Waffles, the groundhog, or whistlepig, came to us at 9 months old in January 2022. He came from a professional movie animal company. Waffles is thriving here with us, he LOVES to walk around on his hind legs and run up the ramps in his enclosure – his favorite thing of all is running on his giant exercise wheel that we installed for him! He adores getting treats, his favorites being nuts and bananas! He is a favorite of the volunteers here due to his gregarious nature.
ORDER: Rodentia
FAMILY: Sciuridae
GENUS: Marmota
SPECIES: Monax
Groundhogs are the largest rodent in the squirrel family and most well-known diggers in the world. Due to their large geographical dispersal, they have a few different names: “woodchuck,” “whistle pig,” “land beaver,” “Canadian marmot,” “thick wood badger, “and a “weenusk”. They have a double layer of fur that keeps them warm and waterproof. They are diurnal or day dwelling and solitary. They build summer dens and winter dens with several entrances and even bedroom and bathroom chambers. They are true hibernators, which helps them get thru the coldest parts of winter when food would be hardest to find. They breed year round, where the males will emerge from their winter slumber before the females. Gestation is about 32 days long with 1- 9 pups in the litter. They leave mama at 2 months old and can sexually mature by a year. They are very important to the survival of others as their abandoned burrows provide shelter for rabbits, raccoons, foxes, weasels, skunks, and opossums. They are also Mother Natures soil aerators. They can move over 700 pounds of soil when digging just one den. Believe it or not they are good swimmers and climbers. Some say they can even predict spring.
Threats
Habitat destruction and fur trade.
Conservation Status
CE - Critically Endangered