Something just dug and moved in...

[MagicMarker]

I'm fairly certain it's a gopher or something the size of a football. I knew it was there last year, but had not seen any evidence of it for a while so I assumed it moved on.

Well what ever it is it did a number on my freshly laid mulch and found its way under my deck. Need to call my exterminator if he does exterior pests. Anything I can do in the meantime? No plans to fix the mulch as it'll just do the same thing. It dug through the mulch and ~3" of soil.

 

[matt_i]

Definitely a voracious mountain cat. ()

If you have a trail cam you can probably figure out for sure.

Could be a groundhog or a raccoon.

 

[nine4gmc]

Armadillo

 

[couch67]

I'd get rid of it before it gets too comfortable and has a litter or something.

Ideally, chicken wire buried about 6" undergound and bent in an 'L" so it extends ~ 12" out from the lattice underground will deter the next one from digging.

 

[LXCam]

Bigfoot

 

[Orionrising]

could be a skunk....

 

[Johnny Generic]

Armadildo in New Jersey !!!!!! Don't think so but it is New Jersey

 

[Markfothebeast]

The house I'm working on has a dirt basement. Under the basement stairway is a hole where a woodchuck likes to come and visit. How would you like to be greeted by a woodchuck in your basement?

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[LXCam]

The house I'm working on has a dirt basement. Under the basement stairway is a hole where a woodchuck likes to come and visit. How would you like to be greeted by a woodchuck in your basement?

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How does that ole saying go??

Oh ya, How much coke could a woodchuck base if a woodchuck could base coke in your basement.



Better watch out OP, you might just have yourself one doped up animal living under there.

 

[ozyborn]

Good dogs love to play with invading critters

 

[JDMopar]

If it's a groundhog, leave him some Juicy Fruit chewing gum by his newly dug front door. He will eat it, and before long.....be deader than a hammer! No kidding, and I have no idea how it works!

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Its a groundhog, they are easy to trap and relocate to a wooded area


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[MagicMarker]

Good dogs love to play with invading critters

Not my dog... she saw a groundhog head peering out from underneath my shed. Looked at it. Didn't bark and turned around. SMH.

 

[MagicMarker]

Its a groundhog, they are easy to trap and relocate to a wooded area


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Apparently that is illegal in NJ.

 

[MagicMarker]

If it's a groundhog, leave him some Juicy Fruit chewing gum by his newly dug front door. He will eat it, and before long.....be deader than a hammer! No kidding, and I have no idea how it works!

I'll give this a try. When is the sadest time to drop gum down the hole? I don't want to go underneath my deck and be face to face with a critter.

 

[6PTsocket]

Armadildo in New Jersey !!!!!! Don't think so but it is New Jersey

The Jersey Devil?

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[Richard Cranium]

the gum constipates them and they die a very painful death full of ****.

 

[Sawdustmaker]

the gum constipates them and they die a very painful death full of ****.

And if it dies under your deck you will have to in there and retrieve it before it stinks up everything. Get a tender trap and trap it or find an exterminator who will do it as they will have the proper permits, etc.

 

[Coolabah]

Armadillo

nah.... Wombat for sure !

 

[cdestuck]

Get a wire box trap and catch him yourself. No big deal.

 

[rossddvm]

Apple will work for bait in a live catch trap if it's a groundhog. Cheap canned cat food will get raccoons, skunks and opossums. No experience with the Jersey Devil and you are too far north for a chuchacabra Poisoning it with gum or otherwise you run the risk it will die in a location that you will not be able to retrieve it from and will smell the decomp for a long time.

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Armadillo

In NJ??

Ground Hog or Skunk...

Tommy

 

[LS6 Tommy]

Apparently that is illegal in NJ.

Relocating wildlife without a permit or trapper's license is illegal in many states.

Tommy

 

[Falcon67]

Technically, I can't shoot a skunk because we're inside the city limits. However, if I feel it's a danger to me or the family, it's a pass.

 

[CJ7VFR]

I live in NJ also, and have to deal with groundhogs all the time where I am.

I have tried several things in the past, each with varying degrees of success. I bought a Have-A-Heart trap and trapped them in it, and then "got rid of them" as I tell my wife. I won't go into details about how, but as my uncle Jerry says, "You have to send them off to college"...

I have also used rags soaked in ammonia dropped down into their holes to get them out and stay out. Groundhogs always dig at least two holes into their borrows, so you have to make sure you find all the access holes. I soak the rags, drop them into each hole, and the groundhogs will come out in a short time. After they are gone, I pour the ammonia down into the holes, once a day for several days, to make sure they don't come back. At least not to the same holes!

If you don't want to kill them, then what you can do is somewhat limited, as even if you trap them, and then "move" them to another location, unless that location is at least a mile away from your house, they will come back.

As others have said, in NJ it appears to be illegal to trap and move critters without some type of permit or license. Where I live there are a lot of areas that are undeveloped, and even though it is illegal to trap and move the groundhogs, I have done it by releasing them into the woods that are located about 5 miles from my house.

No matter what you do, good luck with this. I have been fighting this battle for years now. I can go for a few years without seeing any, and then BAM, they are back, and I have to start the process all over again.

Jim

 

[Hilltopmasonry]

Apparently that is illegal in NJ.

Its illegal here too but i have done it several times.


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[MagicMarker]

Thanks for the advice guys.... my local exterminator is going to handle this.

 

[pattenp]

Could be a opossum. I just had one doing the same kind of digging and pushed in a wire mesh barrier under my shed. During the day pull the lattice straight and check after dark to see if it's pushed out. If so, straighten it again and check in the morning to see if it's pushed in. Opossum's are nocturnal and will be in their nest area during the day and leave out at night to forage for food and will come back before dawn.

I got a snap trap and took care of mine with a 22.

 

[ratdoggy]

Armadildo in New Jersey !!!!!! Don't think so but it is New Jersey

An Arma-*****?

 

[Falcon67]

An Arma-*****?

Klingon *** toy

 

[Empty Pockets]

I was going to suggest a big hungry dog, but someone else beat me to it.

 

[ratdoggy]

Armadildo in New Jersey !!!!!! Don't think so but it is New Jersey

An Arma-*****?

Klingon *** toy

Odd thing is that the letters L and D aren't next to each other