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We Provide Humane Groundhog (Woodchuck) Trapping, Removal and Damage Repair Services throughout New Jersey and Staten Island, NY
Common Nuisance Situations:
Woodchuck or Groundhog |
Also called a Woodchuck or a Whistle Pig, which comes from the loud whistle they make. Isn't it odd, that we have a holiday dedicated to a rodent, so popular that Columbia Pictures made the movie (New Window) "Groundhog Day" with Bill Murray and Punxsutawney Phil. It's not even a popular rodent.
Calls from customers often peak from mid-April through mid-May, when the females are looking for den sites in which to raise their young. From mid-May through September, customers may call about digging (Excellent Excavators), bold behavior or plant and vegetable garden destruction. From spring through the fall they dig thier burrows through lawns, under sheds, decks and even under slabs of homes, garages and sidewalks sometimes causing them to collapse.
Why Are They Damaging My Property ?
 | | Groundhog Tracks |
 | Groundhog
Burrow Entrance |
- Feeding, or just filing down their front teeth, which never stop growing.
Woodchucks raid gardens, fields, lawns, orchards, nurseries, and may gnaw
or claw on shrubs and fruit trees. Occasionally chew on outdoor furniture,
decks, and siding while scent-marking or filing their teeth.
- Marking their territories: They may strip off the bark at the base of a
tree that's near their burrow entrance.
- Burrowing. Look for burrow entrances among shrubs near vegetable and ornamental
gardens; under woodpiles, brush piles, and stone walls; under sheds, porches,
decks, and crawl spaces. Burrows in fields may damage agricultural equipment,
while those in pastures may trip livestock, resulting in injuries.
- Disease risks: Low. Mange, rabies (rarely), raccoon roundworm.
Description:
Grizzled brown above, some with blackish or rufous tones; buffy below. Ears short, rounded; face has pale buffy patches. Legs short, powerful. Tail bushy. Gives shrill whistle, followed by chuck, chuck. Vegetarian; eats heavily in summer, early fall; does not store food. Sometimes climbs trees; digs burrows.
Sign: Summer: 8-12" burrow entrance, with dirt piles on sides.
Breeding: 4-5 young April to May.
Habitat: Fields, woodland edges, farms, highway verges, gardens.
Activity: Summer, feeds by day. Winter: hibernates early, deeply.
Typical Groundhog (Woodchuck) Burrow
See Our Services Section for Humane Groundhog Removal
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