How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck if a Woodchuck Could Chuck Wood?

This photo really shows how cute these little guys are. The picture was taken by Melissa Farlow for the National Geographic’s website. Click on the picture to check out their info page!

This week I’m talking about another wild animal, so again, don’t just run out and try to get one. You need to be properly trained and licensed to handle and care for wild animals, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t interesting topic! For starters, woodchucks (also known as groundhogs, marmots, and whistlepigs) are pretty darn cute. Just look at that little furry face! Pretty much everything they do is adorable. Chuckie, our little woodchuck, absolutely loves granola bars. They’re her favorite treat, so I like to bribe her every now and then to be cooperative when I try to pet her. She’ll tolerate my appreciation for her fur and squishy sides as long as she gets to chop away on one of those bars. It’s so fun to watch her eat them too. She’ll hold it in her front paws and nibble on it in much the same way a squirrel eats, which makes sense because woodchucks are the largest members of the squirrel family (yes, making them rodents too!).

Woodchucks have stout, pudgy bodies, but they aren’t really the solid fat (like humans), they have more of a squishy fat (like skunks, or really any animal good at squeezing through tight spaces). Their fur isn’t the softest, but it’s still an interesting thing to feel. Their tails are bristly and have really course fur, which is also an interesting texture.

In this photo you can see the bristly tail. The picture was taken by Phil Myers of the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan. Click on the picture to see the photo gallery at the University of Michigan’s BioKids website.

The Truth Behind the Myths

One thing a lot of people ask is whether or not woodchucks eat wood. The answer is no, they don’t actually eat wood, but since they are rodents, their front teeth grow continuously, so it is necessary for them to constantly wear down their teeth by gnawing on pretty much anything, including wood. They’ve also been seen eating bark in the early spring when their food sources still haven’t grown in yet (they are herbivores that mostly eat different grasses, leaves, berries, and occasionally insects when other food is less available). I’d like to point out, though, that bark is not actually wood, so this behavior doesn’t count as them eating wood.

Another thing not many people seem to know is exactly how far off Groundhog Day traditions are. Rational people already know that these animals have no affect on the weather, but not everyone is aware that woodchucks are still in hibernation on Groundhog Day. In fact, most tend to hibernate until late March or early April. The myth probably comes from people seeing groundhogs who have woken up too early going back into their burrows to finish hibernating until the weather improves. Interestingly enough, though, woodchucks in captivity or wild ones at the Southernmost areas of their natural range do not hibernate for as long or sometimes even not at all.

More information is available at the Animal Diversity Web’s woodchuck page, at the National Geographic’s groundhog info page, and at the University of Michigan’s BioKids critter catalog.

Okay, I just couldn’t resist another cute picture like this one. The photo was taken by Victor Loewen. Click on the picture to go to the Animal Diversity Web woodchuck page.

Chuckie’s Story

I would never advocate people caring for a wild animal when they have no idea what they’re doing. However, with the right skills, training, and experience, professionals can care for these animals very well. As a matter of fact, the owner and operator of the petting zoo, Deb Moreland, has a very high success rate for rehabilitating injured or orphaned wild animals. And so when a couple found a mother woodchuck that had been hit by a car, they knew to bring the babies to the farm if they were going to have a shot at surviving. While one of the babies died very soon after arriving, the little girl Chuckie was able to survive and grow. Unfortunately, being raised alone did not make Chuckie a good candidate for release into the wild. She lacks the skills necessary to surviving predators, finding food, and making adequate shelter by digging a burrow.

Should you find a wild baby woodchuck, and you don’t know what to do, first and foremost assess whether or not you have an orphan on your hands. In most cases, the mothers are nearby, and they are waiting for you to leave so that they can safely retrieve their babies. If you do know that the mother is either dead or hasn’t been around for several hours, then you should contact local wildlife rescue agencies. If you can’t get into contact with anyone, a good place for the basic information is here (orphanedwildlifecare.com).

I’m happy to report that Chuckie is still doing very well in these few years she has been at the farm. She is still a wild animal, though, so we do not allow strangers to pet or hold her, but we do take her to some educational events for people to observe. In the house, she has an enclosure where she spends most of her time, but she is occasionally allowed to roam around, provided one of us is available to watch and make sure she doesn’t get herself into trouble. She likes to go after the cats and bother the skunk, get into things, chew on whatever she can find, or just try to explore somewhere unsafe, so we do limit her free time to when we can keep everyone safe. Other than being such a trouble maker sometimes, she’s really fun to have around. She’s so smart and curious; watching her can give you a real appreciation for these wonderful animals.