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Groundhog and moles are two different wildlife nuisance pests. They have many differences; however, many similarities. Groundhogs can grow to be the same size as a medium sized dog, but moles are small mammals that is the size of a small sized dog. Both of these animals are known for digging underground; therefore, they both can cause a lot of damage in a residential landscape and around farms.
Groundhogs also known as woodchucks are large rodents in the northern part of the U.S. They are known for digging large tunnels to hibernate, live, bring up their offspring, and hide from predators. The tunnels these animals dig can be up to 5ft underneath the top of the ground and 45ft wide, up to 5 different tunnels. These nuisance pests don't mind digging under fences, sheds or even the foundation of your home. Here are some tips on keeping groundhogs away from your yard.
Groundhogs like to make tunnels (burrows) underneath the surface to live in. They use the burrows for sleeping, taking care of their young, and hibernating. The burrows usually have two to five entrances giving groundhogs means to escape from predators. They can be found up to 46ft on tunnels buried up to 5ft underground. Groundhogs are one of the few animals that has a true hibernation, so they build a separate burrow for this purpose. There could be a possibility that other animals could reside in the same den as well.
Groundhogs are also known to dig under things like a fence, shed, a deck, or even the foundation of a home. The damage these pests can do can be a considerate amount to the property: therefore, will turn into a lot of money to get the damage fixed. There could be times that the burrows collapse and if that burrow is under the foundation of a home, then the foundation can crack.
Moles are little mammals with long bodies, velvet fur, and short limbs with large and powerful paws. Those paws are for digging and more digging. They have 4 fingers with 2 thumbs and can breathe underground for an extended length of time. They have a high tolerance for carbon-monoxide than any other mammal so they can reuse oxygen in areas with less oxygen.
These nuisance animals can cause a lot of damage to farm lands and residential properties. Moles can dig up to 18ft in one hour. The tunnel (network system) dug by the mole is only known to that exact mole living in it. The system are tunnels 5cm in width, 4cm in height and over 70m in length. On farms, they can contaminate animal feed so livestock will be malnourished. Think about it, it's a chain reaction starting with the livestock spiraling down to the grocery stores and buyers. While moles dig, they can also expose stones in the dirt that could be run over by the expensive machinery used on farms. Moles can damage young plants by disturbing the soil which hurts the rooting system and also damage drainage systems that is applied throughout the farm's vegetation.
Moles can also cause damage to individual properties. They can ruin any flower garden by disturbing the soil and rooting system. They also kill plant roots as to flower beds which kills off the plants. These damages are visual so it's easy to suspect a mole has made a home in your yard. The lawn will eventually turn brown showing the exact tunnel shapes and the tunnels dug can collapse after a heavy rain which will leave your lawn looking like a puzzle instead of beautiful gardens that you put lots of time in to create.
If you have seen evidence of a groundhog or mole living within your yard, give Elite Wildlife Removal a call at 804-867-7184. Our friendly technicians will be more than happy to work with you regarding any of your wildlife pest needs.