Garden Pests: Raccoons and Skunks
If you’re a seasoned gardener then you know the frustration that garden pests can create. And if you’re just getting going on your garden, start taking notes because we may just save you some grief. There are as many approaches to dealing with unwelcome guests in your garden as there are potential pests. Knowing what you can manage on your own and when it’s time to call in a professional (866-RATBUSTERS) is critical in saving time, money and more importantly all the sweat equity you have put into nurturing your garden.
Protect Your Yard and Garden from Pests.
Depending on where you live and the season, your horticultural marauders will vary. For the purposes of this post we’re going to focus on California garden pests, though many of the management tips discussed here may be applicable in other regions as well. We’ll begin the Garden Pest series with the largest offenders and work our way down in size from there.
The largest of the typical garden and yard invaders is the Raccoon (Procyon lotor). With alternating dark and light stripes and a dark mask, they definitely look the part of the bandit. Raccoons are completely adapted to rural, suburban and urban environments. They will readily invade your home
for shelter and your garden for food. Today our emphasis is on the garden end of the their interest. From a raccoon’s perspective your garden and backyard is a tasty place to dine and dash. From unsecured garbage cans, compost containers to fruit, grain and even a nosh of kibble, they are all set.
Fitting into the same category as raccoons, there is the infamous striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis). They will also enter your yard, garden and domicile in pursuit of shelter and food. Unlike a raccoon who isn’t as wary, a skunk may be present for sometime until you notice an odor or your dog gets more than he bargained for when confronting a skunk. Also like raccoons, skunks will eat veggies, fruits, garbage, berries and they are known to have a weak spot for pet food.
A Raccoon and Skunk having a pet food snack.
When dealing with raccoons and skunks it is important to consider the severity of the issue. If you occasionally see them passing through, but do not notice any destruction, odors, conflicts with your pets or significant amounts of missing pet food then you probably do not have anything to worry about.
If you discover that you do have a growing problem then there are a few ways to handle the situation.
First, do not corner a raccoon or skunk. Raccoons are stronger than they look and will react aggressively when they are frightened. Skunks will spray up to ten feet away when frightened, aside from the smell the secretion does have the potential to create a temporary burning sensation. In addition, both are known carriers of rabies and other unsavory things like ticks, fleas and mites. It is highly unlikely, but if you are bitten it is important to consult your doctor for treatment. On a side note, this is another reason why it is critical to vaccinate your pets and keep up with their rabies boosters.
As a first step toward creating a raccoon and skunk free garden, we recommend making your yard and garden an unwelcome place through exclusion. Installing a fence around your garden is a good way to start, use a finer mesh to prevent smaller rodents from entering as well. The fence should be buried at least ten inches beneath the surface, for good measure bend the bottom two inches as a further deterrent. The fence should be at least two feet tall, with a few inches at the top bent and unsupported by the fence post. Since raccoons can weigh up to 30lbs, the top of the fence won’t be much fun to climb when it can’t support their weight. This is also effective with skunks, and opossums.
Second, keep a tidy yard. If you keep a firewood pile, make it a neat one. If the wood is tightly stacked without gaps, it will be uninviting to many garden pests that would otherwise setup a den. Keep the lids on your trash cans and compost bins closed, even better is to secure the cans and bin so that they’re not easy to turn over. Raccoons are especially clever little critters so you must be diligent in excluding them. Don’t leave your pet food out overnight, doing so is a gilded invitation. Lastly, keep up with trees and shrubs that produce fruit and nuts. Don’t allow the fallen fruit to lay in the yard, over ripened fruit is as good as cookie to them. With these few steps you can effectively create an unwelcome space in your yard and garden.
If you notice that raccoons, skunks, opossums or other nuisance animals have already established themselves in your yard, garden or home please contact a professional to handle the issue. You can read more about live animal trapping in our Live Animal Trapping post.
Aside from exclusion, we do not recommend using repellants as a long term solution since they are not typically effective. Do not use poisons as this practice is dangerous and likely your pet or someone else will have their pet injured as a result. If you notice a raccoon, skunk or opossum that is lethargic or not afraid of you, do not approach as it is likely ill.
Learn more about what to look for and how to handle a nuisance animal situation at our Urban wildlife page. There you will also find information on what to do when you have a nuisance animal in your living space, from the crawl spaces all the way up to the attic we can help you through it.
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