Article by Bob Lutz

It seemed virtually impossible at first, but after a lengthy process, (just short of an act of congress) Shadow the groundhog finally made his arrival in Spokane on Tuesday, August 25, 1998 after a long nine-hour flight from Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He was a direct descendant of "Punxsutawney Phil"… That world famous groundhog who crawls out of his hole every February 2nd to forecast whether or not spring will make an early arrival.

Shadow was born April 16, 1998 and reached his full size and weight of approximately 17 pounds a mere six months later. He fattened himself up on a mixed diet of cat food, apples, rice cakes, walnuts, and dried banana chips. YUM!

Bill Deeley, the owner of Punxsutawney Phil, donated Shadow to use as a weather mascot for our one-of-a-kind Mobile Weather Van which was used to teach elementary school students about weather elements and storm safety.

Shadow lived a luxurious life at home with me and my family and was considered a special family pet. Although NOT NEARLY as sociable as a domestic cat or dog, he did provide his own form of entertainment. Because Shadow lived indoors, he was able to avoid hibernation and managed to stay awake the entire winter; however, during that time, his food intake slowed way down and he become rather sluggish…. Sleeping most of the day away like a fat, lazy cat. (Kind of like me!)

During his short time with us Shadow enjoyed a rather "slumber" life, riding shotgun with me in the Weather Watcher Mobile Van visiting elementary school students and making various other appearances at local events. Our rather unique "weather duo" became a huge hit here in the Inland Northwest as Shadow won the hearts of kids and adults alike all over our region.

Sadly, Shadow’s life here on earth was cut way short! He died suddenly of cancer on August 6th, 1999, but his memories live on in the hearts of those who came to know and love him as we did. I for one feel very blessed to have had the opportunity to raise and nurture such a unique pet and I hope that I will have the privilege of doing it again someday soon.

One of the positive aspects of owning a Groundhog is the fact that you have an exotic animal, one that you nurture and train to become somewhat of a family pet. We found them to be very curious creatures, so letting them run loose in the house (under close supervision of course) usually led to an “adventure in baby sitting” which made for quite a few hilarious moments. The negative side of owing these beasts is that they LOVE to chew on things: Furniture, carpet, woodwork, you name it, they will chew it! In addition, the Groundhog is kind of unsociable by nature. We have heard of other people having Groundhogs that have been quite sociable, but we did not find that to be the case with our animal. (On a side note, our Groundhog died prematurely of liver cancer which is a common ailment for this species. Unfortunately, we did not know about his illness until the day he died, but the Vet told us he was probably born with this disease which could have been the reason for his unsociable behavior)

The stories about our Groundhog go on and on, but the main reason why we got him in the first place was to use him as a mascot for our WeatherVan project. The project involved teaching school kids about weather and weather safety. We designed and built a one-of-a-kind mobile weather van which was loaded with observation equipment. Shadow our Groundhog (who was donated to us by the owners of the famous Punxsutawney Phil) served as our mascot and traveled to the school with me in the WeatherVan. We had a special glass cage built for him which fit between the driver and passenger seat in the van. While I was driving, he would stick his nose in the corner so I could pet it. The kids just loved him, and he seemed to like all the attention. He was kind of a “ham” so to speak.

Do they have scent glands or an offensive smell?
Yes, especially when upset or hot, they emit a skunk-like smell. That smell sticks with them for quite some time. We used to bathe our Hog once a week in a bathtub with baby shampoo which seemed to help

What is their average lifespan?
Average life span in the wild is 2-3 years…. In captivity however, they can live up to 6 years

Do they enjoy interaction?
Not really… Again they seem quite unsociable; however, they do like to roam and check YOU out when running loose

What is their general personality, disposition, and attitude?
They seem to get along well with humans once trained and aclamated. In a sense, they adopt YOU as their family. Groundhogs love their freedom, and the only time he became nasty with us was when we tried to put him back into the cage….. Yes, everyone in our family has been bitten, but nothing too major that required stitches. Though they are capable of taking a finger off, once in captivity, they do show a little restraint. Plus, when the Groundhog goes to bite, he’s pretty slow about it, so there is USUALLY plenty of time to move your hand out of the way

Are they sweet and petable, or mischievous and playful?
Our Groundhog could care less when we pet him. He did however like to play a bit, especially with sticks. When out roaming, he was very curious and mischievous….. Getting into anything he could to check things out. He loved to look out the window at the birds. The things he was able to “squeeze” under was unbelievable! He could get under furniture with only 3 inches of clearance!

How destructive are they for an average household?
VERY! If left unsupervised, a single Groundhog will make short work of anything made of wood or cloth. (hence their real name “Woodchuck”) They can climb and jump a little, so really nothing is safe, especially furniture. We trained ours to be on a leash, which made it easier to control him.

Are there any problems associated with their claws?
Not really. Again, we used to walk our beast on a leash, so on concrete or pavement, the claws would wear down somewhat.

How messy are their droppings?
Their droppings are of the large, soft, rodent-type variety. Yes, it does stink. The good thing about a Groundhog, is that they usually defecate in only one corner of the cage and after they are done, they cover it up. When it comes to their habitat, they seem to be very clean animals.

Can they be litter box trained?
With a litter box containing chips and hay, I suppose it’s possible, but we never tried it

Can they be trained?
He didn’t seem to have a personality or “smarts” for it.

How are they with other pets, larger and smaller?
Our Groundhog did not interact much with any of our other animals. We have two cats and a dog. The Groundhog did not even acknowledge them for the most part; however, the cats were deathly afraid of him and when he approached them out of curiosity, the cats darted out of the room like a bullet… Similar to when you start a vacuum cleaner around them

What size cage do they need?
The bigger the better. We had a specially designed tempered glass cage built for him. It was 48” long by 22”wide, and 18” high… WITH A LID that latched shut which is a must! His bedding consisted of shredded newspaper, pine shavings, and hay. (DO NOT USE CEDAR chips as it is bad for them) I think if I had to do it again, I would make the cage a bit bigger.

What do you feed them?
Groundhogs are strictly vegetarians…. THE BEST THING TO DO is to feed them what they would naturally eat in the wild including grass, lettuce and berries and apples. We were instructed to feed him cat food, but we found out later that this was not very good for him. For treats, we gave him nuts which he cracked himself. His absolute favorite treat was dried banana chips. It was important to always leave him something to chew on, like sticks.

What vaccinations/vet care do they require?
We had a local vet examine him. They said that Groundhogs did not require anything special, though he did receive a rabies shot

At what age would it be best to get one?
The younger, the better. As pups, they will “adopt” your family as their family. If they do not adopt you, then you can forget about any type of social interaction. Once the Groundhog matures, it is very difficult to get them to bond with you.

Other Considerations for owners of Groundhogs?
It is important with Groundhogs (or ANY other wild animal for that matter) to create for them an environment that is close to their natural surroundings. Feed them the things they would instinctively eat in the wild, and create a habitat that accommodates all of their needs.