Ohio Porcupine

Identification

Porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum), sometimes called “porkies” or “quill pigs,” are heavy-bodied, short-legged, slow, and awkward rodents, with a waddling gait. Adults are typically 25 to 30 inches (64 to 76 cm) long and weigh 10 to 30 pounds (4.5 to 13.5 kg). They rely on their sharp, barbed quills (up to 30,000 per individual) for defense.

 

Range and Habitat

The porcupine is a common resident of the coniferous forests of western and northern North America. It wanders widely and is found from cottonwood stands along prairie river bottoms and deserts to alpine tundra. They favor caves, rock slides, and thick timber downfalls for shelter.

 

Fun Facts

Young porcupines are capable of eating vegetation within a week after birth, but they generally stay with the female through the summer. Juvenile survival rates are high.

Predators of porcupines include coyotes, bobcats, mountain lions, black bears, fishers, martens, great horned owls, and others.

 

Damage Prevention and Control Methods

Exclusion
Fences (small areas). Tree trunk guards.

Cultural Methods
Encourage closed-canopy forest stands.

Repellants
None are registered. Some wood preservatives may incidentally repel porcupines.

Toxicants
None are registered.

Fumigants
None are registered.

Trapping
Steel leghold trap (No. 2 or 3). Body-gripping (Conibear®) trap (No. 220 or 330). Box trap.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The above information was adapted from PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF WILDLIFE DAMAGE with permission of the editors, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Robert M. Timm, and Gary E. Larson (Cooperative Extension Division, Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources University of Nebraska-Lincoln, United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Animal Damage Control, Great Plains Agricultural Council Wildlife Committee).

