Ground Hog with Overgrown Teeth

[trueblue]

Hi Everyone.

I have some squirrel experience, but I dont have any direct experience with groundhogs. But now I have a concern.

We have this one little guy who I saw last fall with overgrown teeth. The bottom teeth curve up past his lip and head towards his nose. Im going to show a picture of one I found online that looks very similiar. I have not been able to get close enough to take this guys picture - he runs if he even hears me.

He has not hibernated normally this winter like the others. He has come out periodically to eat and drink . Food I have left for him. Fresh water and dry cat food. I tried other things but it all froze and he wouldnt touch it.

Does anyone know why his teeth are like this? Is it a genetic issue? diet issue? although he was like this last fall and I saw him grazing on the lawn. Do they just grow too fast and he doesnt chew or knaw enough? he cant keep up wiht the growth? Im so confused !!

I dont know what to do for him. I really think he only survived the winter because I left food out for him. He isnt bone skinny, but ground hogs are supposed to be fat, and he is thin. Otherwise he seems healthy. He is only out for limited amount to eat and then goes back underground. he will run if he sees me come towards him, or even hears a loud noise. So his behavior seems normal. Its just these teeth .

Ive wondered about a rehabber, or if a vet could shorten the teeth, but would a one time deal fix it? And would he survive the stress of being captured and carted around, sedated for all this?

Any help would be appreciated. thanks.

[stepnstone]

If the groundhog your speaking about looks as bad as this guy those teeth will eventually kill him if he don't starve to death.
Could have been a handful of things that caused his teeth to not align properly, thus the reason he can't grind them down.
They could (should) be clipped, sometimes that helps them to line up but more times then not it has to be repeated.
But even at a one shot deal it would give him a longer life expectancy then he's going to have as he is now.
.
The real challenge would be to find a rehabber in your area that even cared enough about a groundhog to want to trap, treat and help it survive instead of euthanize (for it's own good. :shakehead )
I can just about guarantee a vet would euthanise. Groundhogs are also considered a rabies vector species so there presents another problem.

Wish I could help... :(

[island rehabber]

stepnstone is right...this guy is going to starve to death. In fact the reason he didn't hibernate is probably because he could not ingest enough calories for his body to be prepared for hibernation (fat storage). I would first check out rehabbers in your area to see if anyone would take this on. If not, I still believe it is more humane to trap him and have him either treated once, or humanely euthanized, than to let nature take its slow, horrible course.

[Southern Wildlife]

I agree with trapping and euthanizing. As much as I hate that option in the long run it will suffer a ton less. Trapping it the first time would not be that difficult but if you trap him, have the teeth trimmed then released good luck trapping him the second time if the teeth do not align up properly.

What state lists woodchucks as a vector species, I have never heard of them being listed as such, not saying its not true just that I have never heard that before.

[Nancy in New York]

What state lists woodchucks as a vector species, I have never heard of them being listed as such, not saying its not true just that I have never heard that before.

They are on the rabies vector list, as Ground Hogs. Same animal though.

http://www.arkofva.com/rabiesvector.html

Woodchucks and groundhogs are different names for the same animal
"The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck, land beaver, or the whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America; for example, it is found in Alaska, Alabama, and Georgia. In the west it is found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and northern Washington."

[Jackie in Tampa]

I agree with trapping and euthanizing. As much as I hate that option in the long run it will suffer a ton less. Trapping it the first time would not be that difficult but if you trap him, have the teeth trimmed then released good luck trapping him the second time if the teeth do not align up properly.

What state lists woodchucks as a vector species, I have never heard of them being listed as such, not saying its not true just that I have never heard that before.

your link says you are a squirrel trapper...
are you also a rehabber? what brings you to TSB? just curious:thinking

[stepnstone]

They are on the rabies vector list, as Ground Hogs. Same animal though.
http://www.arkofva.com/rabiesvector.html

Woodchucks and groundhogs are different names for the same animal
"The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck, land beaver, or the whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America; for example, it is found in Alaska, Alabama, and Georgia. In the west it is found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and northern Washington."

:thankyou Nancy :thumbsup



What state lists woodchucks as a vector species, I have never heard of them being listed as such, not saying its not true just that I have never heard that before.

