How do I save the groundhog & her baby???

Tweet

The problem as I see it: There is a groundhog in our backyard and she has just had a baby groundhog (very cute) however, they are both pulling up all my parents flowers and they dug up the squash plant I planted last year even after I put a cage all around it - go figure how they got in but they did!!My dad has put a Have-a-heart trap in the backyard but I'm concerned about separating the mother from the baby. Last year my dad caught one of the babies and I was furious because he took the groundhog about 20 miles away, deep in the woods and let it go there. I think it was too young to be on it's own. I realize that groundhogs are responsible for major flower damage and crop damage (the local university lost the crops to groundhogs and they were growing the crops purposely to feed the poor). But I can't stand to see that cage sitting out there just waiting for an unsuspecting groundhog or bunny or squirrel - we got a lot of squirrels last year and had to let them go and put more food in the cage and start all over again. Does anyone know of another way to keep these little critters out of the gardens? I wasn't too pleased when he took the squash plant but I think there must be some other way than to catch them. The first time it chopped off the squash leaves, I said oh well, it just pruned it for me. The second time it chomped on the leaves, I said, it will grow back. But by the third time, I just gave up. I've been in the bookstore and online looking for ways to keep these little ones out, but so far, have found little to nothing that works. Anyone have this issue? I want to save the little one and have to do something fast before the little one walks into the cage. Kristiana Get paid when you shop and get paid when all your friends shop too! http://www.bigcrumbs.com/crumbs/frontpage.jsp?r=Kristiana