Ohio Wildlife Services

Ohio Critters

Our local Ohio offices offer Porcupine services in the following cities:
Addyston, Adena, Akron, Alexandria, Alliance, Alliance, Alpha, Amanda, Amberley, Ameilia, Amherst, Amsterdam, Aquilla, Archbold, Arlington Heights, Ashley, Aurora, Avon, Avon Lake, Bairdstown, Baltimore, Barberton, Barnesville, Batavia, Bay Village, Beach City, Beachwood, Beavercreek, Bedford, Bedford Heights, Bellaire, Bellaire, Bellbrook, Belmont, Beloit, Bentleyville, Berea, Bergholz, Berkey, Bethel, Bethesda, Bethlehem, Bexley, Bloomdale, Bloomingdale, Blue Ash, Boston Heights, Boston Heights, Bowerston, Bowersville, Bowling Green, Bradner, Brady Lake, Bratenahl, Brecksville, Brecksville, Bremen, Brewster, Brice, Bridgeport, Broadview Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Brookside, Brookville, Buckeye Lake, Burlington, Burnlington, Burton, Butlerville, Cadiz, California, Camp Dennison, Campbell, Canal Fulton, Canal Winchester, Canfield, Canton, Carlisle, Carroll, Catawba, Cedarville, Centerville, Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Cheviot, Chilo, Cincinnati, Clay Center, Clayton, Clearview, Cleveland, Cleveland Heights, Cleves, Cleves, Clifton, Clinton, College Corner, Collinsville, Columbia Station, Columbus, Cortland, Corwin, Covington, Craig Beach, Custar, Cuyahoga Falls, Cuyahoga Heights, Cygnet, Dayton, Deer Park, Deersville, Dehli, Delaware, Delta, Dillonvale, Donnelsville, Dublin, East Canton, East Claridon, East Cleveland, East Sparta, Eastlake, Elmore, Elmwood Place, Elyria, Empire, Englewood, Enon, Erlanger, Euclid, Evendale, Fairborn, Fairfax, Fairfield, Fairlawn, Fairport Harbor, Fairview Park, Farmersville, Fayette, Felicity, Florence, Flushing, Forest Park, Fort Mitchell, Fort Thomas, Franklin, Freeport, Gahanna, Galena, Galloway, Garfield Heights, Garrettsville, Gates Mills, Genoa, Germantown, Girard, Glendale, Glenwillow, Golf Manor, Goshen, Grafton, Grand Rapids, Grand River, Grandview Heights, Granville, Gratiot, Green, Greenhills, Grove City, Groveport, Hanover, Harbor View, Harrisburg, Harrison, Harrisville, Hartville, Harveysburg, Haskins, Heath, Heberon, Hebron, Highland Heights, Highland Hills, Hilliard, Hills And Dales, Hiram, Holland, Holloway, Hooven, Hopedale, Hoytville, Hubbard, Huber Heights, Hudson, Hunting Valley, Independence, Irondale, Isle Saint George, Jacksonburg, Jamestown, Jerry City, Jewett, Johnstown, Kent, Kenton, Kettering, Kings Mills, Kipton, Kirkersville, Kirtland, Kirtland Hills, Lacarne, Lagrange, Lakeline, Lakemore, Lakewood, Lancaster, Latonia Lakes, Lebanon, Limaville, Lincoln Heights, Linndale, Lithopolis, Lockbourne, Lockland, London, Lorain, Lordstown, Louisville, Loveland, Loveland, Lowellville, Luckey, Lyndhurst, Lyons, Macedonia, Macedonia, Madeira, Madison, Magnetic Springs, Magnolia, Maineville, Maineville, Mansfield, Mantua, Maple Heights, Marathon, Marble Cliff, Marblehead, Mariemont, Martin, Martins Ferry, Marysville, Mason, Massillon, Maumee, Maumee, Mayfield, Mayfield Heights, Mcdonald, Medina, Medway, Melbourne, Mentor, Mentor-on-the-lake, Metamora, Metamora, Meyers Lake, Miamisburg, Miamitown, Miamiville, Middle Bass, Middleburg Heights, Middlefield, Middletown, Midway, Milford, Milford Center, Millbury, Millersport, Millville, Milton Center, Minerva, Minerva Park, Mingo Junction, Mogadore, Monclova, Monroe, Montgomery, Moraine, Moreland Hills, Morning View, Morristown, Morrow, Moscow, Mount Healthy, Mount Pleasant, Mount Sterling, Munroe Falls, Navarre, Neapolis, Neville, New Albany, New Alexandria, New Athens, New Carlisle, New Franklin, New Lebanon, New Miami, New Middletown, New Richmond, Newark, Newburgh Heights, Newbury, Newport, Newton Falls, Newtonsville, Newtown, Niles, North Baltimore, North Bend, North Canton, North College Hill, North Hampton, North Olmsted, North Perry, North Randall, North Ridgeville, North Royalton, Northfield, Northwood, Norton, Norwood, Oak Harbor, Oakwood, Oberlin, Obetz, Okeana, Olmstead Falls, Orange, Orangeville, Oregon, Oregonia, Ostrander, Ottawa Hills, Overpeck, Owensville, Oxford, Painesville, Parma, Parma Heights, Pataskala, Pemberville, Peninsula, Pepper Pike, Perry, Perrysburg, Petersburg, Pettisville, Phillipsburg, Pickerington, Plain City, Pleasant Plain, Pleasantville, Poland, Port Clinton, Portage, Powell, Powhatan Point, Put-in-bay, Ravenna, Rayland, Reading, Reminderville, Reynoldsburg, Richfield, Richmond, Richmond Heights, Richwood, Risingsun, Riverlea, Riverside, Rochester, Rocky Ridge, Rocky River, Ross, Rossford, Rushville, Saint Bernard, Saint Clairsville, Saint Louisville, Scio, Sebring, Seven Hills, Seven Mile, Shadyside, Shaker Heights, Shandon, Sharonville, Shawnee Hills, Sheffield, Sheffield Lake, Sheffield Lake, Silver Grove, Silver Lake, Silverton, Smithfield, Solon, Somerville, South Amherst, South Charleston, South Euclid, South Lebanon, South Russell, South Solon, South Vienna, Spring Valley, Springboro, Springdale, Springfield, Steubenville, Stony Ridge, Stoutsville, Stow, Stratton, Streetsboro, Strongsville, Struthers, Sugar Bush Knolls, Sugar Grove, Sunbury, Swanton, Sylvania, Tallmadge, Terrace Park, The Village Of Indian Hill, Thurston, Tiltonsville, Timberlake, Toledo, Tontogany, Toronto, Tremont City, Trenton, Triadelphia, Trotwood, Twinsburg, Union, Unionville Center, University Heights, Upper Arlington, Urbancrest, Utica, Valley Grove, Valley View, Vandalia, Verona, Waite Hill, Walbridge, Walton, Walton Hills, Warren, Warrensville Heights, Waterville, Wauseon, Wayne, Waynesburg, Waynesville, Wellington, West Chester, West Farmington, West Jefferson, West Liberty, West Millgrove, West Rushville, Westerville, Westlake, Weston, Wheeling, Whitehall, Whitehouse, Wickliffe, Wilberforce, Williamsburg, Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, Willowick, Wilmot, Windham, Wintersville, Woodmere, Wooster, Worthington, Wyoming, Xenia, Yankee Lake, Yellow Springs, Yorkville, Youngstown