Where do skunks go in winter

In summer, you always know when a striped skunk has been around. But in winter, these animals make themselves scarce, hunkering down to wait out the onslaught of ice and snow.

Unlike most rodents and birds, which hoard food for the cold months, the striped skunk will have spent the fall eating as much as possible so it can stay warm during mid-winter dormancy. This binge eating creates thick layers of fat underneath the skin– a winter jacket, of sorts. The skunk metabolizes this fat during its dormant rests, though at a much slower rate than in summer.

Striped skunks use different den sites at different times of year, so their winter burrow will usually not be the same place where they raised their young. While capable of digging their own winter burrows, skunks are more inclined to seek residency in spaces that belong to someone else. For example, they find comfort underneath human-built porches or decks, a fact that some of us (and our noses) may be all-too-familiar with. Those skunks that live away from residential areas will often commandeer burrows dug and deserted by other outdoor dwellers, such as woodchucks or foxes.

Once colder temperatures set in, a skunk will prepare its den by blocking off the entrance to its burrow with leaves and grass to keep the cold air out. It isn’t uncommon for striped skunks to burrow with each other for extra warmth – these cohabitating skunks have the advantage of social thermoregulation, where they use each other to stay warm. Males sometimes den communally during winter, but are not tolerant of each other during other seasons.

Winter denning season in Vermont and New Hampshire typically runs from November through March, but this isn’t to say that skunks aren’t active during winter. Settled into its winter home, the striped skunk becomes dormant, but does not enter a full state of hibernation. Instead, skunks enter a state of torpor – a sort of deep sleep from which they awake from time to time. During torpor, which is influenced by the temperature and food availability, their body temperatures can drop 20degreesand their metabolism slows.

As the season changes from winter to spring, skunks will emerge and seek a mate. Striped skunks are a polygamous species and a male will take multiple mates over the course of late February through April; a female will only mate once. After breeding, both males and females seek to rebuild fat reserves, having lost, on average, about 30 percent of their body weight during winter. Females will establish maternity dens, sometimes communally. Males spend the warm months alone.

The arrival of spring brings not only warmer weather, but new food sources. The omnivorous skunk goes from a lean winter diet of carrion, fruit, and seeds to a summer diet rich in insects, small mammals, and sometimes our trash. As bee keepers are well aware, skunks have a fondness for bees and will consume honey, larvae, and adults.

The scientific name for the striped skunk is Mephitis mephitis, meaning “bad odor.” The word “skunk” itself is one of the few Algonquin Indian words to enter the English language.

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You may have noticed that skunks have been much more active and present over the last few weeks. So, what have skunks been up to during the long winter?

What You Need To Know

• Skunks do not fully hibernate in the winter, they enter a state of torpor


• Skunks will stay huddled in their dens and become relatively inactive, eat little, and sleep a lot


• The breeding season for skunks usually takes place in February and March

In the summer, you always know when a skunk has been around, mainly because of their potent smell when they spray. However, in the winter, skunks make themselves much more scarce to wait out the winter cold, ice and snow.

Snoozing the cold

While skunks do not fully hibernate, skunks enter at times of extreme cold or excessive snowfall a state called torpor. Torpor is a deep sleep that, like hibernation, slows the metabolism down, lowers the body temperature and breathing and allows the skunk to survive without being active.

In this state of deep sleep, the skunk will wake up from time to time. However, during the coldest part of the winter season, they will stay huddled in their dens and become pretty inactive, eat very little and sleep quite a bit.

Fall you can eat buffet

Unlike squirrels, they do not accumulate and store food for the cold winter months. The skunk will spend the fall bulking up and eating as much as possible so it can stay warm during its winter dormancy.

This fall binge eating creates thick layers of fat that serve as winter jackets underneath the skin. The skunk will metabolize this fat during its deep rests, but at a much slower rate than in the summer months.

Skunks will wake up periodically throughout the winter, and if temperatures are warm enough (usually above 30), they may briefly leave their den to venture out to search for food. Winter food is much harder to come by, leaving skunks to feed on carrion, fruit, seeds, and sometimes the contributions from backyard compost piles.

And yes, in case you have smelled their strong, powerful scent during the winter, it's because skunks have to leave their den at least once in the winter to empty their scent glands.

Like me, you may have noticed some skunks in your neighborhood or on the side of the road now that we are in the beginning of spring. This is because skunk breeding season usually takes place in February and March.

So, if you see a skunk wandering around this time of year, they’re usually looking to mate. Most skunk babies, also known as kits, are born in April and May.

More often than not, skunks will stay in their burrows or dens until the first stretch of warmer weather in February. These warmer temperatures will draw them out of their dens to look for mates.

Male skunks are especially mobile as they search for female mates in their area.

The arrival of spring brings not only warmer weather but new food sources. In the warmer months, you’ll see these creatures roaming around much more often than you saw during the winter.

Do skunks go away in the winter?

Do skunks come out in the cold weather?

How long does a skunk hibernate?

How do you get a skunk to leave?