When you see a groundhog do you think it's cute and cuddly or do you see it as a pest on the farm? Groundhogs are rodents found throughout North America. If you raise vegetables or have fruit or nut trees, you can learn quickly about the destruction from the groundhog. They can live in urban or rural settings, but they are very likely to be found in areas where there is a lot of vegetation or on farm land.
photo courtesy of morguefile.com
Being large rodents, they can cause a lot of destruction in a vegetable garden or to large crops. They can interfere with fencing, by making the fence post holes unstable, and can eat the roots of newly planted trees. Farmers find it difficult to deal with groundhogs. We have had them on the Pierce Ponderosa Farm and we see them all around our area.
If you don't have to deal with groundhogs as a pest on the farm, then you might consider them to be cute, cuddly creatures. I remember when we lived in a suburban area, driving down the road by my daughters school. The groundhogs would be standing up on the side of the road and almost looking like they were waving at the cars going down the road. I thought it was incredibly cute. Once we moved out to a rural area and started dealing with groundhogs and other pests and predators, my opinion has changed about a few animals.
photo courtesy of morguefile.com
If groundhogs find their way to your property, they can do considerable damage to your property. Most damage caused by groundhogs is from their constant burrowing all over your land. Groundhogs burrow to build their den. This is where the groundhog sleeps, raises their young and hibernates. Their burrows can be extensive, having up to five entrances, and can contain tunnels that are as long as 50 feet long. A groundhog den can be deep in the ground, as deep five feet straight down. With deep channels in their dens, they cause real risks to gardens, crops, orchards with their root systems, and can even cause damage to foundations of buildings on the farm. The deep dens are also a challenge to farmers, causing holes where their farm equipment can become stuck. A horse, cow, goat or other farm animals can break their legs by stepping in holes that groundhogs make. If animals break their legs, a farmer could have to put the animal down in serious situations.
photo courtesy of morguefile.com
A groundhog can dig over 700 pounds of dirt, burrowing and building just one den. A single groundhog could create many dens within its territory, moving in and out as needed, because of crop changes and weather. Groundhogs look for good Drainage when claiming their home on your property They won't dig their dens in damp or wet ground, or even rocky areas. You often find their burrows near hedgerows and along the edges of farm property or within the farm fields. They like slopes and rolling hills.
You can spot the main entrance of an active groundhog den by seeing a small mound of loosely packed dirt at the entrance. This allows the groundhog a view to the world and where the sun can come inside.
If you see grass growing in the entrance of a den, then it's a good clue that the Den is no longer in use by the groundhog. However, other animals like to use old groundhog dens to hide and live inside. Foxes, opossum, skunks and raccoons will use abandoned dens left over from groundhogs.
If you see grass growing in the entrance of a den, then it's a good clue that the Den is no longer in use by the groundhog. However, other animals like to use old groundhog dens to hide and live inside. Foxes, opossum, skunks and raccoons will use abandoned dens left over from groundhogs.
Groundhogs breed seasonally. The breeding season for groundhogs begins in mid-February, soon after the animals emerge from hibernation. A groundhogs gestation lasts 31-33 days and her annual litter will consist of 2 to 9 pups, born near the end of March.
Baby groundhogs are born with no fur and are blind and helpless and approximately four inches in length. Baby groundhogs open their eyes at about 4 weeks old, they don't leave the den to see the outside until they are around 6 to 8 weeks old.
Groundhogs are solitary animals, except during their breeding season, and by the end of summer, the young groundhog will move away from its mothers den and will establish its own permanent" burrow.
Baby groundhogs are born with no fur and are blind and helpless and approximately four inches in length. Baby groundhogs open their eyes at about 4 weeks old, they don't leave the den to see the outside until they are around 6 to 8 weeks old.
Groundhogs are solitary animals, except during their breeding season, and by the end of summer, the young groundhog will move away from its mothers den and will establish its own permanent" burrow.
Groundhogs can consume up to a pound of organic matter a day. Considering these animals, on average, weigh about 8-10 pounds, that is a lot of vegetation in a day. They are lazy and will generally dig their burrows and construct their dens in the middle of meadows and fields so they do not have to go far to eat.
Getting rid of groundhogs is no easy feat. Groundhogs are pests on a farm because they are hard to send away, and they continue to cause destruction with vegetation and to buildings and animals. They are naturally suspicious of traps, and so trapping them is difficult. Some people try poisons, but they don't make any sort of approved groundhog removal chemicals. Putting poisons and chemicals on your land can be dangerous. Another recourse can be hiring a removal company that has experience in removing groundhogs from your property. The life span of a groundhog is on average about a year. They are prey animals and have many predators. Some groundhogs live longer, especially in captivity like our groundhogs in local areas that are kept and used for groundhog day activities.
photo courtesy of dreamstime.com
Do you have issues with groundhogs on your farm? Do you see them as cute and cuddly or as pests that cause destruction to your land? If you have any tips or advice on removing groundhogs from a farm, I know our readers would love to hear them!
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