We got skunked

[gibsongrrrl]

So I am laying in bed checking the shipping tracking for my manzanita stand, after beng woken up at 6:15 by a spam call, and start noticing that it kinda smell like wild onions. I then hear what sounds like a rat scratching around in the wall under the window. Stupid me bangs on the floor trim with a plastic bottle to see if they scurry. Nothing happens so I go outside to see if I can see what it is and as I start walking towards a visible hole where something has ripped the siding off the smell of skunk hit me. I run inside and start moving my huge pile of clean laundry I didn't fold from the couch in our bedroom and all my other clothes. SO finally believes me when she gets a whiff and follows suit. I go in the bathroom because I am feeling nauseas at this point and BOOM! It's worse than the bedroom, so we grab all the linens as well. I had already checked the bird room and blocked the vent in there and turned off the heat, but went back one more time and now it reeks! So I start dragging EVERYTHING out, (did I tell you weeble has 5 cages?)and relocate to the dining room and block the bird room door with towels too. Fortunately it starts raining and the smell has dissipated outside so I can now open windows in those three rooms to clear them out. Currently I am scared to turn the heat on in case it would push the smell through the house into the non skunky areas where I don't have windows open. We have already have had suspicions that the ductwork may have a breach and it is cold out so I don't want to have to make it colder in the me bird area than it already is. I don't know what is worse- the skunk odor or low temps. Any thoughts? Is the skunk odor a health concern for birds? It's about 62 in here now and if I turn on the heat and it smells like skunk I will have to air out this part of the house too and that would make it colder. Ugh, this sucks

Also, I wasn't really sure where to post this so if it's in the wrong spot, I'm sorry.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Bumping because I have to leave for work in about 45 minutes and don't know what to do

 

[lupe]

..yuk!! that's awful!! trust me I know, I've been skunked before!!!
Good question! I'm not sure about how it would affect the fids..I hope not..
You poor thing....

 

[DQTimnehs]

I'm really not sure if the smell is dangerous to birds or not. But I would probably turn the heat up. With the windows open the fresh air will circulate too.

 

[Momto3boys]

My Boxer gets skunked once every Summer, its like her tradition now and its never harmed the birds.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

Thanks guys. I called the vet and they said it wasn't toxic so I crossed my fingers and turned the heat up. No skunk smell! Was able to shut the windows in the bath and bedroom because it had aired out but still have the window cracked in the birdroom because it is hanging in there. Probably because the window won't stay up unless something is wedged in it

 

[merlinsmom13]

We were skunked too a few years ago. Our dog caught the most of it. My dh was so stunned he walked all thru the house w/the dog. She was only in the bedroom about 10 seconds, but the 1st night was bad. Merlin was fine, poor Dawg had to sleep in the shed I used peroxide & baking soda w/a drop or 2 of dawn. Sorry

 

[Stormcloud]

Sounds terrible, so I'm glad we don't have them over here.

 

[gibsongrrrl]

another reason to love Australia I have to say though, those gigantic spiders you have are scary! and gigantic. and scary! I saw a video on youtube of this dad and little girl, where the dad was trying to catch on on the ceiling and it dropped on him. OMG, I would have probably broken my leg trying to flee

 

[Birdbabe]

We have a skunk living in the backyard somewhere, I smell him sometimes but it dosent seem to bother the birds....just me. hes cute though.

 

[Anne & Gang]

 

[Chantilly Lace]

Oh no that is terrible! Get some company to come fix the breach so you don't get a whole family of them in there. When I was a kid our dogs would get skunked every year too...I would call them a snuck, I couldn't say skunk until I was like 8 lol. We got sprayed one time on a night walk, it was awful.