For years I've had a woodchuck living under my shed, but I think a skunk has been encroaching on his territory because my shed has the distinct aroma of skunk foof.
I'm trying to determine if I have a skunk living there or a woodchuck. I figure if the skunk just shot his load and left, the smell would dissipate.
The smell does not seem to be dissipating...
Then I remember that skunk smell is pretty strong stuff.
How long does untreated skunk smell go before it starts to dissipate?
After awhile, you'd start becoming accustomed to the smell. After that, you might actually start to like it. :))
Maybe the woodchuck died, and the skunk has moved in. I'm surprised you haven't smokebombed the burrow yet.
If skunk sprayed, there would be no question that it was a skunk. Smell can last a long time. You can actually catch a skunk in a Hav-a-hart, cover it and transport it but I wouldn't as I don't have a pick up truck. I accidentally trapped one and released without getting sprayed.
Believe me, I'm tempted.
The problem is that the smoke bombs say, "...burns vigorously until spent. ...do not use near combustible materials."
I don't want to burn down my shed.
But they burn underground, not against flammable material.
Those somke bombs like "Gopher Destroyer" burn as hot as a road flare and could ignite wood that is several feet above it, I would not feel safe even with wood 4 ft higher, they will also possibly nearly kill you from the fumes in the building or and house down wind. I used them in a vacant house in the basement I had a bunch of chipmunks and squirrels come out hacking , and it killed the spider infestation and maybe termites that were there. Pour Amonia under the shed, all will leave the board it up, unless there are babies left.
Frank wrote in news:hss2hn$ngi$ snipped-for-privacy@news.eternal-september.org:
Long ago someone at the extension service told me that. Said the key is the Hav-a-hart has to have low clearance for the skunk. They need to raise the rear end some. And once the skunk figures you're not going to eat him, they calm down.
I never tested all this out of course.
Those somke bombs like "Gopher Destroyer" burn as hot as a road flare and could ignite wood that is several feet above it, I would not feel safe even with wood 4 ft higher, they will also possibly nearly kill you from the fumes in the building or and house down wind. I used them in a vacant house in the basement I had a bunch of chipmunks and squirrels come out hacking , and it killed the spider infestation and maybe termites that were there. Pour Amonia under the shed, all will leave the board it up, unless there are babies left.
If it's on fabric or upholstery it could last pretty much forever. Wood holds the stink for quite awhile, too. Metal and non-porous surfaces can be de-stinkified more easily, but it sounds like you have no way to get to where the skunk sprayed (under the shed).
20 years ago one of my formerly-feral cats came home in the morning from her nightly patrol with a dead skunk. It was bigger than she was, so I don't know if it sprayed her because she attacked it, or if she attacked it because it sprayed her. She was COVERED in skunk stink and clearly miserable. She sat patiently on the deck while I went out to buy tomato juice, then CLIMBED into the dishpan, all by herself, and just sat there calmly while I soaked her in the stuff. After 4 baths in 8 hours she smelled ok. Three years later, after she fell into the neighbor's manure barrel, she nearly shredded my arms when I tried to bathe her. I guess cats can tolerate llama poop but not skunk stink!
I've read that the recent formula is to put a couple drops of dish soap into hydrogen peroxide. Pour that on, while sprinkling on baking soda. The combination releases the oxygen from the peroxide.
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