Groundhog Poop: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know

Groundhogs, also known as woodchucks, are fascinating animals that inhabit North America. They are large rodents and can be up to 26 inches long, with a tail of between three and 7.5 inches. They are particularly known for their burrowing behavior, with burrows being used for sleeping, mating, hibernating, and raising young. However, these burrows can pose a threat to structures as they can compromise the foundations. So, if you suspect you have a groundhog in your garden, then you might be wondering if you can identify them by their poop. There’s actually quite a lot to learn about groundhog poop, so let’s get started!

What Do Groundhogs Do to Their Poop?

Groundhogs leave their trail of destruction and disruption in any garden they invade. However, there is one thing they hardly leave behind and that is their poop. But why can’t you find their scat around?

This point is perhaps the most interesting fact you would want to know about these giant rodents. Groundhogs dispose of their metabolic waste in underground tunnels. That is a sophisticated way for an animal to dispose of waste. Many people formerly believed that groundhogs buried their droppings after excreting. However, studies showed that these mighty rodents have particular locations underground where they go to excrete. 

The amazing part is that the groundhogs dig these tunnels themselves. Also, it is not just an underground ditch for poop. It is usually a long tunnel with many compartments to escape dangers. This attribute shows that groundhogs, for all their troubles and destructive characters, are clean animals. 

So, don’t be fooled into thinking that there are no groundhogs in your garden, just because you haven’t found any of their poop!

What Does Groundhog Poop Look Like?

Groundhogs are rodents, and one of the many things they have in common is the shape and size of their scat. Like many other rodents, these animals’ digestive waste is dry, small, and oval-shaped. A significant variation exists in color: groundhog poop is dark brown, while other rodents like squirrels can also have dark poop. 

Interestingly, the other common species of rodents found mainly in a domestic environment is the rat. Rat excreta is similar to that of groundhogs, but you will never find rat droppings in an underground tunnel. Also, rats walk as they poop, so it is common to find the poop scattered all around the garden, unlike groundhogs. 

Is Groundhog Poop Harmful?

Groundhogs are wild animals that come in contact with many insects and infections. Many tend to ask the question: Are groundhogs dangerous? However, another question that is worth asking is whether their waste is harmful. Their poop also poses a few health risks to humans. However, this risk is reduced because groundhogs bury their poop. 

One noteworthy point about groundhog poop is that if you do find groundhog poop in the open, then in rare cases, the groundhog might be infected with rabies. Rabies is an infection that affects groundhogs and their metabolic behavior. If they are infected with rabies, they become erratic, and as a result, they tend to dispose of their metabolic waste anywhere and everywhere. However, rabies is transmitted by a bite or the saliva of an infected animal, so the disease cannot travel through contact with excrement. 

The actual threat from groundhog poop is a disease known as tularemia. It is a disease that affects the skin, lungs, eyes, and other significant parts of the body. This disease can lead to coughing, difficulty in breathing, and chest discomfort. In severe cases, it leads to skin ulcers. This disease is infectious but not contagious, meaning that while it can travel from groundhog waste to humans, it cannot travel from one human to another.

So, if you come across groundhog poop then it’s best not to handle it. Instead, wear gloves and use a rake or shovel and remove it from your garden by disposing of it in a sealed trash bag.

Uses of Groundhog Poop

Most animal poops are waste products that serve no purpose, although a few animals excrete metabolic waste with economic value, such as fertilizer. However, groundhogs fall in an entirely different category. 

Amazingly, groundhog poop can attract and catch another groundhog. Some trappers report that groundhog poop can attract other groundhogs, but most experts recommend using fruits, vegetables, or commercial lures as bait. The underground lifestyle of the groundhog makes it a difficult animal to find or catch. So, it is best to lure them out and catch them in the open. Like some other curious animals, groundhogs like to smell poop. In fact, groundhogs like to smell the waste of their species.

Once you acquire the poop, drop it in the garden and set up a trap to catch the animal. Interestingly, you might need to catch the first woodchuck to acquire the excreta if you can’t find it in your garden. So basically, you need a groundhog to acquire groundhog poop. You also need groundhog poop to catch a groundhog.