How can my grandmother get rid of groundhogs in her yard?

Question

OK, My grandmother's neighbors brought home these groundhogs for "pets" and they could not keep them in their yard, so they released them into her property and they eating her plants and causing trouble. She is trying to capture them in traps and they are multiplying because there is a mother and other babies, anything she can do to get those pests outta there?!

Answer 1

Good grief, what a nightmare!  And what neighbors!  Groundhogs are not pets, they are rodents, and are basically country rats.  They can be bold and can destroy your garden.  I know this from unhappy experience.  If you can find their holes, you can drop smokebombs in them (from Ace Hardware or wherever), and you can trap them in the Havahart cages also.  They like broccoli, so you can bait the traps with that.  They multiply better than rabbits.  They also have fearfully long sharp teeth and claws, so although they will run when they see you, don't try to get into a tussle with them.  If you get them in the cage, you can either transport them to another zipcode where there aren't any houses to bother, or depending on your sensibilities, you can euthanize them with an air rifle or something similar.   They are on the "least endangered" species list because of their ability to reproduce like crazy, and I guess eat up everyone's garden like crazy.  Those neighbors were really irresponsible.

Answer 2

This may not help but my uncle uses a pellet gun?

Answer 3

I don't have any trouble trapping them.  I try to set the trap on the trail they use to come out of the den.   Bait it with an apple or cucumber.   There should be a plan to release them soon or to give them to some one who will eat it.  A lot of country people do.

I have to ask about these neighbors...  Do they know that in most states it is illegal to "own" native wildlife.   What her neighbors did is a crime.

Answer 4

why don't you call animal control. they should take care of the problem. that is there job. unless ya'll are trying to save money because everything is going up high.

Answer 5

You can shoot em, smoke bomb em or trap em.

Make sure what the laws are in your local area.  Call your local police station and they can direct you to proper authority in the area.  It may be your state government!

It may be illegal to have ground hogs as pets in your area!  If it is, the police may prefer criminal charges and or your grandma may be able to take the neighbors to court and gain civil damages for her garden and for getting rid of the critters!  Hope the neighbors have some money!  It is one thing to have them show up, another entirely to bring em home for pets!

If you smoke bomb em, you gotta find a hole, light a smoke bomb, toss it in the hole and cover the hole with some dirt from the top.  If they have a tunnel to a second hole, the smoke will come out the second hole.  Then you repeat the procedure for the second hole and if they are in there, you got em.

Traps need to be set near their holes, covered with a tarp preferably.. to get them comfortable and keep them out of the elements while they await transport, baited with food they like.  I have done carrots and lettuce.  They ate both of those.  You have to bait more cleverly than they are.  Bait must be hooked or tied to the spring operated trip step that drops the door to keep them inside.  I used some bailing wire inserted into the vegetable and hooked to the trip step.

You must check your trap every day.  You don't want the animal to starve and die in there.

When you catch one, you take it to a wildlife refuge for release.  You need to make something that keeps you separated from the animal when you go to release him.  I made a temporary mid gate using an old grill grate, cutting a long support bar out (used a drill and cutting wheel) and separating the tongs that ran across to that bar, so that the grate could be inserted between the square patterns in the top of the trap.  Then I ran rods across horizantally to lock the grill grate so it could not be pushed out by the animal.

When I arrived at the wildlife refuge, I set the trap on the ground, inserted my homemade grate gate and inserted the rods. The animal was contained at the far side of the trap.  I then opened the trap door locking it open so the groundhog could get out after I removed the temporary grate.  Then I pulled up the grate and the animal scamperred off, happy go lucky....and I mean scamperred!  I was not in his way!  lol

I was nervous, but in control the whole time.   Great for him and me!  Then I drove home and cleaned up his mess, his manure from while he was trapped, washing the trap with a brush and bacon soda and the area where he had been!  I then reset the trap, ready for another!

Groundhogs can have litters of up to 9 pups!

Good luck.....and be careful!

PS  Trappers around here charge $50 to set the trap, $15 per day to check it, and $35 to haul the animal away.  Would have cost $200 for me to get the latest beast!  lol  Not hard to do it yourself.   I used a Havahart 1045 trap to get him!   You gotta be smarter than the ground hog!  lol

Answer 6

She should call someone who can get rid of them.  Groundhogs are very mean especially when they have babies around.  They're not something she wants to mess with.  Call a pest control person or animal control.

Answer 7

Pine oil bought from the supermarket or dollar stores works wonders. spray this around places where they are and they will flee..to the *next* neigbors yard to get away from the smell!