How do I keep groundhogs from digging under my deck?

The best way to prevent a groundhog from burrowing under a structure on your property is to exclude it with a steel mesh fence. It should go all the way around the perimeter of the shed or deck and go at least 18 inches underground. The bottom should curve outward to prevent a groundhog from digging underneath it.

What deters groundhogs from digging?

Epsom Salts. Epsom salts sprinkled near or around the burrow entrances or exits will keep the groundhog away. If your plants are being eaten, try placing a tin pie plate filled with the salts near the plants. Replace after a rain.

What smells will keep groundhogs away?

Groundhogs have a keen sense of smell that helps them stay safe from predators. Since groundhogs have a strong sense of smell, you can use predator urine, putrescent eggs, garlic, black pepper, onion, mustard, hot sauce, geranium oil, and garlic oil to repel them from your property.

How do you get rid of a groundhog digging?

Sprinkle blood meal, ground black pepper, dried blood, or talcum powder around the perimeter of your garden. You can try using hair clippings as well. Puree and strain hot peppers and garlic, mix them with water and enough liquid soap to make it stick, and spray it liberally around the garden.

How do you get a groundhog to leave?

Ammonia: A rag soaked with ammonia placed near the entrance of a groundhog's hole acts as a giant “Keep Away” sign. Other strong scents groundhogs don't like include talcum powder and garlic.

Groundhogs digging under my shed - Tips for getting rid of pesky groundhogs

Will vinegar deter groundhogs?

Mix ammonia with washing detergent, vinegar, hot pepper and soap and pour the mixture down each hole. This may have to be repeated for a few days until the groundhogs go away.

Does Irish Spring repel groundhogs?

Does Irish Spring Soap Keep Groundhogs Away? Irish Spring soap is a great groundhog repellent. It is recommended that you keep the soap in the packaging but drill holes in it so the rain and other elements don't wash away the soap so easily.

Does Epsom salt repel groundhogs?

Epsom salts can be sprinkled around the perimeter of gardens to repel groundhogs. You can also sprinkle the salts near the burrow. 3 Ammonia-soaked rags strewn along the garden perimeter form a stinky barrier, but rain washes away both these smells, necessitating reapplication.

How do you plug in a groundhog hole?

Immediately seal the burrow by placing the piece of precut sod, grass side down over the opening, and tramping it down slightly to make a tight seal. Wait three to four minutes and watch nearby holes. Seal them if smoke is escaping. Repeat steps 1 through 4 until all groundhog burrows are closed.

Do Sonic Spikes work on groundhogs?

Yes, Thanos sonic groundhog repellent works on all groundhogs without any discrimination. It is one of the best and non-toxic instruments to get rid of these unwanted creatures.

How many groundhogs live in a burrow?

Male groundhogs and female groundhogs don't live together. They live alone separately in each of their burrows. Whenever a young groundhog has grown mature, it digs a burrow for itself. Only during mating do two adult groundhogs live together in a burrow.

What is good bait for groundhogs?

Place your trap near the burrow or area that the groundhog frequently visits. Then bait the trap, many people have had great success using sunflower seeds, peanut butter and corn, however cantaloupe is often the preferred bait.

Can I fill in a groundhog hole?

One option for filling groundhog holes or tunnel openings is a product called tunnel fill. This product, which resembles pellets, is an absorbing material that expands to many times the original size when it's combined with water.

What time of day do groundhogs come out?

Activity: Groundhogs are diurnal (active during the day) from spring to fall. Most activity occurs during the early morning and early evening hours, at which groundhogs emerge from their burrows to gather food. Hibernation: Groundhogs are true hibernators, entering a deep sleep in October and emerging in early spring.

Can groundhogs dig through concrete?

Groundhogs are especially fond of digging under concrete slabs. Perhaps it substitutes for the large rocks they burrow under in wilder areas. Soaking rags with ammonia and shoving them deep into the hole can be a deterrent. Refill the hole.

What does ammonia do to groundhogs?

Repellents to Drive Them Away

Sudsy Ammonia or Cloudy Ammonia is commonly used to repel away the groundhogs. If you do not want to buy it from a store, you can always make the repelling solution at home. Mix two tablespoons of detergent in a quarter cup of water.

How big is a groundhog hole?

They dig burrows that can be 6 feet (1.8 meters) deep, and 20 feet (6 m) wide. These underground homes can also have two to a dozen entrances, according to the National Wildlife Federation.

Does human urine keep groundhogs away?

Groundhog can't tolerate the smell of human urine and this is why it is one of the best repellents to eliminate these rodents from the garden. Collect human urine in a bottle and sprinkle it in every few days in the entrance of their burrow, they will definitely leave the place.

What enemies do groundhogs have?

Because of their relatively large adult size and burrowing—not to mention climbing and swimming abilities—groundhogs don't have many predators aside from coyotes, foxes, domestic dogs, and, of course, humans. (However, baby groundhogs sometimes do fall prey to raptors such as hawks, owls, and eagles.)

Do marigolds keep groundhogs away?

Groundhogs do not like noxious smells. They particularilly do not like certain flowers like marigolds, snapdragons, dianthus, ageratum, nicotiana, sweet alyssum, and annual poppies. You should consider planting these types of flowers around the perimeter that you want protected.

Do smoke bombs work for groundhogs?

Smoke bombs for controlling groundhogs can be found at most farm supply stores. To use them, you will need to cover all the holes of the burrow, except the main one, with either large rocks or plugs of sod slightly larger than the hole. You then light the smoke bomb, drop it down the remaining hole and cover it up.

Do groundhogs live in groups?

In general, groundhog social groups consist of one adult male and two adult females, each with an offspring from the previous breeding season (usually female), and the current litter of infants. Interactions within a female's group are generally friendly.

Can you poison groundhogs?

There are several types of poisons on the market and they all work in various ways; with the end result death of the groundhog. Fumigation is a method under which gaseous pesticides or fumigants are used in the entire area to suffocate or poison the groundhogs within.

Do groundhogs dig tunnels?

All groundhog burrows are basically laid out in the same way. When digging a burrow, the groundhog starts digging inward for several feet, then inclines the tunnel upward for a few feet. After that, digging will proceed horizontally for 15-25 feet. This architectural design will prevent the tunnel from flooding.

How do you know if a groundhog is in the hole?

Seek out any groundhog burrows on your property - you can identify these by locating their entrances/exits. Burrows generally contain 2-5 entrance holes, each about 6-8 inches in diameter. Groundhogs often hide these holes by digging them underneath vegetation and/or loosely covering them up with leaves and sticks.