Yes, groundhogs and other critters will eat melons especially if there is an opening or cut in the skin that allows the sweetness to leak out. Fencing the area is best you can also try surrounding the melons with crinkly foil that they do not like to walk upon. There is also a hose attachment called a \"scarecrow\" that will spray water when any motion is detected in its pathway. Keep growing, Marianne Binetti