Finding a groundhog living under your shed is a common headache, and an annoying one — they dig, they eat gardens, and the burrow under a raised shed gives them exactly the sheltered home they want. The good news is you can usually move them along without harming them, and then seal the space so it doesn't happen again. Here's how to do it, in the order that actually works.
A quick, honest note first: wildlife rules vary a lot by location, and some methods (trapping, relocating, or using certain deterrents) are regulated or restricted where you live. Always check your local rules, and if you're unsure or the problem is serious, call a licensed wildlife professional.
First, confirm it's a groundhog
Before you do anything, make sure you know your tenant. Groundhog burrows usually have a main entrance 8 to 12 inches wide, often with a fan of excavated dirt beside it and a second, hidden escape hole nearby. You might see the animal itself in the early morning or evening, or notice flattened paths through the grass and a nibbled garden.
It matters because skunks, rabbits, opossums, and rats sometimes use the same under-shed space, and the right approach differs for each. If you're not certain, a little patience watching the burrow — or a trail camera — pays off.
Step 1: Make the space unwelcoming
Groundhogs stay because the spot feels safe, quiet, and close to food. Take those away and many will leave on their own:
- Disturb the peace. Groundhogs dislike activity and noise near their burrow. Some people place a battery radio nearby for a few days, or gently backfill the entrance each morning so it's clear the spot is "busy."
- Introduce smells they avoid. Used cat litter, ammonia-soaked rags, or commercial repellents placed near (not sealing) the entrance can encourage them to relocate. Refresh them regularly, as they fade fast.
- Remove the buffet. Harvest ripe vegetables promptly, clear fallen fruit, and trim tall grass and brush that offer cover between the shed and their food.
Give these a week or so. Groundhogs are less committed to a spot than you'd think, especially outside of breeding season.
Important: Never seal a burrow you're not certain is empty, and be especially careful in spring, when young may be inside. Trapping an animal — or babies — under your shed creates a far worse problem.
Step 2: Confirm the burrow is empty
This is the step people skip, and it's the most important one. Before you close anything up, you need to be sure no groundhog (and no young) is inside.
A simple, humane check: loosely stuff the entrance with newspaper or fill it with soil, then watch for a day or two. If it stays undisturbed through a warm, active period, the burrow is very likely vacant. If it's reopened, someone's still home — go back to Step 1 and keep at it.
If you suspect young are present, wait. They'll leave with the adult in a few weeks, and rushing only traps them.
Step 3: Seal them out for good
Once you're confident the space is empty, exclusion is what keeps groundhogs — and the next groundhog, and the skunk after that — from moving in. This is the only permanent fix.
The standard approach is a barrier of galvanized hardware cloth (½-inch mesh) around the base of the shed:
- Dig a narrow trench along the shed's perimeter, about 12 inches deep.
- Set the hardware cloth into the trench against the shed, then bend the bottom outward into an "L" about 12 inches, away from the shed.
- Backfill the trench. The outward-facing lip stops animals from digging straight down and under — when they hit it, they give up rather than dig around.
- Fasten the top of the mesh to the shed's frame or skirting so there's no gap to squeeze through.
For sheds on skids or blocks with an open underside, adding solid skirting plus the buried mesh closes the space off entirely.
Step 4: Keep the yard less inviting
Exclusion does the heavy lifting, but a tidy yard keeps the pressure low:
- Keep grass trimmed and clear brush piles, which groundhogs use as cover.
- Fence vegetable gardens with buried mesh if groundhogs are a recurring problem.
- Fill in old, unused burrows elsewhere in the yard so they're not an easy invitation.
When to call a professional
If the burrow is extensive, you suspect young are inside, the animal won't leave, or your local rules require licensed handling, bring in a wildlife control professional. They can assess the situation, handle removal legally and humanely, and often help with exclusion. It's money well spent when a DIY approach stalls.
Protect the shed itself, too
While you're down at the base of the shed dealing with the burrow, it's a good moment to check the structure. Undermined soil, a shed sitting directly on the ground, or a sagging floor frame are all worth addressing so pests have less to exploit. If you're planning a new shed or a rebuild, a proper, well-drained foundation and closed-off underside make the whole problem far less likely — our Shed Material Calculator can help you plan the framing, and our shed size guides walk through footprints and foundations.
Deal with the groundhog humanely, seal the space properly, and you'll have solved it for good — not just until the next one comes along.