GEORGIA
Rodents that are considered to be a rabies risk include woodchucks or
groundhogs (Marmota monax)
http://health.state.ga.us/pdfs/epi/zvbd/Rabies%20Manual%202007%20Final%20with%20Cover.pdf

[Southern Wildlife]

They are on the rabies vector list, as Ground Hogs. Same animal though.

http://www.arkofva.com/rabiesvector.html

Woodchucks and groundhogs are different names for the same animal
"The groundhog (Marmota monax), also known as the woodchuck, land beaver, or the whistlepig, is a rodent of the family Sciuridae, belonging to the group of large ground squirrels known as marmots. Most marmots live in rocky and mountainous areas, but the woodchuck is a lowland creature. It is widely distributed in North America; for example, it is found in Alaska, Alabama, and Georgia. In the west it is found only in Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia and northern Washington."

I am more then aware of the different names for the woodchuck. I have been dealing with them in one way or an other for over 36 or so years.

It must be different for each state because the GA DNR (Department of Natural Resources) doe's not list them as a vector species. But GA does list a few that website link did not list that I saw. You learn something new every day.

[Southern Wildlife]

Just saw the link from stepenstone. The permits and licenses I have list out the vectors species and the special ways I have to handle them I suppose they do not pose as much as a risk of rabies as other critters on my list.

[Southern Wildlife]

your link says you are a squirrel trapper...
are you also a rehabber? what brings you to TSB? just curious:thinking

Yes I am a nuisance wildlife trapper and not just of squirrels, but all GA wildlife. But our company uses mainly live traps for just about everything and in fact we are not allowed to use kill traps on squirrels at all. We at Southern Wildlife Management love wildlife, all wildlife. One of the owners helps out a local rehabber and she plans on having her license sometime in the near future. Besides trapping and removal we help rescue many animals a year at no cost to anybody but ourselves. Our local rehabbers are always asking me questions so I joined the forum in hopes of helping others if I can.

[trueblue]

Hi Everyone. Thank you for your replies.

I dont know what they are listed at in our state. I have heard of woodchucks being carriers but I think they are low on the list. We dont have an epidemic in our area, but I realize your saying if the species is on the list then probably no one would help him, except to euthanize him. :(

I have looked and found a wildlife rescue that has groundhogs/woodchucks listed. I guess my best option is to call them and ask what they would suggest. I am big on doing no harm, try to live and let live, share our little empire of dirt and trees...but I also do not want him to suffer & so I would intervene to prevent this.

Right now he seems to be stable in size since last Fall when I saw him eating greenery. I dont see him everyday, but he is quite able to eat the dry pet food and drink water. He will eat almost the whole amount of food I leave out. But I know it is not proper nutrients for him either. But what can you feed a groundhog when it is freezing and he has no set time for his arrival. I saw a larger groundhog out recently, so I think maybe soon he should be able to try grazing again on greens.

I will try to get a proper picture of his teeth so I can provide it to the rehab place. His teeth may not be quite that bad but they do curl up towards the nose. I think the lack of fat is why he couldnt hibernate properly.

The picture will be my first step then, and I will contact the place I found for advice.

Maybe I will look at getting some type of rabbit food to add just temporarily so he gets some better nutrients. He is only out in the day, so shouldnt be a problem with attracting raccoons or anything. Probably the BIG groundhog will begin to come out now, and eat his "special food"... LOL CANT WIN.

[kastillo]

Thank you for going out of your way for this groundhog, we need more people like you in this world.

[Skul]

Yes I am a nuisance wildlife trapper and not just of squirrels, but all GA wildlife. But our company uses mainly live traps for just about everything and in fact we are not allowed to use kill traps on squirrels at all. We at Southern Wildlife Management love wildlife, all wildlife. One of the owners helps out a local rehabber and she plans on having her license sometime in the near future. Besides trapping and removal we help rescue many animals a year at no cost to anybody but ourselves. Our local rehabbers are always asking me questions so I joined the forum in hopes of helping others if I can.
To be honest, your the type of person I prefer. You make an effort to assist.
I have to thank you for that.
If you run into anything that we can help with, give us a shout.

I hope you can capture that piggy, and get it's teeth trimmed.

[trueblue]

Ok - have to share this article I found:

Zoo's groundhog gets braces fix
Brookfield facility calls in specialist to help Stormy--its too toothy woodchuck--weather his dental woes.

