Recognize the telltale signs that it’s time to set a groundhog trap: teeth marks on wood and plants, small piles of soil indicating a burrow entrance, and other obviously chewed objects.
Groundhogs also have sharp claws that they use to dig impressive burrows in the ground. During the warm months, a groundhog's incisors grow about a sixteenth of an inch (1.6 millimeters) each week to keep up with their frenzied eating schedule.
Groundhogs can be found only in North America, from Canada down to the southern United States. They dig burrows that can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep, and 20 feet (6 m) wide, these underground homes can also have two to a dozen entrances. Groundhogs like woodland areas that are close to open, greasy fields, typically, they have a burrow in the woods for the winter and a burrow in grassy areas for the warmer months. These rodents are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation. A groundhog's diet can include fruit, plants, tree bark, and grasses.
Groundhogs are known for damaging crops and gardens, so this is a key sign that you may have a problem. Typically groundhogs stick close to home, usually, they don't wander farther than 50 to 150 feet from their den during the daytime. Groundhogs are solitary creatures and they spend their summers and falls stuffing themselves and taking naps in the sun. They can eat about a pound of food per sitting and in the winter, they hibernate. While hibernating, groundhogs don't eat instead they use the fat they built up over the summer and winter months for energy. During hibernation, a groundhog's heartbeat slows from 80 beats per minute to 5 beats per minute; their respiration reduces from 16 breaths per minute to as few as 2 breaths per minute; and their body temperature drops from about 99 degrees F to as low as 37 degrees F (2.77 C), according to the National Wildlife Federation.
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