We provide live animal trapping services in Santa Barbara County for the Striped Skunk.
Striped Skunk Description
The striped skunk is about the size of a house cat and weighs between 3 and 14 pounds, with the average weighing around 6-8 pounds. The skunk has two white stripes down each side of it’s black fur body. It has a bushy tail that measures around 7″ to 10″ long.
The Terribly Unpleasant Smell
The typical skunks found in Santa Barbara County emit a very unpleasant scent when it feels threatened by other animals or humans. This scent is used for protection because animals and humans can be very irritated by the smell. Additionally, the spray can induce vomiting, temporary blindness and eye irritation. The spray comes from anal scent glands that spray the very unique odor accurately up to ten feet away. People have described the smell like a putrid combination super-strong cat urine, sulphur and burnt rubber. The smell is known to linger for up to a week and sometimes longer. If the skunk sprays one of your dogs, you will want to give it a bath right away because the smell can linger too long for most people.
Areas the Striped Skunk is Found
The striped skunk can be found throughout Santa Barbara County and surrounding areas. You can see (usually smell them first) in the residential and commercial areas throughout SB County and in the rural, natural areas as well. Skunks often wind up in the same areas that we live in because of their diet.
Where do they live?
The striped skunk likes to live in burrows and underground. In residential areas they can live under sheds, porches, crawl spaces, and other underground homes. Sometimes they take up abandoned homes of other animals such as foxes. They can be found under sheds, in basements and garages where dog food or other food may be stored as well.
Problems with Skunks in Santa Barbara County
Having skunks live so near to humans and their domestic animals can cause mild to serious problems. In addition to the terrible smell mentioned above, they can carry diseases that can be harmful to humans and other animals.
- Rabies: Rabies are the most common threat from skunks to our dogs and cats.
- Round Worm: The roundworm is a parasite passed from the skunk to other animals.
- Damage to Property: Skunks rummage for food at night and can dig up gardens and other areas around our homes.
Santa Barbara County Live Animal Skunk Trapping
Live animal trapping of a skunk can be quite a problem because of the skunk’s defensive scents. We know that skunks are mainly night time animals. This allows us to set non-harmful live traps for the skunks during the day and find them in the morning. You can imagine the difficulty of transporting a live skunk because of how accurate they can spray their scent, up to 10 feet away. At So Cal Pest Control, we have the experience and training to capture and remove the skunks from your property. Skunks are removed from around human habitats.
If you’re having trouble with skunks in or around your property, please contact us right away before they become more of a problem for you.
Licensed by the California Department Fish and Game
We are licensed for live animal trapping and animal control in Santa Barbara County by the California Department Fish & Game.