Weasel diet

[Tyto Alba]

Hello everyone, this is my first posting as I've only just found this website while searching the internet for some information on Weasels. I was wondering - do Weasels eat carrion/roadkill etc or do they only take live prey?

Hope someone can help?

Many thanks

[aeshna5]

The Handboook of British Mammals doesn't mention carrion being taken, though it says they will sometimes cache prey in times of abundance, so will eat dead rodents, etc later.

I suspect it happens very occasionally, but not often. Also a case of it not being observed easily.

[valleyforge]

In my experience neither weasels, stoats, ferrets or mink are particularly attracted to decaying flesh, all having extemely sensitive noses.

If the roadlkill was sufficiently fresh, then it is likely that some might be taken by these mustelids, particularly so whilst providing for a litter of young.

As aeshna5 has pointed out, these predators do tend to cache food, but having witnessed this practise in a rehabilitation setting, I can confirm that they never return to it, if a fresher supply of food should be presented.

From that I would conclude that dried/non-fresh/rotting meat is not too high on their favourite menus list.

I should add that we never feed roadkill to any animal in our care ... the risk of passing infection is too great to be considered practical.

[Jonathan]

Many years ago I brought a dead lamb off the hill and dumped it in a barn, intending to bury it later. Entering the barn some hours later, something dashed from the carcass and disappeared into some bales. Upon examination the lamb had a small wound just below the ear. I sat down and waited, within five minutes a dog weasel appeared and began to feed off the carcass.

Cheers
Jonathan

[Tyto Alba]

Thanks for your replies everyone, your help is appreciated.

Also valleyforge, just visited your website - what a fantastic job you do in caring for wild animals - superb work!

[thunder]

Just found a reference in "The Natural History of Weasels and Stoats" by Carolyn King. When she was studying Weasel diet by looking at scats, she put a dead white mouse in each trap, which the Weasels, which appeared to be hungry, usually ate (even if the mouse was a bit 'high') and conveniently produced a scat from a previous wild caught meal. So they will eat carrion, if hungry enough.

henrya