Woodchucks or groundhogs can greatly damage a garden.
How to Get Rid of Groundhogs (a.k.a. Woodchucks)
Do you have trouble with these burrowing pests? Here are tips for identifying and getting rid of groundhogs in your yard and garden.
What Are Groundhogs?
If every day is Groundhog Day in your garden, you’ll probably agree with those who call that gluttonous rodent their least favorite backyard creature. Even skunks get more respect. Speaking of Groundhog Day, find out the origins of that funny holiday and some folklore surrounding groundhogs and weather.
The problem is that groundhogs—also known as woodchucks or whistle-pigs—are binge eaters who can wipe out your vegetable garden in a matter of minutes. They climb, they burrow, they swim, and they eat—an adult consumes about a pound to a pound-and-a-half of vegetation daily. Between spring and fall, they double their body weight.
Do Groundhogs Hibernate?
Yes, they do! Soon after they emerge from a winter’s hibernation, they mate, giving birth in mid-spring—at a time when the picking are at their slimmest. Neat rows of seedlings must look like manna from heaven to hungry groundhogs, who sometimes perch on garden fence posts as if they are looking over the salad bar.
When hibernating, groundhogs—who are never speedy—really slow down, drawing a breath only about once every five minutes. Hibernation is curious behavior: Barely breathing, these mammals cool off to just a few degrees above the ambient temperature, sometimes as low as 39º to 40ºF. Their metabolic rate drops, and they sleep profoundly in their winter dens, neither eating nor drinking for four-and-a-half to five-and-a-half months, drawing all their nourishment from the body fat they accumulated during the summer. No wonder they eat so much!
How to Identify Groundhogs
Members of the squirrel family, groundhogs are squarish, stocky animals that typically weigh between 4 and 14 pounds. The have short, strong legs; coarse, grizzled, gray-brown fur; small ears; a short, bushy tail; and curved claws. Groundhogs look a bit like runaway fur coats as they waddle back to their burrows. This critter can grow to be about 3 feet long. They have large, competent, chisel-like teeth that make them efficient, but not quite endearing.
Wondering where groundhogs live? See any deep tunnels in your yard, under your deck, or near your foundation? You may have a groundhog; they dig burrows to live in and the entrances are usually 10 to 12 inches wide with the excavated soil spread around the entrances. There are usually 2 or 3 entrances.
Groundhog Damage
What do groundhogs eat? Everything from flowers to vegetables. Favorite foods include alfalfa, clover, peas, beans, lettuce, broccoli, plantain, and soybeans. Groundhogs will often devour your seedlings before they even have time to grow. Rabbits and deer eat some of the same plants, so make sure to check for burrows before concluding that you have groundhogs. If you don’t have vegetables around, groundhogs will settle for twigs, bark, bugs, and blossoms.
Groundhogs eat mostly during the early morning and afternoon, so try to see when your garden is receiving the most damage. These creatures will also gnaw and claw at fruit trees, so check your trees for any such marks.
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So we have found that collecting our dogs feces & urine & pouring them down the holes is helpful. Also found when the canister in my vacuum is full, I will dump that down groundhog holes & dump the dog feces on top of it, it seems to help. They have destroyed the foundation around the barns at this abandoned farm we recently moved to.They also have burrowed near the foundation of the house. I ran an old hose down the hole near the house, buried the hose, covered the hole & poured the dogs urine down using a funnel. I had to do twice & now they do not try to burrow near the house. I use the feces & vacuum contents near the barns. They are still definitely around, but they are not digging the foundations up anymore & mostly stay close to the fields & the creek. So we are partially winning this!
Firstly, a family of groundhogs or woodchucks has lived adjacent to the garden for years and I've never encountered problems. Matter of fact, they have been beneficial in that their long burrows absorb rainwater and therefore keep the ground moist during the dry summer months.
Be sure to read your state and local laws before trying to humanely relocate a groundhog. Where I live it is illegal to dump animals on another person’s property without permission, and illegal to release on public land also. Good luck finding someone who wants a groundhog on their property. They can ruin the foundation of your shed, home, retaining walls etc. People and pets are injured when stumbling upon their excavation work also. Unfortunately the only option may be to trap and humanely kill and dispose of the carcass. I won’t use poisons and risk harming other animals or scavengers. It’s distasteful but drugging after trapping (sleeping pills were recommended by a rehab person- that’s what they do) and then drowning or suffocating them is more responsible than just pushing your problem onto someone else’s property where they may be poisoned or trapped inhumanely.
I have a mom and 6 babies groundhogs and a vegetable and flower garden. We live in harmony. They learn quickly. They are solitary animals so the babies will leave by the age of 3 months approximately. The babies have tried three times to make a nest in the garden. I have the perfect spot that they love, with big rocks and open spaces. One has to be vigilant at the beginning and check regularly to see if they are in the garden. Any loud noise will send them running away. As for the building of their new nest, I make sure that they are not in the hole and then I put a piece of cardboard with Vick's Vapor Rub on it in the hole and refill the exit that is in my garden with the earth. I also put lavender Epson salts around the type of flowers that they like and I keep an eye on any new attempts. They have learned that my garden is a "scary place" and they avoid it. I have the pleasure of seeing them play together, they are cute, sentient beings. All you need is compassion and determination at the beginning and they will oblige.
If you live in the Rockies, as I do, and are reading this for any hints to get rid of ground squirrels, as I am, be aware: Every few years someone in Colorado dies of Bubonic Plague or of another rodent born disease, Hanta Virus. The Plague is spread by fleas. If you have a dead ground squirrel, chipmunk, mouse or prairie dog on your property, don't touch it. Don't let your dog or cat touch it. The fleas jump off as soon as the body temp of their host drops just a degree or two. Sorry to be a downer, but it is really dangerous although uncommon. Hanta is from the urine and feces of infected mice. That dust often becomes airborn when it dries out. Both diseases can be deadly. We have meds for plague, but you have to recognize it withing a couple of days. Most states are constantly on the lookout for any dead rodents that they can check for infection. So it's uncommon, but really something to be aware of.
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