Here's what we do to drive groundhogs away from structures (house, shed, propane tank, etc.): Dump dirty kitty litter into the hole. The groundhog leaves the area for sweeter smelling options and no critter is harmed! Try it!
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
My neighbor has a wood pile on pallets that this very large ground hog lives under. This ground hog is eating my flowers all the time. He especially likes marigolds. I need to get rid of it with out a whole lot of expense.
By Kathy P
Well you could trap the critter in a hav a heart trap and relocate him to another location. They sell them at hardware stores and the trap needed for a ground hog would cost about $50. Or maybe getting rid of the pile of pallets may also help. Of course someone will suggest mothballs that are useless.
Maybe some are, but I recently caught and relocated two using a trap. Used cantelope as bate.
sorry to disagree, but I have trapped 2 groundhogs over the years with a large animal trap (rented from animal rescue league). put a piece of cantalope in one, and 2 very ripe tomatoes in the other. just took a day for each one.
No, theyre not. The key is to know what youre doing!
After having tried things (moth balls, fox urine, product in store for these critters), the trap is the ONLY thing thats working.
I have been told repeatedly that empty a cats litter box down their burrow works very well but you have to do it to all of their openings. They don't like the smell. After they are gone fill in their holes first with gravel then dirt. I'm going to try it!!
Put cantaloupe rinds with a thin layer of fruit after you cut it into the back end of the trap. That has trapped many groundhogs for me.
Not really. We have trapped several in a large hav-a-heart trap baited with cabbage leaves and apples.
We have serious groundhog problem. I have seen solutions suggesting ammonia rags, used cat litter, etc. I am not sure if this will work with our pests, as they have burrowed into our sand mound septic system.
There are huge burrows. Help please!From your description, you have much more than a DIY groundhog problem! I suggest a pest removal company ASAP as they may have already damaged your septic system.
Try using Juicy fruit gum. You chew it just until soft. Poke a hole in their run or hole and drop in. They are lured by the scent.They eat it and can't digest the gum so it kills them.
I'm pretty sure the gum thing is an old wives' tale. Humans can't digest gum either, but it just passes through our systems undigested.
How cruel...Juicy fruit gum? I have woodchucks and I would never allow them to suffer that way> Very inhumane...
I actually have used the juicy fruit method. They could "digest it"... but they actually die bc they choke on it first. Not exactly humane in my opinion- but it was a last resort.
Will throwing mothballs down the hole chase them out?
By Herb from Highspire, PA
Some people put a lot of faith in mothballs. I don't. The critters either move them or just go around them. I think I would buy a have-a-heart trap. When you have them in the trap take them for a ride about 10 miles and release them.
Put a T-post in the ground tie on a string and something that will bang against the post when the wind blows, like a tin can or pop can- moles and shrews don't like vibrations.
I found that out from an elderly man at a nursing home who used to farm ground all over Bee, Nebraska he was a very successful farmer. he said that when he was a kid his dad gave him a penny for each mole hole he could rid the mole from. Back in the olden days a penny could buy a 3 pieces of candy!
Just caught the two under my shed two at once I took lettuce made a small trail into cage making sure to put a huge piece on the part that closes the cage put it out at 11am had them caught by 1 the eat around those hours we took them left them go miles away from my house and anyone else's good luck just remember they sleep at night up all day
Just caught the two under my shed two at once I took lettuce made a small trail into cage making sure to put a huge piece on the part that closes the cage put it out at 11am had them caught by 1 the eat around those hours we took them left them go miles away from my house and anyone else's good luck just remember they sleep at night up all day
Will putting mothballs under the ramp and deck chase them out
Groundhogs will not relocate they will die you might as well just kill him
How do I deter a pair of groundhogs that are living under my shed? I don't want to trap and release them, nor do I want anyone to kill them. Is there anything I can throw down into their hole to make them relocate?
By Kim McGrantham from NJ
You're going to think this is crazy but, go to a store like Big R, Rural king, etc. that sells hunting supplies. Buy a bottle of fox urine. Take it home a put on some cotton balls and place inside a knee hi pantyhose or something like that. I suppose a pillow case or even on an old rag would work. Put whatever you put the fox urine on in the hole or around where the groundhog are.
