How to Keep Groundhogs Away from Your Property

Groundhogs (AKA woodchucks) are perhaps one of the hardest Portland rodents to keep away from your property. There are plenty of theories that are often suggest but you want one that works. There are some mixtures of products that will temporarily work at keeping them away, but they may or may not work.

Fencing is always a good idea, but if you do your entire Portland property that takes a great deal of energy as well as a great deal of money. Steel mesh must go at least 8 feet into the ground and 5 feet high.

There are also traps that will trap them one at time; if there are baby Oregon groundhogs these can take a long time due to the sheer numbers of Mothers.

Eggs are said to keep away groundhogs in your Portland garden. It is suppose to work by cracking open an egg over each burrow. Once cracking the eggs fill the burrow with dirt. Repeat this process until all burrows are covered. It is said that this will turn the groundhogs away. This is a temporary fix lasting 2 weeks however; the groundhogs should have found another place to live.

Castor oil is another remedy. There are 2 ways of using castor oil, and it works much like the eggs. Again the groundhog is repelled by the castor oil. Put it into a spray bottle saturate the burrow and cover with dirt. This is very much a temporary fix and you will have to do this about every 2 weeks. This can be a very expensive way of keeping Oregon groundhogs away for a short period of time.

Pepper is another form of repellent that may or may not be an old wives tail. Using Cayenne, red pepper or chili pepper sprinkle over the burrow. To hide the peppers throw some dirt over the pepper. For the treatment of the entire lawn add 2 tablespoons of water to the peppers and spray using a spray bottle.

Traps are yet another method, but before deciding on a trap you must decide lethal or non-lethal. If non-lethal what do you do with the caught Oregon groundhogs? If lethal is it legal where you are and what happens to the carcass.

Ridding your Portland property of groundhogs is a daunting task. Perhaps the best way to accomplish this is through a proven, experienced professional.

To learn more about our services, visit the Portland wildlife removal home page.