Did you know that groundhogs can be a farmer’s worst nightmare? The appetite and chewing power of this “small bear” are incredible. Can you blame them, though? To prepare for winter, they must continue to eat and eat some more. Below you will know What Do Groundhogs Eat.
Aside from their fondness for food, groundhogs are powerful diggers. What do groundhogs consume, exactly?
Habits and Biology of Groundhogs
Groundhogs, often called woodchucks or ground pigs, are enormous ground squirrels that can weigh up to 6 kilogrammes. They can be found mostly throughout North America and Canada.
Groundhogs are the largest of the squirrel family and can live up to six years.
Except in the early spring, when they emerge from hibernation to look for females to mate with, groundhogs remain solitary.
Groundhogs are a pest to farmers because they consume their crops. Groundhogs have the ability to take over your land. They devour garden flowers and plants, as well as grasses and weeds in your yard. Woodchucks do not spare seedlings and consume them before they grow.
Groundhogs, surprisingly, do not consume water. They keep themselves hydrated by eating succulent (juicy) plants that have been dampened by dew or rain. Groundhogs can also swim, in case you didn’t know. They can escape predators by swimming, and their burrows keep them safe.
Did you know that female groundhogs give birth to kids who are both blind and hairless? After a month, they give birth to puppies or kits, which are their offspring.
Groundhogs’ front teeth (incisors) are constantly growing and only wear down as a result of constant use. Not to mention their razor-sharp claws. Groundhogs’ nails are kept at a reasonable length by their continual digging.
Groundhogs eat a lot in late summer and early fall in order to store up fat reserves for the winter. During the frigid winter months, they hibernate in burrows (underground tunnels) up to 6 feet deep, as they have difficulty locating plants to eat.
From October to February, groundhogs go into hibernation, which causes their breathing and heart rate to slow down. Keep in mind that they hibernate less in hotter climates than in colder climates, which means they may emerge from hibernation sooner or later depending on their location.
Groundhogs are typically herbivores, meaning they eat mostly plants.
What Are The Favorite Foods Of Groundhogs?
Here’s a summary of the foods that your cute buddies enjoy.
Groundhogs love clovers, alfalfa, maple leaves, dandelions, daisies, flowers, grass, chicken weed, and sorrel (a leafy green vegetable). A lush garden is a groundhog’s dream come true. Ferns are also a favourite food of theirs.
- Groundhogs can devour a lot of plants in the spring and summer. They are always anxious to get back to their feeding hobby when they emerge months later from their burrows after hibernation.
- To ensure they have limitless access to greens, plants, and fruits, groundhogs reside in open fields, fence rows, or tree bases.
- Soybeans, broccoli, plantains, squash, celery, corn, carrots, peas, cabbage, and lettuce are among their favourite cultivated crops.
- Grow the crops suggested above if you want a groundhog as a furry neighbour. How could you expect them to resist your garden’s fresh lettuce?
- Up, up, and away with the fruits! Groundhogs might climb trees to have cherries, blackberries, red berries, apples, mulberries, hackberries, and pears, amongst other fruits.
- Marigolds, sunflowers, snapdragons, and asters (flowers ranging from white to blue to purple) are among the plants that groundhogs will eat. No, male groundhogs aren’t going to propose to their female counterparts with these flowers; instead, they’re going to eat them.
- Shagbark, hickory, and acorns are examples of nuts (nut of oaks and contains seeds).
As plants become scarce in the fall, groundhogs eat roots, barks, leaves, and twigs of trees, however they prefer plants and vegetables.