A Pet Groundhog

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

Last spring, a friend of mine shot a pesky groundhog. (He has horses, and feared that one might break his leg in a groundhog hole.) When going to retrieve the body, he looked into the hole, and saw a baby groundhog. The idea of the poor little thing starving to death without its mother was too much for him, so he took the little groundhog in, and fed it with a bottle, intending to release it in a nature reserve as soon as it was old enough.

However, the whole family fell in love with “Grubby.” My friend bought her a large cage, with a snug box, so Grubby could hide and feel safe when the mood took her. Grubby is litterbox trained, and now has the run of the house, sometimes with amusing results. She decided to build a new nest by tearing out the netting below a box spring mattress, and stuffed it full of newspaper, before climbing up inside. Grubby is very spoiled. She dines royally on fresh vegetables, and nuts. (She only likes cashews, and will distain any other offering. She also has a yen for a certain brand of Fig Newtons, and will refuse the generics.) She has a large collection of dog chew toys, but preferrs to munch on pieces of wood. Her favorite toy is a small stuffed pig, which she carries around with her wherever she goes.

She is extremely affectionate, much like a combination of a cat and a puppy. Until I met her, I was unaware that groundhogs vocalize, nor that they were social creatures. She has also learned a few commands, and is obedient when told “No!”

Releasing her into the wild is now out of the question. She could never survive, having been so pampered all of her life. She seems very content with her human family, and is definately safe and well cared for. She even has a kiddie pool filled with dirt in case she feels like digging.

She’s now in hibernation mode, emerging only occasionally from her “den”

My friend is uncertain of the legality of his pet. Although Grubby is apparently very healthy, he would like to be able to take her to the vet for checkups, but is unsure if he’d get in any trouble, or if Grubby would be taken away. I’ve tried searching the Revised Code, and various internet sites, but as of yet, have been unable to find out if keeping a pet groundhog is illegal.

I was able to find a few tips on the 'Net on caring for a pet groundhog, but nothing really substantial. (The sites said to treat it as you would a cat.)

Did anyone you ever know have a pet groundhog? Any special care tips that I could pass on?

2

Whatever you find out, we CAN NOT let my daughter hear of this, or I most certainly will be badgered until we get one too.

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Nor my wife…

4

I will be happy to take the groundhog off your hands.

5

Heck, I’d take the thing myself if my friend didn’t want her any more. She’s so cute, and so spoiled. It’s absolutely comical. I offered to bring over a can of nuts that was getting a little old, but my friend declined, saying that Grubby didn’t like Planters. I could see his point about Grubby being utterly helpless if put back into her natural surroundings: she would starve to death because she didn’t like the kind of seeds that were available.

The first time she climbed up, and wrapped herself around my shoulders like a cat and nibbled on my ear, it was a bit disconcerting, but she’s very gentle. Her sounds are adorable, sort of a squeaky “Ehh, ehh.”

6

I don’t know where you are located but here in Mass they are definitely illegal as pets, as are all wild animals. The best thing to do would be to get in touch with your local fish and game dept. and ask anonymously about the legalities, or perhaps better still a local wildlife sanctuary. They may be sympathetic and willing to certify that the animal is not releasable and release it to your care. Or just keep quiet about it and hope they don’t find out, not what I would recommend. They are fascinating animals. We have 2 families of them in our yard and love watching them. I have several stories and could go on for pages about them.