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Can a Skunk Climb a Chain-Link Fence? Spotted Yes

Striped skunks are poor climbers and dig under instead. Spotted skunks climb readily. Which you have decides what the fence needs.

By Zakaria 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A striped skunk resting on pine needles, its broad white stripes visible
Photo: LeniG, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Which skunk you have decides the answer. The common striped skunk is a digger with blunt excavating claws; the spotted skunk climbs fences and trees.

Telling them apart

striped skunkspotted skunk
Weight2.5–6 kgunder 1 kg
Patterntwo broad white stripesbroken spots and squiggles
Climbspoorlyreadily
Digsextensivelysome
Threat displaystamp, raised tailhandstand

Where a striped skunk gets in

routefix
Under chain link at ground levelburied apron, 30 cm, turned outward
Gap under a gateboard or brush strip
Another animal’s holefill and screen
Under a deck or shedone-way exclusion door, then mesh

Do not flush a skunk out of a den

Cornering one is how people and dogs get sprayed, and a den in spring may hold young. Fit a one-way exclusion door at dusk after the animal has left, confirm no activity for several nights, then screen the gap permanently.

What brings them in

  • Chafer grubs and leatherjackets in the lawn — the digging is them helping, in a way you dislike
  • Fallen fruit under trees
  • Pet food left out overnight
  • Unsecured bins and compost with kitchen scraps
  • Shelter under decks, sheds, porches and crawl spaces

Deal with the grubs, not the skunk

Small conical holes and lifted turf mean grubs. Treating those with the matching nematode removes the reason skunks, badgers, crows and foxes are all digging — and chasing the animals off leaves the grass dying anyway.

Common questions

Can a skunk climb a chain-link fence?

It depends on the species. The striped skunk — the one in most North American gardens — is a heavy-bodied, short-legged digger with blunt claws built for excavating, and it climbs chain link poorly if at all. The spotted skunk is a different animal: much smaller, more agile, and a genuinely capable climber that will go up chain link, fence posts and even into trees. Assume a striped skunk digs and a spotted skunk climbs.

How do I tell the two apart?

Size and pattern. A striped skunk is cat-sized, 2.5–6 kg, with two broad white stripes running down a black back. A spotted skunk is much smaller, usually under 1 kg, with a broken pattern of white spots and squiggles rather than clean stripes. Spotted skunks also perform a distinctive handstand threat display, which striped skunks do not.

So how is a striped skunk getting into my yard?

Underneath, almost always. Chain link usually leaves a gap at ground level, the ground softens after rain, and a skunk needs only a 10 cm gap. They also use gaps under gates and holes dug by other animals. The fix is a wire apron: welded mesh buried about 30 cm and turned outward at the base, which stops the dig at the point where it starts.

What actually keeps skunks out?

Removing the attraction first. Skunks come for grubs in the lawn, fallen fruit, pet food left outdoors, accessible bins and the shelter under a deck or shed. Treating a grub problem, securing bins, bringing pet food in at night and screening the space under structures removes most of the reason to visit. Fencing alone, without that, just redirects the digging.

Will a skunk under my deck spray?

Only as a last resort, and the display comes first — stamping, raised tail, a hiss, and in spotted skunks a handstand. Skunks carry limited spray and are reluctant to use it. Most spraying incidents involve a dog that ignored the warning. If one is denning under a structure, use a one-way exclusion door at dusk when it has left, rather than trying to flush it out.

Are skunks worth excluding at all?

They eat enormous quantities of grubs, beetles, wasp larvae and rodents, and the lawn digging that annoys people is them removing the chafer grubs that are killing the grass. The genuine reasons to exclude are a den under a structure, conflict with dogs and the rabies risk, which in skunks is real enough to take seriously in parts of North America. Away from those, tolerating them is usually the better call.

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