We have a new resident!

[catnapper]

I noticed a new furry critter moved in under the shed. A groundhog! He's a big one too.

I started a quick internet search to see how we can accomodate the little guy. Imagine my shock when there was page after page of how to get rid of them!!!!

Here I was..... looking for things to make his stay here as pleasant as possible, and everybody else considers them pests.

Anybody ever have a groundhog?

PS: my yard has no garden, nor do I intend to plant one. He can eat all the grass and weeds he wants.

[sasvermont]

Well, my experience with groundhogs was less than pleasant. They dug under the house we lived in and eventually caused damage to the house itself. We trapped them and took them miles away and released them.

I see them around where I live now, but I am way out in the country with lots of out buildings etc. for them to live under. I don't know if they eat veggies from gardens, but I suspect they do.

Good luck. What are you going to name it?

[Karen]

Just make sure Callie doesn't find him and regard him as prey, and that's about it! They are pretty sturdy guys, don't worry!

[pomtzu]

I wouldn't roll out the welcome mat for him - you might regret it. They will chew thru just about anything if they can get to it - like insulation under your house, telephone, cable or electric lines - just to name a few. We had problems with chipmunks some years ago - got under the house and chewed thru the flex line for the air conditioning. They're cute - but destructive!

[Karen]

And I wanted to add, if "he's" huge - maybe he's a pregnant mama, you never know! They all do kinda waddle anyway ...

[catnapper]

We have a happy little family of chipmunks too. They live under the back step.

I have a cement basement and all our wires are off the ground, so no fear of him/her damaging them.

We had a ground hog a couple years ago. Allen tried to chase it down ..... you should have seen waddling cat following waddling hog. I have no idea what happened to ground hog #1. It just stopped living in our yard.

[Freedom]

They will dig holes in the ground, all over your yard.

I think they are CUTE!

When I lived in Maine, most folks would go out and shoot them to get rid of them.