What animal is doing this?

welshcake · 9 January

I noticed a hole appear in my garden lawn and am concerned it might be a rat burrow 😱 It's about 5cm wide and I've poked a stick down a bit of it and it definitely seems to go beyond just a surface hole. I've also noticed there are loads of animal droppings in the area which may or may not be connected. I've tried to identify the droppings online but are not sure if they are rats due to the larger size and shape.

Just in case it's some other animal that I wouldn't want to discourage from the garden, I wanted to see if anyone can offer any advice on what it might be? I wouldn't put poison down anyway but would potentially flush out the hole (or get my husband too because I'd be too terrified about a rat coming out!) and block it up to prevent re-entry. The grass is very overgrown in that area (it hasn't stopped growing all winter and is too wet to mow) but we could strim it to act as another deterrent.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/xw/g9sewuh2p0lx.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/01/vwg3nmyaebtz.jpg

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/6030279/uploads/editor/bu/igv51esihlvx.jpg

bertrand-mabel · 9 January

The droppings aren't rat. Could be pigeons. The hole though could be rat. Some people have tried using a hose and flushing water down the hole. Don't know if that is effective.
Others may have better ideas.

philippasmith2 · 9 January

The pic with the ruler looks similar to Hedgehog ( some are still around despite the weather ) but the other droppings aren't clear enough to tell for sure. Bird droppings will usually have white blobs ( urea ).
Agree they aren't rat droppings - they are usually much smoother than shown.

welshcake · 9 January

Thanks both, I've very relieved you don't think it's rat droppings either! There are plenty of wood pigeons in and out of the garden at the moment and they often fly in that area so it could be them leaving the droppings or like you say Phillipa, there could still be hedgehogs around. I had a trail camera for Christmas so I've set that up this afternoon in that area and will see if it picks up anything. I think I'll get the hubby to hose out the hole on the weekend anyway....when I am standing far away 😁😁

Dovefromabove · 9 January

Pretty sure those are pigeon droppings.

If you’ve ever met Guinea pigs, rat droppings are very similar to theirs.

Just a thought … are you close to water? If so it could be a water vole hole … they tend to have one hole to their burrow in the river bank and one further ‘inland’. If you’ve had floods like we have in this region, river levels will have risen and water voles may have had to seek new homes.

Rubytoo · 9 January

I just want to say... no way its that a rat hole.
Do not flush a vole hole, they are not a problem and if anything should be encouraged.

For example a rat hole, an average person, not fat nor thin could get their hand /wrist into a rat hole. That looks tiny with grass stems in comparison around it.

The poops look like birds of some kind .

CatDouch · 9 January

I also agree that that doesn’t look like a rat hole … I’ve had a couple of rat holes/entrances to burrows in my garden and the holes have always had a fan shaped mound of earth around the outside and like @Rubytoo says they are bigger.

Dovefromabove · 10 January

Yes I agree … rat holes usually have the soil fanning outside the entrance.

punkdoc · 10 January

Looks like Voles to me, I have lots, but also have Rats, which look different.

welshcake · 10 January

Thank you all for your reassurances it's not a rat hole. I do encourage and support wildlife in the garden and appreciate that rats are everywhere but I don't want them moving in🤣 I did do some research before posting and read quite a bit that vole holes often get mistaken for rat holes. However, although we're semi-rural, we're not anywhere nears rivers/water so I assumed it couldn't be voles. I didn't realise there are also field voles so it would make sense to be them.

I would have only flushed the hole if it was rats, to move them along before filling it it in so that's why I wanted to check here first. You are all so knowledgeable and helpful in this group! We have various birds of prey in the area, and I regularly see a sparrow hawk on my fence so I'm sure they'll keep the population down if it grows too big!

Dovefromabove · 10 January

Where there are bank/field voles there are very likely to be kestrels and owls … keep your eyes open for them 😊

What animal is doing this?

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