Moth balls do it every time, and they don't hurt the animal that you are trying to rid yourself of, they just get going elsewhere
Chile
We have used this method and it works, hope you have a cat or know someone that does! After locating their holes, they may have 3 holes,dump a box of used kitty litter in the hole and cover with something heavy like a patio block. The critters will move on to better digs.
unfortunately killing them is the only solution. A hound dog or border collie or lab should be able to kill them for you or shoot them. There is no other solution to get rid of them which is sad because they are cute and furry and just trying to eat.
How would I get rid of a groundhog that lives in my basement?
By Trina N
Go to your local barber or hairdresser and ask them for the clippings from when they do hair cuts. Spread this around in your basement and the critter should leave immediately going out the same way it came in. We use this method around our storage building from time to time and we no longer have any groundhogs living under it. Hope this helps.
Mouse or rat poison, perhaps?
How can I get rid of ground hogs? I have a family of 4 under my shed.
By Denise
I haven't actually tried this, but I've heard that some wild critters will move away if you play loud obnoxious music near them. Of course it may also be hard on you and your neighbors, and unless there is a way to block up entrances, they may return.
I am looking for a home remedy to get rid of groundhogs. They ate all my parsley and lettuce. I've tried the things that they sell at the store; it didn't work. I hope someone can help me. Thank you.
By Rocco
Okay, as a vetern of many groundhog invasions I can offer some advice. However, I am sorry to say that the best way to stop a gourndhog is to remopve it from your property, either humanely or not. These animals do not share or stop feeding.
That said, here are some tips that work for awhile at least;
1. Fence the garden, dig down about a foot to bury the fence to discourage the citter. You may also consider electric fence, a string about 2 inches above the ground gives a shock to the nose that won't wound, but still trains them to stay away.
2. Black pepper, ground up and sprinkled liberally. The smell can make some animals sneeze which they dislike. Red pepper flakes work for more persistent animals, but this must be reapplied after rain.
3. Have your dog or a friend's dog wander round the garden at least once a week. The smell of a predator will often discourage the groundhog.
These are techniques that I've used successfully in the past, sadly though some groundhogs will go to great lengths to eat your garden.
Good Luck!
I've dealt with groundhogs/woodchucks for years, and the only thing that worked for me was to remove them from the property like the previous poster stated, then I made sure where they were living was covered with chicken wire, so no new ones could move back in.
They usually eat within a short distance of where they are living, so I'd suggest figuring out where that is, then set up a live trap in front of the hole they have dug. Generally they are living under a shed, garage, porch, deck, something like that where they can dig under it pretty easily.
Once you are sure that you've caught them all, staple chicken wire to the base of each outbuilding on your property, lift the sod in front of it, about a foot, then lay the chicken wire under the sod. This will prevent them from digging close to the building.
I have never found peppers or repellants to work, and you have to be careful what you use around food crops.
Fencing your garden would work, if you can prevent them from digging under the fence. Good luck!
How do I keep groundhogs from eating my sunflowers?
Sandy from Bluff City, TN
I have often heard to throw moth ball al over the lawn it will keep all rodents away
We have pocket gophers where I live. I'm not sure if this will work for groundhogs because they tend to come outside more. Are they eating the roots or the stems? But I bought this thing called a mole chaser. It's like a metal windmind looking thing. You put it on a metal hollow pole in the ground. It vibrates the ground and the underground critters don't like it. I have a big garden and one mole chaser right in the center works to keep those pocket gophers at bay. FYI- The sonic sound things don't work.
I would like to know how to keep woodchucks out of my garden.
By Rose
I have used, with success, the battery operated ultrasonic vibrating repeal ants. They run them off.
How do I get rid of woodchucks in my yard?
By MaryArmstrong from Charlotte, MI
You can use a trap to catch them alive:
gardening.yardener.com/
You can use gas cartridges to kill them.
You can fence an area to keep them out of a garden or other area, but you can only use certain types of fence at least a certain height and buried a certain depth in the ground.
I have a fenced-in garden, but still the woodchucks are finding their way into my garden by climbing over the fence. Does anyone have any suggestions for keeping these animals away from my vegetables? I would hate to give up gardening because of these critters.
By Emily R.
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