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Just looking for opinions here... we've recently moved to the Ohio, and are in the process of buying a house. Our inspector found a burrow dug down right alongside one of the house walls, and thinks it's likely a groundhog.
In my feedback to our realtor, I put that I'd like the groundhog trapped and removed by the seller; we have a young daughter who'd find the trapping (and likely killing) of a cute-looking animal very distressing, and it's not an association I want for her Week One of a new home.
All our other inspection requests are very minimal, concerning things like electrical safety; our realtor agrees they're a no brainer, and we're happy to work with the sellers either way on whether they want to fix them before closing or give us a credit. It's just this one thing I'm firm on, that I'd like the critter issue taken care of over the next few weeks (it's an older couple downsizing, and it'll be no impact on their lives to have a trap outside for a while and have someone come by and check it periodically).
My realtor is pushing back, and saying it would be the norm for us to have to sort the groundhog out after moving in, and that the sellers basically won't be happy to be asked to do it.
What do you guys think? We're new to the Mid-West, and groundhogs - is our request weird and tantamount to asking for ants to be eliminated? Or is it something you'd expect the sellers to address, and my realtor is mistaken/ trying for an easy life?
I'm not familiar with groundhogs, does it affect the house in some way or does it just live close to the house? I guess I'm seeing this as my buyers wanting me to rid my property of the armadillos that keep digging up the ground.
I'm not familiar with groundhogs, does it affect the house in some way or does it just live close to the house? I guess I'm seeing this as my buyers wanting me to rid my property of the armadillos that keep digging up the ground.
I'm new to groundhogs too; according to the Internet, you don't want them burrowing right by your house as the tunnels can affect the foundations and crack the pad. So it needs to be gone - I'm just looking for more local knowledge, and whether we're being reasonable or unreasonable to expect the sellers to try to sort it out before closing (and of course allowing for animal control being much more of an uncertain thing than, say, fixing a plumbing leak, but even so, 2-3 weeks should be enough to sort it).
There's evidence of mice in the attic too; again, I'd like them to take a stab at solving that problem. I'm less bothered about that, though, as we could quietly deal with it without the associated soft-hearted daughter drama.
Ground hogs are not cute.Wildlife removers trap do not usually use the type of traps that will kill the animal. They use a catch trap and remove the animal, often relocating it elsewhere if state laws permit.
The mice may or may not be in the attic at this time of year. They are usually outside in the summer months. The evidence of mice might be years old. Honestly, I think with the "possible" mice you're asking for the impossible for situation that may or may not be current.
Ground hogs are not cute.Wildlife removers trap do not usually use the type of traps that will kill the animal. They use a catch trap and remove the animal, often relocating it elsewhere if state laws permit.
The mice may or may not be in the attic at this time of year. They are usually outside in the summer months. The evidence of mice might be years old. Honestly, I think with the "possible" mice you're asking for the impossible for situation that may or may not be current.
Yes, fair point about the mice, I'd happily leave that one at 'well, if the animal control person is there anyway for the groundhog, have them stick their head in the attic and scatter a few traps about'.
But the groundhog is clearly current. The garden is very neatly landscaped, and it's obvious this is a freshly dug burrow. So is asking the sellers to try and tackle it, perhaps worded in a 'sellers undertake to engage a licensed trapping company to make best endeavors for the next couple of weeks' way, too much to ask?
What do I think...is tic toc. While your realtor is doing the pushback, time's a wasting.
A groundhog's burrow can be up to 66'. It's actually fascinating in that there is an area for sleeping, an area for the babies, an area for waste and a back and front entrance. We didn't mind ours because they didn't really cause trouble. But they can eat what you don't want them to and make their tunnels. Here's a picture of a tunnel system:
There are humane animal traps; no killing involved. The thing is you can trap it but this is just Midwest living; they'll be more so you'll likely have to deal with it yourselves in the future anyway. I grew up in Ohio and we always had them living under our sheds in the backyard. The worst thing the seller can say is no (and they might, I've never had anyone ask to trap a ground hog before). The humane society in our areas would loan out free humane traps (we accidentally caught a skunk once!).
What do I think...is tic toc. While your realtor is doing the pushback, time's a wasting.
Well, we've got a day or two to wrangle about it, as we're still waiting on the radon result before we go back to the sellers with our wish list.
The burrow IS interesting, isn't it. Would a burrow actually cause any damage to a house foundations? I found lots of articles saying it could, theoretically, but no actual accounts of people saying it did for them. Would a groundhog actually burrow right down under a basement, and put in a network of tunnels that could lead to damage? They seem so small...
Thanks for the input. I really don't know if this is a genuine issue, or if I'm doing the equivalent of when newbies moved to my previous state of Arizona, and went 'squeeee - scorpions in the house!' whilst us locals all gently laughed at them.
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