A Groundhog I Call Chewy

Working at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge: November 10th

Today, at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge I was pleasantly surprised to meet a new resident. I was introduced to a groundhog, who I affectionately refer to as "Chewy", a name that suits him far too well. Chewy was always around people, which made him a lot less anxious around humans, including me and my mentor. Throughout my time at the refuge, I helped Chewy grow more comfortable with being around people, so the animal care specialists would be able to use him during educational programs.

Chewy's diet consists of many fruits and vegetables, and he eats continuously throughout the day. Interestingly, groundhogs use their forelimbs as hands, to pick up and hold their food steady, while using their extremely strong four incisors to chew their food. These four incisors grow throughout the groundhog's life, but in order to keep this growth under control, the groundhog must continually use its teeth. Most of the time, groundhogs are able to control this growth by chewing on tough foods like carrots and broccoli, or gnawing on roots, which can be very helpful in wearing down the incisors.

Every time I go to the refuge, I work with Chewy, to help him feel more comfortable around people - hand feeding him, being around him, and petting him, helps to push him closer to that goal. In the future, this will allow the refuge to utilize him in educational programs for a wide range of students.

I enjoy working with Chewy and I think he has the potential to be an amazing animal that the refuge can use to educate young minds. The fact that I can be a part of his journey and play a role in helping him to educate young ones about wildlife is truly a rewarding feeling.