What are some problems caused by groundhog digging?

Groundhogs are rodents that live in North America. They dig a lot and eat a lot. Because they dig on a daily basis (almost), it is no wonder that they dig several hundred pounds of soil during their short 5-6 years of life. Groundhog digging is very problematic for farmers, just as well as their huge consumption of vegetables and seeds. Groundhog digging creates lots of loose soil, because there are tunnels under the ground, which is very unstable ground for farm animals, people and pets, as well as garden vegetables and field plants. There were even reports that farm machinery got stuck in ground holes that were huge after all the tunnels collapsed under it. In some extreme cases, groundhog digging damaged foundations of homes, barns, garages and other farm buildings.

Digging that groundhogs is also interesting for other wild animal species, such as raccoons, red and grey foxes, opossums, that are looking for the home to takeover-because these spies aren’t capable of digging themselves. This in practice means that not only is your property in danger of groundhogs and their continuous digging, but once when you get rid of them, you will have infestation of other type, and wild animals that are possibly even more dangerous for your family and your pets.

There are also other problems that come with groundhogs and their digging. Although groundhogs aren’t prone o diseases, they can get infected by some dangerous diseases. There have been reported cases of groundhogs contracting rabies and also a roundworm infection. Groundhogs can be carriers of the Powassan disease that is highly contagious and dangerous for people.

If you have problem with groundhog digging, you can choose one of several solutions. For one, you can gate your property with mesh wiring. Groundhogs find it difficult to dig around or under it, so they usually simply give up when they encounter it. Another option is to generously spray around your garden or property perimeter predator urine or ammonia cloths. Groundhogs are peaceful creatures that shy away from conflicts and dangerous situations, so when they “smell” problems, they will simply go away in search for more peaceful surroundings.

Go back to the How to Get Rid of Groundhogs page or email us if you have any other questions about What are some problems caused by groundhog digging?