What Time Do Skunks Come Out to Eat?

Skunks are mammals that navigate their environments primarily under the cover of darkness. They are widespread across various habitats, including suburban and urban areas. Understanding their routines provides insight into their ecological role and behaviors.

Skunks’ Nightly Search for Food

Skunks are primarily nocturnal, though they are often described as crepuscular, with peak activity at dusk and dawn. They typically emerge from their dens 30 to 60 minutes after sunset to begin foraging. This period allows them to take advantage of cooler temperatures and the cover of darkness, helping them avoid many predators. Their activity continues throughout the night until early morning.

Foraging at night offers skunks several advantages, including reduced encounters with diurnal predators such as coyotes, foxes, and birds of prey. The twilight hours also coincide with the activity of many of their prey items, like insects and small rodents, making hunting more efficient. This nocturnal lifestyle also minimizes direct competition for food sources with animals active during daylight.

While skunks are primarily nocturnal, there are instances when they may be observed during the day. Nursing mothers might venture out in daylight, especially in spring, to secure enough food for their young. Food scarcity or a disturbed den can also prompt a skunk to forage outside its usual hours. Observing a skunk during the day does not automatically indicate illness, though caution is always advised.

Their Diverse Diet

Skunks are omnivores, and their diet adapts to changing seasons and available resources. Their flexible digestive system allows them to thrive on whatever edible items they can find. This adaptability contributes to their success in diverse environments, from wildlands to human-populated areas.

A significant portion of their diet consists of insects, which they actively seek out using their keen sense of smell and strong front claws for digging. They commonly feed on grubs, earthworms, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and even honeybees, with their thick fur providing protection from stings. Skunks are known to dig cone-shaped holes in lawns while searching for these subterranean insects.

Beyond insects, skunks hunt small mammals such as mice, rats, voles, shrews, moles, and small birds, and they also consume eggs from ground-nesting birds and turtles. Plant-based foods like fruits, nuts, seeds, and various vegetables are also part of their diet. They eat berries, apples, and wild grapes, along with roots, leaves, and garden crops like corn and carrots.

Skunks are opportunistic feeders, readily consuming carrion. In areas where humans reside, they frequently scavenge for food scraps in garbage cans, compost piles, and pet food left outdoors. This varied diet ensures they can sustain themselves across different seasons, with a shift towards more insect and animal matter in warmer months and more plant material in colder periods.