Do Columbus Skunks Dig in Lawns Looking for Food?
Ohio skunks adapt to environment they are in when it comes to foraging for food. They eat mostly fruits and vegetables and will also eat small insects as well, but will resort to what is locally available. This means that they can get food from garbages, sneak inside to stores and get food from in there, and raid your garden. Keeping them out is ideal but knowing that you are dealing with a skunk is important because you'll want to remove them. If you have chickens, you could also notice that some are being killed and their eggs taken. Obviously, that can be a hardship to you and your family or way of life so noticing the signs and removing them is the best way to deal with the situation.
How to Know it's Skunks
A Columbus skunk has a relatively simple paten of digging. They would be digging to find insects in the lawns to eat and snack on. One factor that you will notice is that the holes will be in the lawn in the morning where there were previously none. They are nocturnal and will only forage for food at night. You can identify their digging pattern in which they make holes that are about 3-4 inches dep in grassy areas. You can also notice it by the smell. Even if they don't spray, you could notice their distinct odor around your property. However, you will also notice that the They do however eat insects that can affect your garden in a negative way such as Japanese beetles, hornworms, and cutworms, but they don't only eat those. That's why some say leave them alone. Skunks also tend to eat leaves, grains, fruits and berries and buds, which can lead to a demise in you garden if this is what you are growing.
How to Prevent the Digging
The best way to prevent digging is to keep them out of your yard in the first place. Ohio skunks can't climb well or jump high, so a fence that is about three feet high is enough to keep them out of the area. But you should also ensure that the fence goes about a foot beneath the ground because they can burrow to get under it as well. Plus, you can also have dog (but try not to let it get to close, their bark should keep the skunks away), or have motion activated lights to keep them out of the yard. They do their foraging at night, so during the day you shouldn't really see them, but at night they will avoid the area if the lights come on. But if you do have them, try and trap them and remove them from the property safely and humanely. While we may not like them near our homes, we shouldn't be killing them but relocating them to a wooded area about 10 miles away (at least).
Visit our Columbus wildlife trapping home page to learn more about us.
How to Know it's Skunks
A Columbus skunk has a relatively simple paten of digging. They would be digging to find insects in the lawns to eat and snack on. One factor that you will notice is that the holes will be in the lawn in the morning where there were previously none. They are nocturnal and will only forage for food at night. You can identify their digging pattern in which they make holes that are about 3-4 inches dep in grassy areas. You can also notice it by the smell. Even if they don't spray, you could notice their distinct odor around your property. However, you will also notice that the They do however eat insects that can affect your garden in a negative way such as Japanese beetles, hornworms, and cutworms, but they don't only eat those. That's why some say leave them alone. Skunks also tend to eat leaves, grains, fruits and berries and buds, which can lead to a demise in you garden if this is what you are growing.
How to Prevent the Digging
The best way to prevent digging is to keep them out of your yard in the first place. Ohio skunks can't climb well or jump high, so a fence that is about three feet high is enough to keep them out of the area. But you should also ensure that the fence goes about a foot beneath the ground because they can burrow to get under it as well. Plus, you can also have dog (but try not to let it get to close, their bark should keep the skunks away), or have motion activated lights to keep them out of the yard. They do their foraging at night, so during the day you shouldn't really see them, but at night they will avoid the area if the lights come on. But if you do have them, try and trap them and remove them from the property safely and humanely. While we may not like them near our homes, we shouldn't be killing them but relocating them to a wooded area about 10 miles away (at least).
Visit our Columbus wildlife trapping home page to learn more about us.