It took two specialists to calm the patient during the orthodontic procedure Tuesday, but when it was over, he was all smiles.
That's because Stormy the groundhog is an old pro at getting his braces adjusted. Tuesday marked the fourth time the wires around his gapped bottom teeth were tightened by the chief veterinarian at Brookfield Zoo .

There is more at stake than a perfect grin. The space between his lower incisors prevented his bottom teeth from grinding against his top ones.
Groundhog teeth grow continuously, much like fingernails. Unless they file against each other or are worn by gnawing, they become too long, lose their sharpness and are useless for feeding.

To prevent that, a Wisconsin animal dentist was called in to examine Stormy and he recommended that wires be used to close the gap. So Stormy became the zoo's first orthodontia patient. "He wouldn't have been as attractive otherwise," joked chief veterinarian Tom Meehan as he worked on the 4-year-old groundhog, also called a woodchuck.

The stainless steel wire is replaced every few weeks when the growth of Stormy's teeth causes it to fall off. The procedure is relatively inexpensive compared to the thousands of dollars that humans spend for straighter smiles.

There are no pesky rubber bands or cumbersome brackets because the wires are anchored to notches carved into the sides of his elongated teeth. Zookeepers say maintenance is pretty simple.

"No flossing necessary, he's pretty good about that. He eats all his vegetables, keeps his teeth nice and healthy," said Patty Anderson, lead keeper at the children's zoo where the animal lives alone in a cage. "Popcorn, chewing gum, that stuff was already out, so not a problem."
It generally takes about 20 minutes to put on a new wire, and for the most part Stormy is sedated. But on Tuesday the reddish-brown groundhog became irritable each time the anesthesia mask was placed over his furry face. Keepers said he even held his breath to avoid breathing the gas.
His resistance amused Anderson, who described it as "very characteristic of Stormy."

And even though the correction won't help him chuck wood--despite their name, these members of the squirrel family don't generally gnaw on tree bark--it has helped Stormy to better consume his diet of fruit, vegetables and moistened monkey chow biscuits.

Still, the procedure has some animal activists asking questions.
"Whenever these kinds of manipulations are involved, we wonder if there's something that needs to be corrected in the animal's environment," said Debbie Leahy, spokeswoman for PETA, or People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Zoo officials insist Stormy, who was found injured in the wild about three years ago, has first-class housing. His home is equipped with materials that aid in wearing down his teeth.

They are not sure what caused his teeth to become crooked. But about eight months ago--around Groundhog Day--his bottom teeth looked a little longer than usual. They were filed down, but grew long again.
"With rodents like Stormy, we need to align those teeth," said John Scheels, a Wisconsin dentist who works on people but also consults for zoos. Although he has installed braces on dogs and even repaired a bird beak with bands and elastics, he has never seen a groundhog in wires.
Zoo staff e-mail pictures of Stormy's progress to Scheels.
Meehan hopes Stormy can shed the wires in a few months, but said he would be watched closely during his winter hibernation, when he becomes far less active.

Groundhogs eat significantly less during this temperature-induced break, but their teeth continue to grow.
Meehan said the woodchuck will be kept in a warmer area to prevent him from going into too deep a slumber.
For all of his squirming Tuesday, Stormy recovered quickly. He pressed his face to the bars of his pink crate and flashed a buck-toothed grin.

[Skul]

Ah-ha, not your piggey.
If the wildlife folks will help, that is a plus,

[squirrelsrule&bunniestoo]

I have to say that I agree with the trapper on this one. If the teeth look like the picture, then the only solution is going to be euthanasia. Anything else and the teeth will just grow back and he will eventually starve to death. Groundhogs are NOT like squirrels, you are not going to be able to catch him, trim his teeth, and have someone keep him. If you've ever dealt with an adult groundhog, you know they are full of attitude. They are wild to the core, like rabbits, just instead of trying to run away, they'll fight you.

Only way I think this will be successfully treated so he can return to the wild would be if the teeth aren't too bad and perhaps he just hibernated and they grew over the winter and need a trimming and are still well aligned.

The groundhogs are back out of hibernation, at least where I am (unfortunately I've seen some dead in the road :( )

[Southern Wildlife]

Thank you Skul I will. I will post some pics or the 15 squirrels we are rehabing this week this weekend if I can figure out how and I will through in a few pics of other critters we have worked with.

