Valentine’s Day Marks Unofficial Beginning of Skunk Breeding Season
Warner Brothers and the J. Geils Band both got it right!
If you’ve just made a puzzled look, tilted your head a little to the side, and asked yourself what prompts an announcement like this from some animal removal guys, well read on.
We’re talking about Valentine’s Day, of course! Still confused?
Well, in respect to Warner Brothers, we are, of course, referring to the love struck wandering skunk, Pepe Le Pew. And the J. Geils Band reference…yep, you got it; “Love Stinks”.
You see, in the animal removal world, Valentine’s Day marks the unofficial beginning of our skunk season making all the love / skunk references so tempting. This is because
- Skunks begin to leave their dens in mid-February
- The male skunks’ first order of business through February and into March is mating (Romance, if your Pepe).
- Our skunk calls begin in earnest
The Pepe reference plays so well into the timing of skunk emergence and mating behavior with Valentine’s Day.
Umm, Ryan, that’s not a cat with a white stripe painted on its back.
The “Loves Stinks” reference..well, we are talking about skunks. And the skunk breeding season is well characterized as a stinky time of the year. This is true for a number of reasons.
- The male skunks’ increase their ranges dramatically looking for mates. They are on the move! This dramatically increase the instances of car versus skunk and pet versus skunk, prompting more notice.
- Skunks spray when around each other this time of year. Females who are not yet ready to breed let the males know they are uninterested with a squirt. Male skunks spritz other males in territorial/mate scuffles.
- It seems there is general excitement in the normally sedate skunk world and they seem more willing to let it fly.
Help with Problem Skunks in Canton, Kent & Akron
If you haven’t smelled a skunk yet this year, be alert! It’s a smell coming soon to a neighborhood near you. And when you do smell your first skunk of 2014 in the next few weeks, you’ll remember who warned you and, more importantly, you’ll understand why it happened around this time.
If you, your car, or your pet is unfortunate enough to have a direct encounter with the business end of a skunk, check out our post on removing the odor of skunk here.
And, if you are fairly certain you have skunks residing on your property and would like some help in the Akron, Canton, Kent Ohio area, please contact us.
Also, please look at our main skunk removal page for more information on dealing with nuisance skunks.
