Skunk Removal Toronto

Skunk Removal in Toronto

Welcome to our skunk control service in Toronto. AAA Affordable Wildlife Control has specialized in humane, effective skunk removal for homeowners and businesses since 2008. If skunks are digging under a deck, denning beside a foundation, or leaving a strong odour around your property, we evict them safely, stop them from coming back, and help you avoid repeat damage and unnecessary cleanup costs.

Skunks are more than a nuisance. They tear up lawns, dig under steps, sheds, porches and concrete slabs, and they can spray pets and people. Striped skunks are also one of the main rabies carriers in Ontario. Because they settle so close to homes, quick removal matters before a litter is born or the spraying and digging get worse.

We don’t trap and relocate skunks. It’s stressful for the animal, it often leaves babies behind, and another skunk simply moves into the empty den. We use one-way doors and permanent screening instead, and we stand behind our work with a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Signs You Have a Skunk Under Your Deck or Porch

Skunks are nocturnal, so most people never see them. These are the signs we look for:

🦨 Skunks denning by a porch

See skunks near your steps?

We remove the whole family

Call (416) 560-8972

Skunk Damage to Lawns and Homes

Skunks are diggers, not climbers. Almost all the damage they cause happens at ground level:

• Lawns and gardens: skunks dig hundreds of small holes in a single night hunting for European chafer and Japanese beetle grubs, especially in spring and fall. Repairing the yard can cost roughly $500 to $2,000 a year.
• Under decks, porches and sheds: they dig dens beneath decks, steps, sheds and hot tubs, which can undermine footings and patio stones.
• Foundations and concrete slabs: burrows along a foundation or under a concrete porch let water in and can lead to settling.
• Window wells and crawl spaces: skunks fall into window wells and dig into crawl spaces, and a skunk under the house can spray where the smell comes straight into your home.
• Garbage and compost: skunks tip over green bins and dig through compost looking for food.

🐛 Grubs attract skunks

Holes all over your lawn?

We stop the skunk and the digging

Call (416) 560-8972

Are Skunks Dangerous? Health Risks and Rabies

Skunks are not aggressive and would rather walk away than spray, but they are a real health concern:

• Rabies: skunks are one of the main rabies vector species in Ontario. A skunk that is out in daylight, wobbling, or unusually bold may be sick. If anyone is bitten or scratched, wash the wound and see a doctor right away, and report it to your local public health unit.
• Distemper: skunks can spread canine distemper to unvaccinated dogs.
• Parasites and bacteria: skunk droppings can carry roundworm and leptospirosis, and skunks bring fleas and ticks close to the house.
• Spray: skunk spray can cause eye irritation, temporary blindness in pets, nausea and breathing trouble for people with asthma.

Keep children and pets away from the den, and don’t try to catch or corner a skunk yourself.

Our Humane Skunk Removal Process

Our skunk removal process is designed to be safe, humane and permanent:

1. Inspection. We find every den entrance under the deck, porch, shed, steps or slab and check for signs of babies.
2. Timing around babies. From May to July, kits are often in the den. We plan the removal so the whole family leaves together and nothing is trapped inside.
3. One-way door. A one-way door goes over the active entrance. Skunks leave at night to feed and can’t get back in.
4. L-shaped mesh barrier. We dig a trench around the deck, porch or shed and install heavy-gauge galvanized steel mesh at least 30 cm deep, bent outward in an L so skunks can’t dig under it.
5. Seal and finish. Once the skunks are out, the door is removed, the last entrance is closed and the soil is backfilled.
6. Odour and prevention advice. We treat the den area if needed and show you what’s attracting skunks to your yard.

🛡️ Buried mesh barrier

Want skunks gone for good?

Ask about deck and porch screening

Call (416) 560-8972

Skunk Removal Cost in Toronto

The cost depends on how many entrances there are, how long the deck, porch or shed is, and whether babies are present. Here’s what to expect:

Skunk Baby Season in Toronto

Skunks in Ontario have one litter a year. They mate in February and March, and after a pregnancy of about two months, 4 to 7 kits are born in May or early June, usually in a den under a deck, porch, shed or concrete steps.

