Yes, yes, we know, you plan to destroy all the cute little monsters that are ruining your plants and property. But just take a moment and appreciate how pretty they look with that small ears and long tail, isn’t it?
And if suddenly you get your hands on a baby groundhog, what are you going to do? How to tell how old a baby groundhog is and how can to save it? Human beings have this human heart, you know! Saving lives are all we know!
If you just saw a groundhog on your properly or you feel the groundhogs are damaging the property, don’t blame the infant groundhogs. They are innocent! If a groundhog is ruining your plants and you want to throw him out, have a look at how to get rid of groundhogs with ammonia!
But at times, you just want to look at a groundhog and adore its cuteness! If you plan to get a hold of the infant groundhog, most likely you can’t find one! It’s because, after the birth of a groundhog, at least six weeks, the infants stay inside their den with their mother.
In this period, the mother groundhog teaches the infant how to build dens. Because soon, they will be getting out of their mother’s den and creating their burrow! In easier terms, you don’t get to see infant groundhogs destroying your veggies! The ones you see are not infants.
Identifying Infant Groundhogs
A groundhog is an infant till it is 3 months and can get out of the den. Let’s check out how you can identify an infant groundhog in easier steps. There are three ways you can understand how old it is.
* Size and Weight of the Groundhog
However, if you ever come across one, check out the length of the infant. If it is less than 10 inches, it’s an infant. They are very small when they are born. Any groundhog that is less than 10 inches is not yet a grown-up and requires intensive care as their body is usually fragile in this period.
The size of the groundhog will be no more than the size of a matchbox if it is a newborn. You can also weigh the baby to check if it is an infant or not.
If the weight of the woodchuck is 25-30 grams, this is an infant. However, some grown-up groundhogs can weigh less. But if it is less than 30 grams, it is surely an infant groundhog.
* Eyes of the Groundhogs
Also, when babies are born, they are blind! Right after you have found a woodchuck, have a look at the eyes of the groundhogs. They are usually closed when they are born. After checking out the eyes, if you see that the eyes are closed, you have to understand that the groundhog is an infant.
The infant groundhogs are blind. If you see a groundhog blind or with closed eyes, be sure that the cutie is less than twenty-eight years old. After this period, they open their eyes and they can see.
* Hair of the Groundhogs
Another way to understand that a groundhog is an infant is to check out his hair. As much weird it sounds, groundhogs are hairless. They start growing hair after they are born. A newborn groundhog will be pink in color. Their body will be completely hairless. And then, slowly, they start growing
Have you ever noticed when do groundhogs have babies? Yes, in the early spring so that they can take care of the little rodents throughout the summer! Slowly, they start growing up and become kids and then adults.
The groundhogs that are more than six weeks and less than two years or close are the kid groundhogs. Well, they are almost grown-up but to us, all groundhogs are kids, you can’t deny it! When groundhogs have old three to six years of lifespan, they require two years to fully grow up.
When the infant groundhogs start growing up, they stay with their mothers first. They do not get out of their mother’s den until they are six weeks old. Until this period, their mothers feed them. And then, they start getting out of the burrows in search of food following their mothers.
Identifying Kid Groundhogs
The kid groundhogs are from 3 months to 2 years. Check the below-mentioned traits to understand if the groundhog you found is a kid or not!
* Weight of the Kid Groundhogs
The average weight of the kid groundhogs is the same. But the female groundhogs are slightly lighter. They can be 30 grams to 2.8 kg in weight. If you find a male kid groundhog, check the weight of the rodent.
The males are usually a bit larger than the kids. The weight of the male groundhogs can be 32 grams to 3 kg or close to it. There are so many other differences in male vs. female groundhogs, trust us!
Note: However, in the autumn, after the hibernation period, they will lose some weight. As a result, they can be slightly less than the weight we have mentioned above.
* Size of the Kid Groundhogs
If you check out the size of the groundhogs, if any of these rodents is larger than 10-12 inches are kids if not adults. The size of an adult groundhog can be about 41 inches to 68 inches. So, if you find a groundhog that is about 15 to 35/38 inches, you must understand that the groundhog is a kid.
What to do if you find a Baby Groundhog?
During the delivery of the mother groundhogs, they deliver 4-6 newborns together. You already got the answer to how many babies does a groundhog has. But are they good mothers? Yes, they are good mothers and keep their children close to them until they are mature and can create their dens.
So, they smell any trouble and need to shift their babies, how do they do it? Do groundhogs carry their babies in their mouths just like other animals or rodents? Yes, they carry their child in their mouth if necessary.
But here’s the fact, no matter how caring they are, if they lose one kid, they are not going to search for it! Yes, they abandon their children if necessary or if there’s an attack. And if you find an abandoned baby, you can take the responsibility!
- When they are abandoned, they get dehydrated very quickly. And so, rehydrating them is necessary. Puppy milk is the substitute for their food. Also, goat, cow, or human milk can be used for keeping him alive.
- While dealing with these kids, use leather gloves. Make sure the groundhog doesn’t sneeze. Or else, rub the back. However, taking care of an abandoned groundhog requires a lot more details. Let’s talk about it another day!
No matter how much you want to throw the baby groundhogs out of your territory and save your property, you cannot stop yourself from loving them! Yes, they are appealing creatures but don’t forget that they can harm your property and infect you with diseases! Before you research these little kids, make sure you go through all the safety protocols.