Rat or other creature?

erehwon · #1 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 02:50 PM

A couple of weeks ago a hole appeared in my lawn. It was about 10ft from my back door, close to the edge of the patio. The hole was about 2in wide and went down about 6in or so. It then joined a tunnel, going off in two directions. There were no other signs of activity around and I've never seen an animal near the hole.

I decided that the hole wasn't desirable and so filled it in. Next day it was back again! So I filled it in with stones and it stayed filled in. But a few days later I found another hole right next to it!

So I have a persistent creature living just outside my back door. Whatever it is, I want to stop it creating holes in my lawn! If it's a rat then I'm prepared to use stronger measures.

Could it be anything apart from a rat? What's the best way to encourage it to move on?

Any advice is much appreciated.

eeyore · #2 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 02:57 PM

could it be a mole ? (voles/mice is another possibility if the soil is friable and thus holes likely to enlarge themselves - pictures would help in determining what it is -

Phoebe · #3 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 02:57 PM

If it is a rat, and it could be, the only consolation I can give you is that they usually only stay around for a couple of weeks, unless there is a food source for them. I know that rats don't like it too wet, that will make them move on.

You didn't mention if there was any soil around the hole from the excavation?

erehwon · #4 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 03:10 PM

There was no soil around the edge of the hole. The grass was a bit thin near the hole so the hole might have been enlarged slightly.

I forgot to say that the second hole was slightly smaller. It was made in longer grass (just longer mowed grass) and the grass doesn't seem to be disturbed - it's still covering the hole which was why I didn't spot it first.

Does this help? Do you need any more info?

Cheers.

Merrow · #5 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 03:35 PM

I'm no expert but I'd say it's a vole

erehwon · #6 (**permalink**) 01-10-2009, 05:33 PM

Hmmm... Could be a vole. After you suggested that, Merrow, I did a quick google and found that they can be elusive. How could I get rid of voles? Are they likely to disappear on their own?

Would a rat's burrow be a bit bigger? Phoebe - if it is a rat, are you suggesting a few minutes with a hose pipe to make it wet around that area of the burrow?

Ta.

Merrow · #7 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 08:45 AM

We used have voles burrowing about in our garden in England when I lived there; they didn't seem to be much of a problem really (to me). I don't know about getting rid of them; our cat used polish off a few...

TheSeagull · #8 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 11:56 AM

As far as I know you can live with voles and they do not pose any threat, unlike the rat which carry disease, to humans.

thunder · #9 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSeagull

As far as I know you can live with voles and they do not pose any threat, unlike the rat which carry disease, to humans.

I'm afraid that is not true - voles carry leptospirosis, just as rats do, and a number of other not very nice diseases.

Not trying to do the voles down, just don't want people to be complacent about the risks of small rodents.

henrya

vole-woman · #10 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 09:59 AM

I believe water voles on the continent dig up lawns and fields - I've heard they're a devil for eating bulbs - but not in this country. As eeyore says, it's most likely a bank vole.

Just out of interest, does anyone know if mice dig holes in lawns? Eg woodmice?

shirl · #11 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vole-woman

I believe water voles on the continent dig up lawns and fields - I've heard they're a devil for eating bulbs - but not in this country. As eeyore says, it's most likely a bank vole.

Too true, and they can be a problem. I did hear the other day that our water voles latin name is about to change from Arvicola terrestris, not sure when that comes in though.

Shirl

davecatt · #12 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 07:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shirl

Too true, and they can be a problem. I did hear the other day that our water voles latin name is about to change from Arvicola terrestris, not sure when that comes in though.

Shirl

according to wikipidia the watervole is no Arvicola amphibius. News to me.

Dave

rangersarah2 · #13 (**permalink**) 22-10-2009, 03:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheSeagull

As far as I know you can live with voles and they do not pose any threat, unlike the rat which carry disease, to humans.

Sorry Seagull, but I get really cross when people go on about rats and their diseases. Only around 40% of rats actually carry leptospirosis, and pretty much all wild animals carry diseases. Domestic ones do too - take the recent outbreaks at the petting farms, cats and pregnant women, and dogs causing blindness.

The reason people take so unkindly to rats is because society tells us that they are dirty and dangerous. They are exceptionally clean in their habits and are intelligent and loyal. If anyone wants to talk about things that are dirty and dangerous, perhaps they chould be talking about us.

By the way - eeyore, what a brilliant pic.

eeyore · #14 (**permalink**) 22-10-2009, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangersarah2

Sorry Seagull, but I get really cross when people go on about rats and their diseases. Only around 40% of rats actually carry leptospirosis, and pretty much all wild animals carry diseases. Domestic ones do too - take the recent outbreaks at the petting farms, cats and pregnant women, and dogs causing blindness.

The reason people take so unkindly to rats is because society tells us that they are dirty and dangerous. They are exceptionally clean in their habits and are intelligent and loyal. If anyone wants to talk about things that are dirty and dangerous, perhaps they chould be talking about us.

By the way - eeyore, what a brilliant pic.

cheers sarah - i take it from your coments that you keep pet ones , if so you may appreciate this one too

rangersarah2 · #15 (**permalink**) 22-10-2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eeyore

cheers sarah - i take it from your coments that you keep pet ones , if so you may appreciate this one too

Hi Eeyore

Sadly I don't have pet rats. Would love one, but too worried about the cats. If I could take it to work I would, but my boss is a fervent rat hater and would take great pleasure in killing it. Yours (i assume) is gorgeous. Had a mouse as a kid that I carried around in my pocket.

eeyore · #16 (**permalink**) 23-10-2009, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rangersarah2

Hi Eeyore

Sadly I don't have pet rats. Would love one, but too worried about the cats. If I could take it to work I would, but my boss is a fervent rat hater and would take great pleasure in killing it. Yours (i assume) is gorgeous. Had a mouse as a kid that I carried around in my pocket.

actually they are my sister's - that's harkness who is no longer with us i'm afraid - but she still has dibble, grub, spike, nemo, errol, fraggle, and cuthbert. you are right about their incompatibility with cats, i dont have them because they are equally incompatible with collie dogs

eeyore · #17 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 11:56 AM

you cant get rid of them as they are protected - but like merrow said , why worry they are no problem.

Its difficult to tell scale from the pic but rat holes would be a lot biggerthan a vole hole - to get a conclusive answer i'd put some bait like bird food or similar down about a foot from the hole and then watch and wait - voles and rats are hugely different so seeing the animal would solve the question.

salukiwhippet · #18 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 01:31 PM

I'd be inclined to say vole too, possibly the end of a mole run but I doubt it.

I'm 90% sure it's not a rat though!

James

vole-woman · #19 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 02:03 PM

2 inches across is too small for rat. Rats often leave spoil heaps outside their burrows, so that can be a way of telling. If it's vole (and it might well be), look carefully at the blades of grass round the burrow entrance, because they're sometimes nibbled at a slant or in a V shape.

erehwon · #20 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 05:20 PM

Thanks for everyone's help and suggestions. So it looks like the consensus is that I have a vole. Much better than a rat!

It's a bit of a pain that the hole is near the back door but I'm just happy it's not a rat. I'll be much kinder to Mr Vole!

Martin

shirl · #21 (**permalink**) 02-10-2009, 05:23 PM

I would agree it is quite small for a rat burrow, so vole would be a good guess, especially with what could be grazing around the edges. We have voles, shrews and mice in the garden and they really are not a problem and even if they were there is no way I would kill them. They are the reason we have kestrels and owls hunting in the garden.

Shirl