This is when skunk removal needs the most care. If the entrance is sealed or the mother is trapped in May or June, the kits are left behind to die under your deck, which means a terrible smell and a dead animal removal on top of the original problem. A mother skunk is also much more likely to spray when she’s protecting her young.

Humane Removal of Baby Skunks

Kits start following their mother out of the den in single file at around 6 to 8 weeks old, usually in July. We time the one-way door for when the whole family is leaving at night, or remove young kits by hand when they can’t yet travel, so the family stays together and nothing is left behind.

🦨 Baby skunk removal

Skunk babies under the deck?

We keep the family together

Call (416) 560-8972

Skunk Control Calendar

Skunks follow the same yearly pattern in Toronto. Use this calendar to see what skunks are doing each month and the best time to act.

The Skunk Life Cycle

Here’s a quick look at the life cycle of the striped skunk, the only skunk species found in Toronto and Ontario.

How Long Do Skunks Live?

Skunk life expectancy in the wild is short. Most striped skunks live only 2 to 3 years, and many die in their first year from cars, predators, disease and harsh winters. In captivity, a skunk can live 8 to 10 years.

Skunks don’t truly hibernate. In winter they sleep for long stretches in a den, often with several females together, and come out on milder nights to feed. That’s why a skunk under your deck in December is likely to stay until spring unless it’s removed.

How to Get Rid of Skunk Smell

Skunk spray is an oily musk that sticks to fur, skin and fabric. A skunk can aim it accurately up to about 3 metres, and the smell can carry for a kilometre. Before spraying, a skunk usually stamps its front feet, hisses and raises its tail, so back away slowly if you see that.

• For a dog that got skunked: mix 1 litre of 3% hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 to 2 teaspoons of dish soap. Wash the dog outside, keep it out of the eyes, rinse well, and use it right away. Never store the mix in a closed bottle.
• Tomato juice: it only masks the smell for a while and doesn’t break down the oil.
• Inside the house: open windows, run fans, and wash fabrics with detergent and baking soda. White vinegar in bowls helps absorb the odour.
• Smell under the house: a strong smell that keeps coming back usually means a skunk is denning under the house, or one has died there. Call us to find and remove it.
• Eyes: if a person or pet is sprayed in the eyes, rinse with cool water for 10 to 15 minutes and call a doctor or vet if it doesn’t settle.

Why Trapping and Relocating Skunks Doesn’t Work

• Ontario rules: under Ontario’s wildlife regulations, a nuisance animal caught on your property has to be released within 1 km of where it was caught.
• Spray risk: a trapped skunk is very likely to spray you, the trap and your yard.
• Babies left behind: trapping a mother in May or June orphans the kits under your deck.
• The den stays open: another skunk moves right in unless the area is screened.

Skunk Prevention Tips

• Screen under decks, porches and sheds with galvanized steel mesh buried at least 30 cm deep and bent outward in an L.
• Cover window wells with sturdy window well covers.
• Treat lawn grubs in spring and late summer to remove the main food source.
• Lock up garbage and green bins, and don’t leave pet food or bird seed outside.
• Pick up fallen fruit and keep compost in a closed bin.
• Close gaps under sheds and steps, and remove wood piles and rock piles near the house.
• Skip the home remedies. Mothballs, ammonia rags and predator urine don’t make a skunk leave its den, and mothballs are toxic to people and pets.

🛡️ Window well cover

Skunk fell in a window well?

We remove it and cover the well

Call (416) 560-8972

Skunk Removal Near You

We provide skunk removal across Toronto and the GTA, including:

• Brampton
• Mississauga
• Markham
• Scarborough
• Thornhill
• Vaughan
• Etobicoke
• Rexdale
• Richmond Hill
• Pickering
• Caledon
• Milton

Other wildlife problems? We also handle:

• Raccoon removal
• Squirrel removal
• Groundhog removal
• Bat removal
• Bird removal
• Opossum removal
• Wasp nest removal

Skunk Removal FAQ

Call Today for Skunk Removal

Call our friendly team for a fast, accurate estimate or a free quote, and find out how quickly we can make your yard skunk-free.