Groundhog

[pstop]

This lady I work with has thes groundhogs in her yard that are messing up her garden. Last week she was talking about shooting them with her 22. Everybody was like "don't shoot them they're so cute." So she trapped 4 of them over the past couple days and is asking who wants them. She says if nobody wants them she is just going to shoot them, and nobody actually wants to take one. . Would I be able to make a pet out of one of these, or should I just let her shoot them? Perhaps if one of them is quite young, would it be more of a possibility? Maybe I could just handle it with thick gloves until it feels comfortable with me. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks

[Logan]

Wouldn't it be better to relocate them to an unpopulated area? Trapping and relocating is quite common with wildlife that invades a residential area (on the other hand it is probably the residential area that has invaded the wildlife's domain). But I think they would be much better off, in the wild, than taken in as a pet. Some wildlife is not meant to be kept captive.

I hope she will consider doing that, rather than shooting them! How horrible!!!

[jennifert]

Why don't you just take them and release them somewhere else in the country perhaps....? You are in Pennsylvania? I live in New York State and until last year, it was illegal to shoot groundhogs. This woman may be breaking the laws by trapping them and shooting them. She may want to take a look at that before she does anything further....

[pstop]

Good idea. I think I'll just take them and release them somewhere else so that they don't get shot. Perhaps I would do it in my area. I wouldn't mind seeing these guys now and then, but I wouldn't want to irritate any neighbors. Would it be best to just take them to some unpopulated area?

[Logan]

Good for you!!! Definitely best to do that. You just want to make sure it is the correct kind of place where they can survive. I have no idea what that is!

By the way, Pstop, welcome to Pet Talk! I got so interested in answering your question, I never properly welcomed you.

Let us know how it goes.

Logan

[Karen]

They would NOT make good pets, and it may be illegal anyway, so I would do what you are thinking - go to some unpopulated area and release them.

It's good that she got talked out of shooting them anyway!

[pstop]

been a while since I posted last. Anyway, after talking to her about it and telling her my plans she said that she would take them out somewhere herself and let them go.

[Heather Wallace]

Whats a groundhog, we don't have them in the UK.

[jennifert]

I'm sure that you probably do Heather. At least I would think so... But they may be called something different. Like woodchucks...? They're rodents but they're large, bigger than a cat. They live in holes in the ground and eat grass and stuff. Big brown things, like beavers without the big teeth or tails....
Do you have beavers there? I'll go find a picture to post!

same question as HEATHER / WHAT IS A GROUNDHOG ?? similar to a hedgehog ??

[jennifert]

Here is a pic:

Could they be called marmots over there?

[Heather Wallace]

Thanks for the pic Jenifert, the only thing we have here like that is a beaver.

[pstop]

Yeah they can be called marmot or woodchuck too. The scientific name is marmota something and they are also related to the prarie dog another marmota species.