Porcupines

Quick Key Points

• Porcupines do not hibernate in the winter and are more frequently seen at night as they are primarily nocturnal, resting in trees during daylight hours.
• A threatened porcupine will vocalize, display their quills and chatter their teeth.
• They cannot throw their quills, so they can only be embedded if you are close enough to be slapped by their tail.

What Are Porcupines?

Porcupines are part of the rodent family and are commonly found throughout Alberta. They do not hibernate in the winter and are more frequently seen at night as they are primarily nocturnal, resting in trees during daylight hours (yes, they are climbers!).

A threatened porcupine will vocalize, display their quills and chatter their teeth. They cannot throw their quills, so they can only be embedded if you are close enough to be slapped by their tail. If you encounter a threatened porcupine, keep a safe distance and leave the area slowly.

In winter, porcupines may feed extensively on woody plants to sharpen their teeth, much like beavers. They primarily eat plants, leaves and inner tree bark and are fond of spruce, pine, poplar, elm, fruit trees and many different shrubs. It is likely they will enter your yard to chew on any trees and shrubs.

Porcupines also like salt and salt residue and may chew on leather items or even the brake lines of vehicles.

Porcupines and You

Keep porcupines out of your yard and prevent property damage by doing the following:

• Protect your trees and gardens by using fencing or aluminum flashing at least 30 inches high to prevent climbing and chewing. Exclusion fencing can be used in other areas you wish to protect.
• Block all potential entrances or access holes to sheds to prevent damage to beams.
• Keep tools and leather goods locked away.

Pets

If you own a dog, check to make sure your yard is completely sealed so your pet does not have an accidental run-in with a porcupine. It is also important to keep your dog on-leash unless in one of the City’s two dog parks or other designated off-leash areas. All dogs must be leashed on or within one metre of trails, including trails in an off-leash area. Many of the City’s trails are near ravines and wooded areas where porcupines frequent.

Wild About Wildlife Information Session

Presenter and animal control specialist, Bill Abercrombie, shares tips to manage wildlife on private property and best practices for reducing human-wildlife conflict. Fish and Wildlife was also online to answer questions about provincial involvement with wildlife.

The following topics were discussed: 

• Pest species (raccoons, squirrels, skunks, porcupines and rodents) 
• Ungulates (moose and deer) 
• Foxesand badgers 

Watch the video below!

For more details on porcupine behaviour and prevention tips for your property, visit Alberta Environment and Parks

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Related Pages

City Wildlife ›

Reporting Injured or Aggressive Wildlife ›

Wildlife Monitoring ›