I Have Marmots!!!!!!!

[phillyidol]

For the past few days, every time I go in my back yard, something runs through the bushes away. I have a fence with tons of flowering vines. Today I go out to turn on the pool filter and tons of vines are cut. Then it runs again. I figure its just a possum or raccoon because we have both. Then I see it again. So I sit by my back door and wait. Nothing, then a head comes over the fence and looks at me. A BEAVER?! I run in the house, everybody come and look at the beaver. So they all think I'm nuts. Till they see it. A HUGE thing just like a beaver comes over and starts eating the vines. I look it up on google. Its a marmot or a kind of groundhog. In Brooklyn? I wonder if I should call someone?

[marie3]

Philly, there are too many jokes that I can respond with.
All I can say is, you are probably the only person in Brooklyn to have a marmot. [}:)]

[enzfan]

If your squirrels and marmot get together you could be in trouble.

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[phillyidol]

LOL! I love that picture! I made a picture of me getting attacked by a squirrel and gave it to my boss.
Marie! Totally true. In fact, I got out the old video camera and got film of it. It keeps coming back and eating my vines. But it is true, of all people, I'm sure I'm the only one with a marmott in my yard. Brooklyn! And I have a marmott, raccoons and possums.
I have to call somebody this weekend to find out if it was abandoned or if its ok for them to be around. Its so funny looking out and seeing this big beaver thing. I yelled out to Jackie that we have a beaver in the yard and she didn't even blink till I showed her. I'm that type of person that nothing comes as a shock.

[marie3]

Having met your wife, I bet she is just so used to things happening to you that nothing surprises her. It's all normal in the Phillyidol household. [:)]

[phillyidol]

Very....VERY true! LOL! I have only scratched the surface of all the stories I have!

[enzfan]

"I have marmots" announcing that on a crowded bus would probably get you your own seat and some quizical stares.

[WolverineSyr]

Philly - I think you probably have a regular old groundhog/woodchuck.

Marmots pretty much live in Europe/Russia/Western States/Canada.

We have woodchucks everywhere here. I had one living somewhere in my yard last year. They can be somewhat destructive if you have a vegetable or flower garden. They will live anywhere where there is grass, a place to dig a hole & a little open space.

They also can be pretty tough. My dog tangled with one last year & although he didn't get hurt, and he probably outweighed the woodchuck by 100 lbs, it wasn't backing down!

Make sure your dogs don't fight with it. Woodchucks will usually run, but if it can't get to it's hole, they'll stand their ground & fight. They have pretty strong teeth.

The good thing - once my dog fought with him - he moved on to another yard. They also tend to get run over quite regularly. I suspect their life expectancy is pretty short.

[phillyidol]

I looked it up on the internet, it looks exactly like a marmot. My neighbor agreed. And its big. I thought woodchucks are tiny. This thing is pretty big. My dog is cool, we also have raccoons and possums. I love the possums but could do without the raccoons. They stop whatever they are doing and dare you to mess with them. BTW, my vines are almost all gone! He better not eat decorative grass! I just hooked up my yard to look great with all different kinds.

[WolverineSyr]

But you're right, I looked up woodchucks and they're a type of marmot. Rodents are not my strong suit...

[Spectre General]

That's not fair! I want a marmot!


I'll tell y'all the craziest wildlife encounter I've ever had though. How many of you have ever been to the FDR memorial in Washington DC? The thing is like this outdoor triangle area in the middle of metropolitan DC with all these monuments and statues and marble walls and stuff. It's like in the middle of the street, I mean, it's crowded, and of course it's a memorial so there's always people there.

So anyway, I was there on a school field trip, it's like 12 PM, there's hundreds of people there there's planes flying overhead, there's traffic everywhere. And there's just this grey fox chillin at the FDR memorial, just sitting there. It was so bizarre, you'd think the last place you'd see a wild animal like a fox would be in the middle of a crowded city with hundreds of people around.