[Southern Wildlife]

Holy crap sorry for the HUGE attachments I still am trying to get the hang of it.

[Jackie in Tampa]

what a great article... Stormy is one lucky Chuck..
I know the prognosis is dim, but it's so worth trying until it fails...
you can euthanize once...
I have observed and read about malocluded trees sqs with overgrown teeth that do maintain them themselves...they snap them off themselves using stationary objects...
I also know several adult wild animals that mellowed and adapted and actually enjoy captivity...
however, I am also a dreamer....:dono
whatever happens will be better than doing nothing... so thanks for any help you can give.
If it decided that eurthansia is choice, please trim his teeth and let him eat a peaceful meal. TY:Love_Icon :bowdown :grouphug

[trueblue]

Holy crap sorry for the HUGE attachments I still am trying to get the hang of it.


Are the babies in the second picture - raccoons? All the pictures are great. Thanks for sharing.

[trueblue]

what a great article... Stormy is one lucky Chuck..
I know the prognosis is dim, but it's so worth trying until it fails...
you can euthanize once...
I have observed and read about malocluded trees sqs with overgrown teeth that do maintain them themselves...they snap them off themselves using stationary objects...
I also know several adult wild animals that mellowed and adapted and actually enjoy captivity...
however, I am also a dreamer....:dono
whatever happens will be better than doing nothing... so thanks for any help you can give.
If it decided that eurthansia is choice, please trim his teeth and let him eat a peaceful meal. TY:Love_Icon :bowdown :grouphug

Hi Jackie,

Thanks for mentioning about how they might snap their teeth off on their own. That is something I had been thinking too. I know he was out last summer/fall and he was eating grass and seemed happy. I think he is young, and wasnt able to put on enough weight to properly hibernate, but he doesnt seem to be in worse shape by any means. He is fast as lightening when he sees me, or even hears noise approaching. I dont think Im going to be able to get a picture up close unless I use a stationary camera that is motion activated. I think I have a friend who has one so I may try to borrow it and get some pictures.

I try not to intervene with the wild guys too much. We have always had groundhogs around and have never had a time to get involved with their activities. We even ignore the tunnels in less than preferable places. LOL

Its still cold where we are at, and the groundhogs are not out yet. Ive only seen a large one on two ocassions and he didnt do much but examine the scenery and go back down. So I bought some rabbit type food of a couple varieties ( so he would have a selection ) and put it out with his normal pet food this weekend. He ate quite good. Part of the new rabbit food, and almost all of the other kind, plus I could tell he drank water. So he can eat !
When it gets warmer and I see the others out, I will watch to see if he starts grazing. I dont want him to get dependent on bowl food if he can do ok on his own.

Will keep you all posted & when I get a picture will add it here. may be a bit til I get hold of a stationary camera.

[trueblue]

Just wanted to update. I was not able to get a close up picture of his teeth, but I called a local group who does work with groundhogs. I explained how he was eating dry cat food and I went and got rabbit food also and some grasses. He seemed to eat all of it. Also his behavior seemed normal, just the freaky teeth... Lol. They said only to watch him because if he is eating and functioning then he is probably ok. If I see him in distress then they said call back. So we had some flooding around the building where he had been living under. After a bit I saw he appeared to relocate to a place further away. Ive seen him run to this place when scared like it's his new burrow. Have seen him grazing on grass now too. Yay! So I think for now he is managing. I am going to continue to watch his behavior, weight, and will only intervene if he seems to be in distress. A relief at least for now.

[TubeDriver]

Just wanted to update. I was not able to get a close up picture of his teeth, but I called a local group who does work with groundhogs. I explained how he was eating dry cat food and I went and got rabbit food also and some grasses. He seemed to eat all of it. Also his behavior seemed normal, just the freaky teeth... Lol. They said only to watch him because if he is eating and functioning then he is probably ok. If I see him in distress then they said call back. So we had some flooding around the building where he had been living under. After a bit I saw he appeared to relocate to a place further away. Ive seen him run to this place when scared like it's his new burrow. Have seen him grazing on grass now too. Yay! So I think for now he is managing. I am going to continue to watch his behavior, weight, and will only intervene if he seems to be in distress. A relief at least for now.


Good news! :)