7 Tips for Controlling Groundhog Infestations

Posted on July 11, 2023 by Budgetanimal

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks or whistle-pigs, are common pests in many parts of the United States. Whether you have a small infestation of groundhogs living under your porch or a large population on your property, controlling them can be challenging. With proper knowledge and techniques, however, it is possible to keep these critters away from your home and garden. Below are 7 tips for controlling groundhog infestations that will help you get started.

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Nuisance Groundhog Damages and Threats

When it comes to nuisance groundhogs, the potential for extensive damage to property can be daunting. These critters may look harmless, but their burrows and tunneling can wreak havoc on lawns, gardens, and even building foundations. In addition to the physical damage, groundhogs can also pose a threat to pets and people. Their burrowing activity can create tripping hazards and weaken the structural integrity of outdoor structures. If you suspect a groundhog infestation on your property, it’s important to take action quickly before the damage becomes too extensive. Professional critter control services can help you safely and effectively remove these pesky animals and protect your property from further destruction.

How to Deter Groundhogs and Keep Them Off of Your Property

1. Identify the source of the infestation. Knowing where groundhogs are coming from is the first step in getting rid of them. Look around your property for signs such as burrows, droppings, and tracks. This will help you identify areas to focus on when setting up control measures.

2. Exclusion is key. Groundhogs dig long burrows that can provide access to your home or garden, so it’s important to make sure they can’t get in by sealing off potential entry points or installing barriers such as fencing or hardware cloth around your yard or garden beds.

3. Eliminate food sources that attract groundhogs. Make sure to keep pet food indoors, and keep your garden free of weeds, garbage, and other plant matter that groundhogs may find attractive.

4. Use a repellent to drive them away. There are a variety of commercial repellents available to try such as castor oil, putrescent egg, or coyote urine, which can be sprayed around the perimeter of your property or garden beds.

5. Trap the groundhogs humanely. If you have a smaller infestation, trapping is an effective way to get rid of them without harming the animals. Make sure to check local laws on trapping before attempting it yourself, as there may be restrictions in place in some areas.

6. Try scent-based deterrents. Non-toxic repellents can drive away groundhogs from your property. Moth balls, ammonia-soaked rags, and predator urine have all been known to be effective in keeping groundhogs away.

7. Hire a Licensed Wildlife Control Company. If the infestation is too large for you to handle yourself or if the problem persists after trying all of the above tips, it may be time to call in an expert wildlife control company for groundhog removal service. Professionals have access to more powerful tools and techniques that can help get rid of groundhog infestations quickly and effectively.

These 7 tips should help you get started with controlling groundhog infestations around your home or garden. Remember to take preventative measures such as sealing potential entry points and eliminating food sources to reduce the risk of future infestations. With the right knowledge and techniques, you can keep your property groundhog-free!

Are groundhogs becoming a nuisance around your residential or commercial property in Indiana? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for DNR licensed and insured groundhog removal and control in Indianapolis, Indiana you can afford. Request a free estimate or advice, today!

How to Identify a Woodchuck in Your Backyard

Posted on February 15, 2023 by Budgetanimal

Woodchucks, more commonly known as groundhogs, are a common sight in many backyards across Tennessee. These large, squirrel-like rodents can cause damage to lawns, gardens, decking, and similar yard features if left unchecked, so it’s important to be able to identify them quickly and accurately.

In this blog post, we’ll discuss how to identify a groundhog living in your backyard and what steps you should take for effective groundhog control. We will also provide some tips on how to keep these critters away from your property in the future. With this information, you’ll be well-equipped with everything you need to know about woodchucks!

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Call 615-337-9165 For Licensed Woodchuck Removal and Control in Nashville, Tennessee.

What You Need to Know About Woodchucks

Woodchuck Classification

The groundhog, or woodchuck, is scientifically known as Marmota monax. They are a rodent from the family of Sciuridae, and they belong to the group of large ground squirrels called marmots. So yes, woodchucks are indeed a type of rodent.

Woodchuck Features

Woodchucks are easily recognizable due to their stout and heavy body, short legs, and black-tipped ears. They range from 16-20 inches in length and typically weigh between 4-15 pounds when fully grown. They’re usually brown or gray in color with white patches on their throat and chest area.

Woodchuck Damage

Another way to identify groundhogs is by the type of damage they cause. These critters love to dig burrows near properties and are notorious for damaging fences, flower beds, gardens, and even foundations! If you find any suspicious tunnels around your yard or property, it’s a sure sign that woodchucks have taken up residence there.

Woodchuck Removal and Control

For woodchuck control, the best thing to do is to remove them from your property, as woodchucks can cause a lot of damage if left unchecked. Trapping and relocation are the most effective methods for groundhog control. However, it’s important to be aware that groundhogs are protected in some states and trapping without a valid permit may result in legal consequences.

Animal Proofing

Finally, there are certain prevention measures you can take to help keep woodchucks away from your backyard. Properly maintaining fences and walls around properties can help discourage groundhogs from taking up residency on your land. Additionally, removing woodpiles or fallen trees near the perimeter of your property will make it much less attractive to groundhogs looking for shelter and food sources.

Critter Control for Groundhogs

Identifying groundhogs and understanding the steps for woodchuck control can help you keep your backyard safe from their threats. With these critter control tips in mind, you’ll be able to recognize woodchucks quickly and efficiently, as well as take the necessary steps to keep them away from your property for good!

