Eats, Sleeps, Soaks Up the Sun

You know the story. Every February 2nd, the groundhog comes out of his burrow. If he sees his shadow, we’re in for another six weeks of winter. If he doesn’t, spring will come early.

What a fairy tale! Truth is, you won’t catch a smart groundhog out of bed before spring. Read on to find out why.

A year in the life of a reluctant weather forecaster

February 2nd. Is the groundhog out looking for his shadow? Not if the weather’s still cold. Groundhogs hibernate until spring’s warm breezes begin to blow. If you happen to see a groundhog this early, he’s probably pretty skinny, which means he didn’t put on enough fat to last him through the winter. He’ll have a hard time finding a fresh, green breakfast this early in the year!

First week of March. If the weather is warm, adult males wake up and start looking for mates, who are still sleeping. When approaching a female’s den, the male wags his tail to show he is not a threat. If a male finds a mate, he will move into her burrow until time for her to give birth, then she kicks him out. Why? No one knows for sure.

Sometime in April. Males have departed, and females give birth to young, usually four or five blind, hairless babies weighing an ounce each. The mother suckles the babies until they are ready to learn how to forage (this means look for food).

Late May and early June. About 28 days after they are born, groundhog babies open their eyes, but they still won’t be able to see for another couple of days. By the time their eyes open, groundhog babies have very dark brown hair, especially on the head, back and legs.

Late spring. At six weeks old, the groundhog babies are active and eager to follow their moms out into the bright sunlight. The babies are about 10 inches long and weigh half a pound each. They’ve cut their teeth, which is important, because now the “chucklings” are ready to eat grown-up groundhog food, and that means greens! Groundhog babies will often take food from their mothers’ mouths, perhaps to make sure they’re eating the right kinds of plants. All groundhogs seem to like plants with broad leaves better than narrow-leaved grasses.

Late spring and early summer is the most fun time to watch groundhogs—if you can get close enough! The mothers are ever-watchful for danger, and it doesn’t take much noise or action to make her and her babies dash for their den.

If you can stay very still and very quiet, you may get to see a groundhog family playing together. A good set of binoculars helps with this. Groundhog moms can be very affectionate with her babies, touching their noses, rubbing cheeks with them and letting them climb all over her. It’s enough to make you go,“Aaawww!”

Eventually, though, the mother teaches her babies to watch for danger, and they start paying more attention to their surroundings. This is a good thing, because a distracted groundhog doesn’t live very long.

Summer. By now the groundhog babies are crowding their nursery dens, which are usually only about 16 inches wide, by 14 inches, by 30 inches long. Crowded conditions force Mom to go and dig new burrows. She does this close by, and when she’s done, she leads each youngster to its new home. It may want to follow Mom back, but it doesn’t. Every day, though, Mom pays her kids a visit, wagging her tail in greeting as she approaches.

By late summer, the young groundhogs have learned to feed themselves and dash for their dens when danger threatens. They are ready to leave Mom and begin the hunt for a winter home. This is a perilous time. Predators such as human hunters, coyotes, foxes, dogs and bobcats can catch them out in the open. If the young groundhogs are lucky, they will find a safe new place to dig their first burrows.

Late summer and early fall. Facing its first winter, a young groundhog’s job is to eat. And eat. And eat. In the morning and again in early evening, a young chuck will eat to pack on the fat it needs to survive the winter. The rest of the day, it will bask in the sun and snack on its favorite plants. Some of these might be the vegetables in your garden. Groundhogs are known to love peas, beans, carrots and squash, so it’s no wonder that many gardeners think of groundhogs as pests!

Fall and winter. By the time the snow flies, young groundhogs will weigh close to 10 pounds, and most of this weight will be a thick, insulating layer of fat. For their first winter, young groundhogs might pair up in the same den. During this time, their body temperatures may drop as low as 42º Fahrenheit, and their hearts will beat only four or five times a minute. They will breathe only once every four minutes. Their claws and teeth will stop growing. In this slowed-down state, they can go without food or water for nearly five months.

February 2nd. Another Groundhog Day arrives. Will you catch a smart, well-fattened groundhog out looking for its shadow? What do you think?

Name that Rodent

Listen to "Name that Rodent" and "What Good are Groundhogs, Anyway?" (992 KB)

Groundhogs are known by many names. woodchuck and whistle pig are two common ones, and baby groundhogs are often called chucklings. out west, they’re known as marmots, a term that also includes several other furbearers that aren’t groundhogs. the name woodchuck comes from a native American word, wuchak, which means “digger.” no doubt the word sounded a lot like “woodchuck” to European settlers.

What Good are Groundhogs, Anyway?

You might hear people complaining about groundhogs, calling them nuisances and pests, and it may make you wonder what on earth a groundhog is good for. If a groundhog’s neighbors could talk, they’d tell you that groundhogs are one of nature’s most effective homebuilders and habitat enhancers. In the process of digging burrows and dens, groundhogs provide housing for lots of other critters like foxes, skunks, weasels, opossums and rabbits. their digging also adds air to the soil and mixes it, keeping it rich and fertile. don’t forget—every native critter counts and plays an important role in its community.