Are groundhogs (woodchucks) tearing up your garden and burrowing under the shed? We at ALL OUT Wildlife Control can stop their damage and prevent future burrowing with a five-year warranty on our burrow-proofing. 

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Groundhogs are found from Alaska and Canada and throughout the eastern United States, but rarely in the Deep South.

 

DESCRIPTION

The groundhog is a large member of the rodent family.  Its name is due to its squat appearance, waddling gait, and underground burrows.  It is a medium-sized rotund animal with short legs, a bushy flattened tail, a broad head with short ears, four large toes with claws in front and five large clawed toes in back.  Color is generally grayish-brown with a yellow to reddish tint.  Weight ranges from 4-14 lbs.  Lifespan in the wild averages 5-6 years.

 

FOOD PREFERENCES

Vegetarian.  Grasses, plants, herbs, leaves, flowers, apples, paw paws, garden vegetables.

 

HABITS AND BEHAVIORS

Diurnal groundhogs seem to prefer to make their own homes by burrowing a tunnel 10-45 feet long that ends in a larger nest chamber.  If chased by a predator, they may enter the tunnel and wall up the entrance with dirt.  Tunnel openings are usually well camouflaged with vegetation, and many side entrances may be dug into the nest site.  They eat constantly during the summer and early fall to store up a reserve of body fat for winter hibernation.  Favorite summer activities include eating, digging, and sunning.

 

ENEMIES

Humans, automobiles, dogs, foxes, coyotes, ticks, fleas, roundworms, flies and their larvae, tularemia.

 

GOOD POINTS

Aeration and mixing of the soil and, upon abandonment of a tunnel and nest, habitat for other animals.