Should You Ever Poison A Groundhog?

Need groundhog removal in your hometown? We service over 500 USA locations! Click here to hire us in your town and check prices - updated for year 2020.

If you have discovered that you have a groundhog infestation in your yard or garden, then the first instinct is to think about the options that you have available to try and deal with the animal. Many people will almost automatically think about using poison as it has been used to deal with rodents such as rats and mice for decades, but the reality is that using poison is not only a very unpleasant death for the animal, but is also a very dangerous way of dealing with an animal problem with often unforeseen consequences.



How Poison Will Kill The Animal

There are several different types of poison available, and none of these really offer a humane method of killing the groundhog. One of the most common poisons will kill the groundhog by causing it to bleed internally until it is no longer able to keep the body going, while another common type of poison causes crystals to form in the blood, which will eventually stop the blood from being able to travel around the groundhog's body.

The Hazards To Children In The Area

One of the major issues for using poison is that you will have to place it near to the entrance to a groundhog's burrow, and this will usually be in the garden. Whether you have your own children that play in the garden, or grandchildren or the neighbors kids that sometimes come to your home, it is vital that you ensure that the children do not go into the yard, as it is far too easy to pick up such poison for kids.

The Risk Of Killing Pets And Other Wild Animals

Another danger that comes with using poison to deal with a groundhog infestation is that it is very difficult to locate poison that will be only accessible to the groundhog. It is possible that any poison you place in a yard or garden to kill a groundhog will kill cats, dogs or other animals that come across it before the groundhog.

Unexpected Consequences Of Using Poison

Many people overlook the consequences of using poison, as one of the biggest issues is that you cannot guarantee where the animal will die, meaning that discovering and removing the carcass can become a problem. The other issue is that because it is difficult to deal with the carcass quickly, killing a groundhog by poison will often attract other pest animals because of the scent of the decaying animal.

Go back to the Groundhog Removal page.