The striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) is known for its potent chemical defense, but its relationship with digging and underground shelter is often overlooked. These small, stout mammals are equipped with long front claws and can excavate the earth for various purposes. However, their behavioral strategy prioritizes efficiency, leading them to prefer ready-made living spaces over self-construction for a permanent home.
The Skunk’s Housing Strategy
Skunks typically prefer to move into existing, abandoned structures rather than expending energy to dig their own burrows. Their primary housing strategy is to utilize the vacated dens of other medium-sized animals, such as woodchucks, groundhogs, or badgers, saving them significant labor. This preference extends to natural features like hollow logs, dense brush piles, and sheltered rock crevices, which provide immediate refuge.
In areas shared with humans, this adaptability often leads skunks to seek shelter in man-made locations that mimic a natural den. Spaces beneath porches, sheds, decks, and foundations are frequently targeted because they offer a dark, dry, and secluded environment. A skunk secures a home with minimal effort by squeezing into or slightly widening an existing gap. Finding an established shelter close to a food source is the skunk’s first choice for setting up a residence.
Construction and Purpose of the Den
While skunks are excellent diggers, their activity focuses on two distinct areas: foraging and modifying shelter. The most common sign of skunk digging is the presence of small, conical holes, typically one to three inches wide and shallow, dug into lawns and gardens. This activity is solely for foraging, as the skunk uses its powerful claws to unearth food sources like grubs, beetle larvae, and other insects beneath the soil surface.
Skunks use their digging ability to create or improve shelter spaces when necessary. If an abandoned den is too small, a skunk will use its claws to widen the entrance, which usually measures four to six inches in diameter. Occasionally, a female skunk may excavate a simple, short burrow to create a maternal den for raising a litter of four to seven kits. Dens are also used for winter torpor, a state of deep sleep they enter during the coldest months, where multiple females may gather to share warmth.
Identifying and Deterring Yard Dens
Identifying a skunk den involves looking for specific signs beyond the musky odor. A true den entrance is a circular hole, often the size of a grapefruit, located directly under a structure like a deck or shed, sometimes with a small mound of excavated dirt nearby. Look for a faint, lingering scent, especially in the evening, and greasy rub marks or smudges on the foundation or siding near the entrance. Conical foraging holes scattered across the lawn also indicate a skunk’s presence, but these are not the den itself.
To humanely deter skunks, focus on eliminating attractants and securing potential entry points. Remove outdoor food sources, such as fallen fruit, pet food, and open garbage containers, since food presence determines where they settle. To prevent a skunk from moving in, install a physical barrier, such as heavy-gauge wire mesh or hardware cloth, secured around the structure’s perimeter and buried at least 12 inches deep. Using a motion-activated light or a radio playing music near the suspected den site can also encourage relocation, as skunks are nocturnal and prefer darkness and quiet.