What Kind of Damage Can Skunks Cause Under a House?

There are many types of damages that skunks can cause to your property in general. The worse amount of damage can be to your lawns. Because skunks in the winter in particular prefer the warmth they do tend to combine multiple nests under your home. It is then that your damage expensive.



Damages by this mammal goes beyond the smell. Skunks are burrowers and diggers therefore they will use these skills to find weak points in your foundation and crawl spaces they can create their own entrances by digging holes. Once creating an entranceway, they will enter.

Under your home due to the burrowing, skunks can damage both your electrical and plumbing. With damage to your electrical wiring you are pre-disposed to fire. Your odds go up even further should you also incur damage to your pipes. Even though during the summer a skunk may only use under your house for a period of 3 or so nights. The damage to your foundation, vent nets and your wires and pipes can still be done.

Because skunks populate once a year between February and May, an entire family may very well live under your house and increase damages even further. With families existing under your house you are also subject to odors from possible decaying corpses. During the winter months several families of skunks may spend time under your house. This exposes you to a great deal more damage. Skunks do not hibernate during the winter, the body temperature lowers to sleep, but they may still experience periodic activity. This allows damage to occur year round and by a higher number of skunks.

Damage caused by skunks may not be included in your homeowners insurance. Make sure that you have this included in your policy. Depending upon the extent of the damage to your foundation caused by the skunks digging to get in, your cost can be quite extravagant if having to pay out of pocket. The hiring of both an electrician and plumber will only compound your costs.

Elimination of your skunk(s) will be the first item on your to do list. This may require new vent screens and exclusionary methods to keep the skunks out. A few of these methods may be installing a 1 ½ to 2-foot fence against your home to stop skunks from digging under your foundation. To cover holes you can use wire mesh, sheet metal or concrete.

Once skunks have been eliminated from under the house damage to the foundation, wires and plumbing can begin. Costs resulting in skunk damage can be quite high between elimination and damage repairs. It is advised that you check your property frequently for signs of skunks living there.

Go back to the How to get rid of skunks home page.

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