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Why Groundhogs Don’t Make Good Indoor Pets

By: EarthKind

groundhog

Deviant, self-serving motives are the first to come to mind when a rodent invades your home.  Using the word “invade” even implies negativity; that it was an unwanted, forceful, or harmful entrance.  We are quick to assume the worst.  The rodent is almost automatically presumed filthy, inconsiderate, conniving, and even dangerous.

These types of reactions to rodents are not completely unwarranted and they can serve a healthy purpose toward self-preservation. 

Rodent Related Risks

Rodents have been known to carry upwards of 35 different pathogens that can be transmitted to humans, some of which can be fatal.  Plague, Lyme Disease, and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to diseases linked to rats, mice, and other rodents.  Adding to these health concerns, rodents have also been linked to house fires and various electrical and mechanical malfunctions around the home and in vehicles.  The incisor teeth in rodents never stop growing, so they must gnaw and chew on things constantly.  They are able to chew through anything that is softer than their teeth, which is just about everything!  If rats, mice, or anything else were to chew on wires in your home, the risk of a fire breaking out would increase, and some insurance policies don’t cover rodent related damages.

All of the above aside, one of our readers shared her own “tail” of a rodent run-in that made us reconsider why a rodent may enter your home.  What if a rodent was just a helpless, injured animal?  What if he had no underlying motives at all, and didn’t even realize what he was doing?

Excerpt: Wasn’t a mouse or a rat, rather was a groundhog that got into my house. A rodent as far as I am concerned. He had been injured when hit by a passing motorist…head injury…he wandered into my garage while I had the garage door open…”

Do you have a rodent run-in to share?

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