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The lowly groundhog has its own special day set aside for it every February second. On that day, the most famous groundhog of all, Punxsutawney Phil, emerges from his burrow to make his weather forecast for either an early spring or six more weeks of winter. Although some people may only think of the groundhog on this day, farmers and gardeners think about this nuisance year round. I had one that lived in a small hill behind my house. I watched her raise her young each spring and feed on the vegetation that grew nearby for three years. From time to time I would even see her in my garden hungrily devouring my squash or other garden vegetables.
Groundhogs are short with sturdy legs and paws with curved claws for digging. They are usually brownish gray in color, but can be white or black, with furry tails up to seven inches long. They can grow up to 20 inches in length and weight 10 pounds or more. The placement of their eyes, ears and nose allows them to peek out of their burrows with little exposure. Their long, strong, sharp teeth are excellent for gnawing and for defense.
Groundhogs hibernate underground after the last frost from five to five and a half months. Their body temperature adjusts to the level of the den and their breathing slows down to about one breath per every five minutes. However in February or March, the males will venture out in search of a mate. When they find one, they will enter her burrow, mate with her and then return to their hibernating state until April or May; at which time a litter of anywhere from two to six babies are born, and then the parents go their separate ways.
The young groundhogs are weaned within a month and soon venture out to start their own dens and to eat enough food to develop a reserve of fat that will see them though the long winter months. The lifespan of the groundhog is approximately four years, although some may last a couple years more.
Groundhogs dine in the early morning and evening, not venturing too far from their den opening. I watched the groundhog behind my house and she would take a few bites of vegetation, raise her head, look around, and then take a few more bite. She would do this routine repeatedly, always being alert for danger. I had once read that groundhogs will let out a sharp whistle of warning when they have sensed danger, but I never heard the groundhog behind my house ever make a sound, she would just scamper away to her den.
The groundhog is a clean animal with its burrow consisting of a chamber for sleeping and another to be used only as a bathroom. The dens are usually two to five feet deep and will have multiple exits which are dug from the inside out. The main den entrance can be identified by a mound of dirt surrounding it. Abandoned burrows are not empty for long, other groundhogs or small burrowing animals will soon move in. These burrow openings can be very dangerous to farm animals such as horses and cows as they can step in the openings and cause the animal to break it’s leg.
Although mainly feeding on grasses and clover, they will eat garden vegetables such as peas, squash, melons, and beans, just to name a few, plus they will devour alfalfa patches.
Some ways to deter groundhogs is to plant garlic, onions or other alliums near their burrows. Another way is to put hot or black pepper, blood meal or talcum powder around the burrow opening and around garden plants. You can put a fence around your garden but it would need to be made from heavy gage wire, be buried so many feet below the ground, be so many feet high and then bent over at the top to prevent the groundhog from climbing over as they are very good climbers. Traps are always an option for getting rid of groundhogs. Groundhogs do have natural predators that help with keeping their population down, such as hawks, weasels, owls, and coyotes, plus a few others.
If you have groundhogs living near you, be cautious around them as they can contract rabies easily and can submit it to humans.
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Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/530163/raccoons_in_my_garden.html
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