What Do Skunks Eat? Just About Anything They Find

If you're catching whiffs of something funky near your porch, you might be wondering, "What do skunks eat?" These black-and-white foragers are best known for their defensive skunk spray, but their feeding habits are just as distinctive.

Turns out, skunks eat a little bit of everything, making them true opportunistic feeders.

Whether they’re foraging in forests or rooting through garbage cans in urban areas, skunks have a varied diet that helps them adapt to many environments. Their robust digestive system allows them to handle all sorts of food sources — and that includes stuff you'd never expect.

A Skunk's Natural Diet

In the wild, a skunk's diet is seasonally flexible. During late spring and early summer, skunks hunt more actively. Their natural diet includes:

Insects like beetles, grubs and beetle larvae
Small mammals such as mice, rats and even ground squirrels
Birds, eggs and small snakes
Fruits, berries and nuts
Garden pests and garden crops

Skunks eat mostly at night, relying on their excellent sense of smell to search for food, despite their poor eyesight. If it smells edible and fits in their mouth, a skunk finds a way to eat it.

Skunks in Urban Areas

Skunks thrive in suburbs and cities thanks to easy access to human leftovers. These small animals are often drawn to:

Cat food and pet food left outside
Fallen or uneaten food under bird feeders
Open compost piles and garbage cans
Food in close proximity to communal dens or rock crevices

Once skunks enter your yard, they may dig shallow holes in search of grubs or hang around until the food runs out. If you're keeping skunks away, eliminating these attractants is step one.

Favorite Foods and Seasonal Changes

Skunks aren't picky eaters, but they do have favorite foods. Insects and larvae are protein-packed go-tos, especially in warmer months.

As extreme cold sets in, skunks reduce activity but may still emerge from rock piles or dens during warm spells to snack on whatever they can find.

They'll even scavenge from other skunks or other animals, showing just how flexible their appetite is. While not exactly social butterflies, female skunks sometimes share dens during winter, adding a cozy touch to these smelly neighbors.

How to Deter Skunks

Want to avoid surprise stink bombs? Here’s how to make sure you don't attract skunks.

Bring pet food indoors at night.
Use tight lids on garbage cans and compost bins.
Regularly clean fallen fruit from your yard.
Remove rock piles and woodpiles where skunks might hide.
Use cayenne pepper (a smell that skunks dislike).
Eliminate access to bird feeders and secure garden crops

Loud noises can also scare them off, but be cautious: If skunks feel threatened, you might get a noseful of their famous perfume.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.