Pests come in all shapes, sizes, and appearances. Where some are undeniably grotesque, others can be perceived as cute to others. Generally, pests are known to pester people, either by causing damage to landscape or structure, or by being a health risk, by triggering allergies or asthma, or simply due to venom or poison. With the many pests in Texas, we at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control would like to discuss striped skinks.
How Far Can a Skunk Spray?
By smell, sight, and reputation are known to belong to skinks. Although skunk numbers are far greater now, pioneers found the striped skunk when they came to Texas. Where there are farms with fencerows, forest edges and old fields, skunks are most abundant in rural Texas. These pests are also found in urban areas. When threatened, skunks are known for their ability to spray musk and spray with great accuracy up to 15 feet.
How Would You Describe a Skunk?
With a large deep body, small head, and short legs, the striped skunk is about the size of a house cat. Having a broad patch of white on its head and shoulders, the hair is long and black. From the shoulder area may extend part way or all of the way to the base of the bushy tail, two white lines forming a “V.” Though occasionally albino in color, their variations include white, cream, black, and brown. With males being slightly larger in size, both females and males are colored alike. Featuring the forefeet having long, curved claws designed for digging, each foot has five slightly webbed toes. With straighter claws, the rear feet have shorter.
Where Do Skunks Live & Sleep?
Occupying a wide variety of habitats in Texas, striped skunks are highly adaptable from rural areas to the suburbs. Accounting for their numbers growing stronger as civilization and humans encroached is their high adaptability. With their favorite foods including insects, fish, small mammals, crustaceans, grasses, leaves, buds, fruits, grains, nuts, and carrion, striped racoons are omnivorous. Skunks store quantities of body fat in the fall as, although they are not true hibernators. However, they might remain for several weeks or a month at a time when the weather gets cold, they will retreat to protective dens. Only seldomly do they wander around during the daytime since skunks are primarily nocturnal animals. They will occupy dens that have been used previously by groundhogs or foxes or dens they have dug themselves. Beneath logs in the woods, open fields, on hillsides, or under buildings are common places they have dens.
How Many Babies Can a Female Skunk Have?
In late February and continue through March is the mating season in Texas. Striped skunks usually mate several times during this period and females are in heat for four to five days. Moving from den to den mating with females, males tend to be a bit promiscuous. Born pink-skinned and blind, the litters tend to be from 2 to 10 young. By the second week they are furred and by the third week their eyes have opened. With their mother on nightly hunting forays, by the sixth week they are weaned and will be out. When the young will go off on their own, this family will stay together until the next spring.
Skunk Wildlife Inspections, Exclusion, Control, Removal, Management & More in Canyon Lake, Spring Branch, Bulverde, Timberwood Park, Leon Valley, Alamo Heights, New Braunfels, Selma, Live Oak, Converse, Universal City, Cibolo, Seguin, New Berlin, St Hedwig, Adkins, La Vernia, Elmendorf, Losoya, Von Ormy, Macdona & San Antonio, Texas
As skunks don’t hibernate, they can be very active in the winter at almost any time of day. When you have a problem with striped skunks, we at A Five Star Termite & Pest Control are readily available to assist you.
