small unknown animal burrow in garden

[Foot Lady Kate]

We have found an animal burrow in the garden today, we have grass banking from the patio down to the lawn, the burrow is near the top of the banking.

There are no visable signs of foot prints or droppings, there are no soil mounds outside the hole. we recently filled in a hole in a flat piece of grass under the kitchen window. Again the same as above. the size of the new hole on the banking is no more than 30mm the one under the window 70mm.

Does anyone have any ideas? In the early spring we had an infestation of moles but these have now gone, we have in the past seen weasel's and field mice in the yard and we have a number of hare's and rabbits that eat the veg!

However none of the above fit the burrow/hole to me.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kate

[Foot Lady Kate]

I thougt i would take some imgaes of the burrow so that you could get a better picture of what we could be dealing with.

I have a 2 year old son so i would like to know what the animal is for peace of mind.

Thanks Kate

[vole-woman]

That one looks like mouse or bank vole. However, there's another in your images collection with a spoil heap outside that looks possibly ratty. What's the scale on that one? Could you, for instance, put your fist into it?

[Kayleigh]

Originally Posted by vole-woman

That one looks like mouse or bank vole. However, there's another in your images collection with a spoil heap outside that looks possibly ratty. What's the scale on that one? Could you, for instance, put your fist into it?

Hi Vole woman the other image is Silverman's and not FLK's so it probably is a bank vole...
It easy to make the mistake when you view similar images it happens to me all the time.

[vole-woman]

Oops, sorry for the confusion, Kate.

So not rat, which I think you were afraid of - the hole's much too small. Just a harmless wee vole, probably.

[camo]

Hi I am with you Vole Woman, bank vole, i also think there are signs of grazing around the hole.

Roy

[kiltoncomp]

Originally Posted by Kayleigh

Hi Vole woman the other image is Silverman's and not FLK's so it probably is a bank vole...
It easy to make the mistake when you view similar images it happens to me all the time.

if the hole with the spoil heap is a rats, what does the vole do with the soil it has excavated ?

there is no trace of soil outside the neat little hole it has dug,
are voles the environmentalists and rats the yobs of the wildlife world ?


Brian.

[Rob_D]

Hi Kate, I would also suggest maybe a Bank Vole. My Mum has them in her garden and despite their munching on various things, she's grown quite attached to them. They sometimes dash under the bird feeder, but don't sit out in the open.

[vole-woman]

Good question, Brian. I know with water voles, they dig up from the water (using their teeth!), and push the soil behind them. But I don't know about bank voles. Tidy little critters, anyway.