To ask you what is digging up my shingle….

[Coatscoatscoast]

Patio next to back door, was put in slightly raised years so it comes right up to just underneath the back doorstep. There’s a thin, maybe 5cm wide strip of shingle between patio and house. I keep finding digging in the same place, with piles of gravel thrown out. I’ve had a feel and there are no holes or gaps under the slabs so I don’t think anything is actually nesting there. And no reason for that particular spot. There’s an air brick there that they’ve uncovered but it’s intact and I plan to put mesh over it. Any ideas? I’m thinking squirrel 🐿️ or rat 🐀 but open to other suggestions as to what critters we’re hosting.

A cat digging a toilet?

Could be a 🦊

As one who dislikes the phrase 'what really boils my piss' can I propose that we all adopt this as a less vulgar and more entertaining alternative?

"You know what really digs up my shingle? Kirstie fucking Allsop's tree decorations."

Who knows? Whatever keeps digging inside my large potted tree. Keeps leaving mud on the path. I thought next door's cat, but maybe a squirrel. I've got a ring camera, but it's not picking it up.

Yep definitely squirrel or rat. On balance I’d say rat as I’ve had this exact same thing. They actually chewed some of the concrete away from around the air brick overnight one night. Unbelievable. We’d had an ongoing battle to get rid of them by that point. We used sharp wire mesh over the brick, concreted it back in, used sharp mesh under the shingle. But most importantly we got rid of everything else in the garden that made it attractive to them. Emptied water butts, no more food scraps in compost (and we only ever used to put fruit and veg on there but stopped that anyway). Cleared all the things providing cover for them down where we thought their ‘rat runs’ were. This meant moving a huge wood pile, cutting back tall wild grassy areas. And we also plugged any gaps already made under outbuildings with sharp wire mesh. Gradually we won the battle.

@TheCrenchinglyMcQuaffenBrothers this is my concern. We defo have a rat that runs across the patio occasionally. Rentakill said no sign of nesting in the garden but we are a route. We’ll likely never be rid as our neighbours have stables and chickens, we’re near water etc. I might put some sharp stuff down there.

what’s weird is that you’d think it would make noise in the night but the dog has not barked at all. And why that bit and not the bit on the other side of the door?

Glad to be of service!

There’s also a squirrel ~with a death wish~ that hangs around on the patio. So it could be him burying nuts I suppose.

The other thought I had was that it could be caused by water run off as the gutter immediately above needs clearing/fixing (we’ve not long moved in) and there’s a wet patch that runs down to that exact spot. Sometimes moss there too, that’s clearly come out of the gutter. But I’m not sure how heavy rain would need to be to have that effect!

mice can enter a house through a hole that is the size of a bic biro, so a small rat doesn't need much more, I think they are trying to get in your air brick

It could also be a hedgehog 🦔. Have you seen any poo?

The local foxes love digging in my flower pots and decorative stones. I know it's them because they also have really loud sex play games in my neighbour's decorative stones, scattering them all over the pavement.

I have not seen poo, but I have seen a hedgehog actually. Last night was one on the path.