Woodchuck Found Wandering Instead Of Hibernating

The following story about woodchuck was shared with us by Wild At Hart Wildlife Rehabilitation in Ohio.

An adult woodchuck was found wandering, seemingly dazed, in the yard of a homeowner in the cold of early December.

While we don’t know exactly what led up to her being in such a strange place at a strange time, there was nearby construction going on/abandoned buildings being torn down. It’s possible her hibernation may have been disrupted by that construction, but it’s also possible other factors were at play, including being awoken by sporadic days of abnormally warm weather/not having put on enough winter weight.

She presented without a single injury, but was very weak, emaciated, and dehydrated. After ruling out illnesses and injuries, we administered fluids and provided other stabilization, including warming her.

She became more alert, so we offered EmerAid IC Herbivore, which she slowly but readily accepted. As she improved, she loved the EmerAid and seemed to look forward to it!

After gradually introducing various, appropriate solid foods, she is stable, gaining much-needed weight and will spend the rest of the winter with us for release in the spring.