So if you notice skunks on your property during the fall, it is important to prevent them from establishing a winter den where you don’t want them. Skunks often choose to dig under porches and sheds in residential areas. How Can I Prevent a Fall Skunk Invasion? Thanks to southwestern British Columbia’s mild winters, it is possible to notice skunk activity at any time of year. Female skunks and their babies tend to stay in their burrows when temperatures drop below 0 degrees Celsius, and males do the same at -10 C degrees. Skunks do not technically hibernate, but they do slow their metabolisms down during winter to conserve energy. Their goal is to gain a layer of fat to keep themselves warm and to provide calories when food becomes scarce. Their diet consists primarily of grubs and insects, so you may notice them digging in your yard more than usual in the fall. What skunks do to prepare for winter is gorge themselves on as much food as they can find. The number of young skunks on the move is one reason the skunk smell is so strong during September. In the process, they find many things that startle them and cause them to spray a noxious liquid from a gland under their tails. By the end of summer, they have grown enough to start following their mother out at night to forage, and by September, they are almost full-grown.īaby skunks eventually begin wandering away from the family group to explore and look for food on their own. They stay inside a cozy den for the first seven weeks of their lives, completely dependent upon their mothers to take care of them.
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions about skunk behaviour and keeping skunks out of your home in the fall. Have you ever wondered, what do skunks do in the fall that causes such a strong smell? The answer is that babies are on the move and the entire skunk family is preparing for winter. In fall, the odour of skunks often dominates the mixture. Residents of Coquitlam and the Vancouver Metro region can attest to the variety of odd smells that waft through the air.
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