Woodchuck Size – Humane Wildlife Removal

How Big Do Woodchucks Get?

Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, are rodents that can make their way into your garden and home if the conditions are right. How big do they get, and what should you look out for? Here’s what you need to know.

Identifying a Woodchuck

Firstly, you need to know if it’s a woodchuck you’re dealing with. These rodents reach around 19 inches long, including their tails, when they reach maturity. The tail is usually around half of its length. Their fur is grayish brown but does show up as golden brown in the sun.

On their front legs, they have paws with four fingers on each. These make it easier for them to grab food and bring it to their mouth, as well as to dig around. On the back paws, they have five fingers, with short claws.

It may be difficult to spot a woodchuck as they have very sharp hearing, helping them detect the lowest noises. This helps them avoid predators, but will also alert them of your presence. Instead, you may need to identify them by the damage they leave behind. They’re always digging and can create burrows up to 45 feet deep. If there are piles of mud around your home and unexplained holes, a woodchuck is likely what caused it.

Woodchuck Weight

The weight of a woodchuck can vary wildly, depending on the time of year. This is because it’s an animal that hibernates, so it will use up fat reserves during the winter.

In the spring, a woodchuck will weigh around 6 to 8 pounds. They are constantly nibbling on things, as they have front teeth that are constantly growing. In this way, they are very similar to mice. They’ll eat soft vegetation, such as plants or grasses. They also chew on tree bark, grains, insects, and worms.

As the fall comes around, a woodchuck will reach around 10 pounds as they prepare to hibernate. They’ll actually vomit up any food they’ve eaten and will drink a huge amount of water before they curl up into a ball and hibernate.

After Hibernation

In the spring, the woodchuck will wake up and be very weak, as they’ve used all their fat reserves during their sleep. This is the time for breeding, and so you may see more woodchuck activity in your yard during this time. That’s because mother woodchucks are creating new burrows, ready to raise their young in.

At first, the woodchuck babies will look like gray furry balls. As they get a bit older, they will be taken outside to play and socialize with other woodchucks, as their mothers keep an eye out for danger.

Woodchucks go through a variety of sizes, thanks to their practice of hibernation. They grow up to 19 inches as an adult. In the spring and summer, you can expect them to be slightly smaller than they are during the fall, as they gather fat reserves. Knowing this, you’ll be able to recognize a woodchuck on your property, should you spot one.