommend using chicken wire for the bottom part of the fence.
The animal can find their way to dig through it, so make sure you dig the bottom of the wire for around 6 inches in the ground.
Always check for skunks before you install the wire mesh. You don’t want to trap the furry animal in the resting area.
Is there an alternative to electric fences?
If you think the electric fence is a harsh method of getting rid of wildlife animals, you can try a few alternatives.
Even though they might not be as effective as electric fences, you can still combine them for the most successful results.
I advise you to never leave food out for these animals!
Pet owners often leave food for their cats and dogs at night, but this readily serves as a treat to raccoons, squirrels, and skunks.
A skunk usually eats whatever it can get its paw on. However, they are especially keen on grubs, cat and dog food, eggs from the nest, berries, and mushrooms.
Since they are increasingly active at sunset, it’s best to keep the pet food away for this time.
Next, you will need to secure all the garbage cans. Never leave them out open as it will invite wildlife to invade your property!
Skunks are excellent climbers, so even though they cannot tip the garbage can over, they can easily take advantage of whatever is inside.
This does not only go for skunks but other animals as well!
Is trapping skunks illegal?
The majority of US jurisdiction declares that trapping skunks is a method of controlling these critters.
Other states will require a permit to trap skunks, especially in the late fall.
In North America, it’s completely forbidden to trap skunks. But, it’s best to get to know the regulations of your area.
Nonetheless, you can do it with a cage trap to exclude skunks.
The size should be adequately chosen and set in the area you think is the most critical. Some opt for a snap trap that can bait and kill skunks.
However, if you own pets, I would not recommend you use this trap as it cannot distinguish between animals.
Conclusion
Installing an electric fence for skunks is the most effective method of preventing these furry animals from invading your space!
Now that you have learned about the skunk’s nature and behavior, you can begin planning out the electric fencing.
In no time, your garden and crops will be safe from this striped animal’s dangerous sprays!
