Educational Presentation Fees:

$250 Basic Presentation: One animal for an hour within a 30-mile radius of Middletown, VA (add $1.00 per mile beyond)

Add another animal in the same hour for $70/add'l animal

Add add'l hours for $70/add'l hour

Customized talks per your specs, add $100

Groundhog Day Event: $500 for a presentation with live groundhog

Contact us about a presentation!

• Have their own “day” and tongue twister (How much wood would a woodchuck chuck…); also their own beer (Woodchuck Cider)

• Aerate the soil and help spread seeds/nuts

• Their burrows serve as homes for other wildlife

• Serve as food source for predatory species

• Are used in research (Cornell) for hepatitis study, food intake & obesity and more

• Emit a musky odor from scent glands (smells oniony)

• Fairly agnostic towards others

• Good climbers and swimmers

• Molt once a year

• Are related to chipmunks, squirrels and prairie dogs and are the third largest rodent in the US (first being the beaver and second being the porcupine)

• One of few true hibernators (vs torpor); Body temp drops to about 40°F; heart rate slows to 4–5 beats/minute; rely on stored body fat to survive

• Quite vocal: “chuckle,” grunt, squeal, growl, chatter (teeth), “whistle”

• Are STRONG! All muscles from head to shoulders

• Bury their poop, like a cat

• Openings of dens face South to catch sun (warmth)

• Dens are 15–50 ft. long and 2–6 ft. deep

• The groundhog’s internal clock, along with increased sunlight, changes in hormone levels are all thought to trigger a wake-up

Groundhog Day is halfway between the winter solstice and the vernal equinox (in March). Celebrated in some cultures as the midpoint of winter. Since groundhogs naturally wake up about that time – the association of this rodent (to 6 more weeks of winter – or not) was born.

Groundhog Day

Groundhogs are mammals found in North America. They are considered by most to be a nuisance species and are openly disdained by farmers. However, they offer more than just what meets the eye!

Groundhogs aren't just pests. They also:

• Have thick, tough hide once used by Native Americans to make moccasins

• Groundhog fur is popular for making trout fishing flies

• Can be quite entertaining to watch: babies play, squealing and rolling like puppies; babies will follow mama around