Forum home› Problem solving
This Forum will close on Wednesday 27 March, 2024. Please refer to the announcement on the Discussions page for further detail.

Holes in the garden

Igardener21Igardener21 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
Please help me identify these holes. Are they voles or rats? I ve put garlic pieces down the hole as I’ve read drives away voles. I noticed some of my plants are not doing well as if something is killing them off. Might be rodents eating their roots. Can you tell from these photos what rodents they are? there are a few of these holes round the garden! Thank you so much.







Posts

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    They look a bit small for rats, I would say.
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    What diameter are the holes?  It's a bit hard to tell...
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Voles I would guess.  And they probably enjoy munching on the garlic you're conveniently putting down their holes.   :D  
    Utah, USA.
  • Igardener21Igardener21 Posts: 4
    Thank you all for your replies. One of them is 3 cm in diameter, the other one is five. 
    Have been reading how to get rid of them with the less possible trouble and no poison or traps. I hope they are not rats. 
  • LiriodendronLiriodendron Posts: 8,328
    I assume that the holes extend for some distance?  We get shallow holes dug all over the place, by birds etc looking for food.

    The 5cm one is big enough to be a rat hole, but the entrance of a vole hole might just have caved in a bit.  You could try filling the holes with earth or stones and see what happens - it might have just been a speculative, visiting rodent who'll move elsewhere when it finds it's being disturbed.  And anyway, you're extremely unlikely to have a garden without rodents of one sort or another.  There are lots of them about, and we generally manage to coexist...  if voles are nibbling seedlings etc, you have to find some means of protecting them like a cold frame or a fine mesh cage.
    Since 2019 I've lived in east Clare, in the west of Ireland.
  • Igardener21Igardener21 Posts: 4
    Liriodendron, yes they look like they go some distance and there are a few smaller ones along that patch in the garden. I did block two of them and this bigger one appeared a few days later further away. 
    I ll keep blocking them. There is a field the other side of the fence, so God knows what comes in the garden.
    thank you so much for the reply.
  • bluehamster1968bluehamster1968 Posts: 32
    Recently,we've been finding roughly fist sized holes dug under the chainlink fence which separates our garden from our neighbours.Anyone have any ideas what they could be?
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Possibly rats @bluehamster1968. A photo would help though. 
    Sounds too small for rabbits. Are you near rivers or farmland etc?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bluehamster1968bluehamster1968 Posts: 32
    No,nearest river is over a mile away
Sign In or Register to comment.