Groundhog under my doorsteps!

HowEver wrote: ↑ That company wants to sell you solutions. Of course they are anti-groundhog, as it were.

In the real world, I've lived 25 years with groundhog family after groundhog family in my garden. Absolutely no damage to anything, and lots of joy to anyone who sees them (who doesn't want to murder them for no reason).

In your garden may be less of a problem FOR YOU [may not be the case for everyone].

The biggest problem with burrowing animals is you might step into the burrow and break something. The OP has it under their door step which makes this an even larger possibility. OP's first course of intended action was to deter them not kill them...it may still be deterrence, but if that doesn't work and the animal keeps coming back, it might escalate to something more drastic.

From the Human Society.

https://www.humanesociety.org/resources ... woodchucks

Where woodchuck burrows are deemed to be problems, eviction and exclusion are the recommended courses of action.

HowEver wrote: ↑ That company wants to sell you solutions. Of course they are anti-groundhog, as it were.

In the real world, I've lived 25 years with groundhog family after groundhog family in my garden. Absolutely no damage to anything, and lots of joy to anyone who sees them (who doesn't want to murder them for no reason).

Groundhog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Both their diet and their habit of burrowing make groundhogs serious nuisance animals around farms and gardens. They will eat many commonly grown vegetables, and their burrows can undermine foundations.

Killing an animal isn't murder. Murder is only used when one human kills another human.

*

It's absolutely not necessary to kill these groundhogs.

Also, even if they did burrow under foundations, groundhogs don't displace houses.

tew wrote: ↑ Groundhog
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Both their diet and their habit of burrowing make groundhogs serious nuisance animals around farms and gardens. They will eat many commonly grown vegetables, and their burrows can undermine foundations.

Killing an animal isn't murder. Murder is only used when one human kills another human.

HowEver wrote: ↑ Leave it alone. They aren't going to do any damage.

This - they're not going to do any damage. I had a groundhog that dug tunnels near my shed. You can fill up the holes but you're blocking entry to their home so they'll keep digging enough one. The one I had eventually went away on its own. Don't be a fool and harm/kill it by using bleach, poison or whatever nonsense you come up with...either way karma will catch up with you. Call a professional if you're that scared.

Just buy one of these
https://www.lowes.ca/product/traps/larg ... rap-267759
and relocate the guy.

You have two options, bury metal mesh or wood plank 10" or deeper so they can't dig out, or trap them and move them elsewhere (and prepare to do the same next year when another moves in).

hierophant wrote: ↑ This - they're not going to do any damage. I had a groundhog that dug tunnels near my shed. You can fill up the holes but you're blocking entry to their home so they'll keep digging enough one. The one I had eventually went away on its own. Don't be a fool and harm/kill it by using bleach, poison or whatever nonsense you come up with...either way karma will catch up with you. Call a professional if you're that scared.

I can tell neither of you have a vegetable garden, groundhog will literally wipe out the entire crop in two or three days.

jzmtl wrote: ↑
I can tell neither of you have a vegetable garden, groundhog will literally wipe out the entire crop in two or three days.

Correct. Between the squirrels, rabbits and groundhog, I don't bother.

I had a groundhog under my shed when I bought the house. It damaged plants around the shed and the holes it made could have affected the stability of the shed (very basic wood shed installed on concrete blocks). I simply installed metallic wire mesh around the shed and problem was solved. That was 9 years ago and no other animal managed to get there.

I definitely didn't want to hurt it, I simply didn't want it under my shed. The perimeter around your doorsteps is probably smaller than the 4 sides of a shed, it would not be very long to install it. The problem will be fixed forever and you won't hurt an animal in the process. Killing or relocating it is useless, another one will come.

HowEver wrote: ↑ Leave it alone. They aren't going to do any damage.

Just wondering, but would you be okay with twisting your ankle in one of their numerous holes in your yard or having your vegetable garden eaten before you had the chance?

I'm not advocating killing it, but people without the problem don't really see the reality of the situation.

JEDI Force wrote: ↑ I had a groundhog under my shed when I bought the house. It damaged plants around the shed and the holes it made could have affected the stability of the shed (very basic wood shed installed on concrete blocks). I simply installed metallic wire mesh around the shed and problem was solved. That was 9 years ago and no other animal managed to get there.

I definitely didn't want to hurt it, I simply didn't want it under my shed. The perimeter around your doorsteps is probably smaller than the 4 sides of a shed, it would not be very long to install it. The problem will be fixed forever and you won't hurt an animal in the process. Killing or relocating it is useless, another one will come.

How would u install the wire mesh? How would I put it down straight so it can’t dig and go under doorsteps again?

Palidino wrote: ↑ Ok I’m going to buy a trap. The opening of the trap should face the hole right? Would dumping 20litres of hot water in the hole at once damage the house?

I don’t think 20 litres will damage the house, but it probably won’t help get rid of the groundhog either. If you want to flush him out you’d probably need to run a hose for a while and I wouldn’t recommend that right by your foundation.

The issue is the way that they tunnel and burrow helps them stay dry even if it pours rain for a few days. They create different areas and branches so simply pouring water down probably won’t do much.

This shows what their underground world looks like: https://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&url=http ... AdAAAAABAO

Call a professional to remove and relocate it.
Garlic and hot water and bleach, lets give up the home remedies.

Early the spring I discovered a groundhog had built itself a little home under my shed. It had made itself two exits. So I flushed it out by sprinkling in some hot pepper and various chemicals down one end and then I firmly closed the holes with paver stone. I saw the groundhog flee to my neighbor's neighbor. I plugged the hole in the fence that it was using and that was it. I have a large vegetable garden and I know vegetable gardens and groundhogs don't mix.

My recommendation based on the experiences of various friends of mine is that if you have a groundhog that is persistent and not leaving the area then a trap is the best solution. Get the big have a hart trap sets a trail of cantaloupe into it and place it next to the groundhogs hole and in a few days you should have the groundhog traps trapped. Then take it somewhere about 20 minutes to half an hour's drive away preferably greenspace and release it.

Palidino wrote: ↑ Ok I’m going to buy a trap. The opening of the trap should face the hole right? Would dumping 20litres of hot water in the hole at once damage the house?

Do not pour water into the hole. That much water in a short period of time could leak through the foundation.

Palidino wrote: ↑ How would u install the wire mesh? How would I put it down straight so it can’t dig and go under doorsteps again?

I had to dig all around the shed to install it. You don't need to dig too far, you can bend it so that it is like a "L". They are not so smart, they won't back far enough to try again to dig away from the mesh.

Any time Ive had to evict an animal, one thing has always worked whether its in the attic or under stairs, deck etc.
Stick a light under there...whatever light you have on an extension cord. Most of these animals are nocturnal, so after a day or 2 of constant light, it drives them nuts and they leave.
Once they do, get to work blocking whatever holes they used to get in, after making sure they didnt leave any babies behind that they will return for.

3 words..

Naked and afraid