Hopefully this blog post has helped provide useful information on groundhog identification and groundhog control methods. If you have any questions or concerns related to groundhogs in your area, contact Budget Animal Removal at 615-337-9165 for TWRA licensed and insured Nashville, Tennessee animal removal for woodchucks and more.

Common Questions About Woodchuck Control

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Budgetanimal

Whether you call them woodchucks or groundhogs, they are the same species of mammal that can wreak havoc on a home or property owner’s lot. If you have questions about nuisance groundhogs, you are in the right place. Continue below to review some frequently asked questions and answers about woodchuck control and abatement, including what you need to do if you are currently dealing with a localized population that is tampering with your property in Indianapolis.

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Woodchuck Removal and Control FAQS

Where Do Woodchucks Live in Indiana?

Woodchucks are woodland critters, and like many other species, have evolved over the years to adapt to more urban and suburban environments. Here in Indiana, you can find woodchucks just about anywhere, from the grassy edges and medians of highway exits to riverbanks, school yards, culverts, woody meadows, and of course, our own backyards and business lots. You see, groundhogs live underground in sophisticated tunnel systems that lead to their burrows. So, for the most part, you don’t even notice woodchuck populations around you, that is, until they began to tamper with your property.

Should I Be Afraid of Woodchucks on My Property?

Although woodchucks are not likely to approach humans, let alone attack them in any form or fashion, they are known to be destructive. Woodchucks are avid and fervent diggers. Because they live underground, they are incredibly gifted at burrowing deep into the soil and building elaborate den systems to rear their young. Their natural instinct to dig and burrow causes all sorts of serious problems for property owners.

Such digging can impact the integrity of your foundation and underground utility lines, as well as any other built structure on your lawn. Their burrowing can also cause other types of structural damages on your property if they choose to burrow beneath concrete slabs, driveways, patios, porches, and garages. They are known to tunnel areas of the property and cause extreme amounts of damage.

Woodchucks are also known for pillaging gardens and flower beds. Some of their favorite foods include dandelions, clovers, weeds, and a variety of grasses. However, they will eat the leaves and foliage of all sorts of other herbs, plants, vegetables, and flowers.

How Do I Remove a Woodchuck Under My Patio?

As mentioned earlier, woodchucks are known for burrowing beneath structures of a home or property, including patios, decks, and porches. If you suspect that you have woodchucks underneath your deck or porch, it is important that you take specific steps to ensure optimal safety for you and your loved ones, as well as the structural integrity of your patio. First, keep young children and pets away from the area. Next, contact in Indianapolis critter control company for safe woodchuck removal services.

Do Woodchucks Have Rabies?

Although it is possible for virtually any mammal to contract the rabies virus, rodents rarely do. Being part of the Sciuridae family and Rodentia order, woodchucks are technically a rodent species.

What Does it Mean if a Woodchuck is Walking in Circles and Seems Disoriented?

If you see a woodchuck walking in circles, seemingly disoriented, and appearing as if they’re drunk, you might immediately assume that they are rapid. However, as just mentioned, woodchucks rarely contract rabies virus. So, if you see this behavior, it could be due to the neurological effects of having a roundworm or similar parasitic infection. It may also be due to brain damage or serious injury from being hit by a car. Groundhogs often live underground within medians of highways and tall grasses on the sides of streets, so they are common roadside collateral.

How Can I Keep Woodchucks Out of My Gardens?

Woodchucks certainly enjoy an accessible garden or flower bed. The most popular and effective method for keeping woodchucks out of gardens is installing a chicken wire fence. Just be sure it’s deep enough so they cannot burrow underneath it. Homeowners and property owners have also had success with groundhog control using automated sprinkler systems around gardens.

What Should I Do If I Find a Nest of Baby Woodchucks?

Many people call in asking about baby groundhogs. Baby groundhogs, called pups, are born hairless and blind, so they are quite helpless until they reach 5 or 6 weeks of age. At this time, they are weaned from the den and begin venturing out on their own. So, during mid-summer months, it is common to spot a baby groundhog by themselves. Although they seem abandoned, they are probably just a little lost or far from their den.

If you find a nest of baby woodchucks, but you do not see the mother anywhere around, there are a few things you can do. First, do not touch the baby groundhogs. Not only do you want to avoid contracting any parasites or infectious diseases, but it is important for you to not pass along any germs to them as well. If you know where the burrow was located, try using baits like dandelions and clovers to lure them back to their burrow. If you don’t know where the den is, your best course of action is to contact an Indianapolis groundhog removal company for safe and humane relocation services.

Can I Use Poisons to Get Rid of Woodchucks?

No! Never use poisons! It is against all industry best practices and state and federal wildlife regulations to use any type of poison or fatal repellent to get rid of woodchucks. If you are dealing with nuisance groundhogs, you can make your own non-toxic animal repellent and apply it to the perimeter of your property, or in areas where woodchucks are the most active.

These repellents contain animal proofing ingredients like capsaicin oil and putrescent egg. Although non-toxic and nonfatal, these ingredients can cause nose, mouth, throat, and eye irritation. For this reason, be sure to keep treated areas blocked off from children and pets. Aside from a repellent, get rid of woodchucks by calling an Indianapolis animal removal company for licensed groundhog control services.

Are you worried about the groundhog population around your home or business? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for DNR licensed and insured woodchuck removal and control services in Indianapolis, Indiana and surrounding counties. Request a free estimate or advice, today!