Anyone know what this animal is???????

[CoopCrazy]

Quote:
I agree .. They destroy the ground under your buildings and can/ will cause broken legs /ankles/ bulding collapses etc... Had a friends horse break its leg from stepping on one of there tunnels , mom broke her ankle twice , and had my barn collapse in on itself , oh and had a tractor fall in once ( that was fun getting out)./.. I am all for relocating a non nuisance animal but my dad and I used to have target practice with these...

 

[Boyd]

Quote:
so can these guys

 

[invalidsession]

My best guess would also be a Groundhog but it is kinda hard to get a size perspective from that picture. Muskrats are similar in shape as well. if it is a Groundhog, shoot the bugger, I had a pair that were digging under a concrete floor in one of my sheds and caused it to crack under the weight of my 4x4, it cost me $1700 to have new concrete pumped under it for reinforcement.
They had also tunneled under one of the trails toward a pond, about 100 yards !!

 

[chickenbottom]

well doesnt the animal have a say?

i dont think he wants to die or atleast not that way

but its your choice on what to do

 

[sparkles2307]

looks like the woodchuck DH shot last weekend. THey dig up under your coop and eat the wood and make th building fall over.


HERE is a pic of a woodchuck...same head shape and looks like the tail is kinda flat.
http://www.wanamassa.us/wildlife/images/woodchuck.jpg

 

[mycritters]

I would say groundhog, too. The sad thing is they don't tend to relocate very well. Most of t he time they will starve to death, so if he's a real problem you'd be doing him a favor by just shooting him. In the long run it's the most humane thing to do.
I don't think he'll bother the chickens, but you might want to keep an eye on eggs. I'm not sure, they may not be interested in anyting "chicken".
Good luck. Hope it works out for the best of both...

 

[Danigirl3]

My guess as well would be a ground hog/woodchuck (same thing) They are mostly herbivorous but they will eat grubs, grasshoppers and such. I think they would be a much bigger threat to your garden (if you have one) than they would ever be to your chickens. They shred our garden every year but for the chickens we had had in the past they never bothered. Not sure about eggs though. I think they fall prey to pretty much the same predators as chickens do.

Hope that helps
Daniele

 

[Bluemoon420]

Yep, That's a ground hog. One of my dogs finds them to be tasty snacks. They are herbivores. They mainly eat plants, and some fruits. They won't bother your chickens, but they will dig large burrows. We had one doing that in our rehabbed chicken house. The little bugger would moved LARGE rocks we put in the holes to keep him from coming back. He finally got the message and moved on. The only downside is you have to fill their burrows right away, or something nastier will come and take over it's home.


Bluemoon

 

[mikecnorthwest]

It looks like a nutria. Do you have any water on or near your property... a stream, pond, etc? Nutria are very common here in the Pacific Northwest and in the south. Not sure about your area but they become pretty prolific wherever they establish themselves. They look a lot like a beaver but lack the flat tail like you mentioned. To me they kind of look like a rat crossed with a beaver. Use Google images and search for nutria.

 

[invalidsession]

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The ones on my property weren't particularly chatty