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Gardening

Find tips and tricks to make your garden or allotment flourish on our Gardening forum.

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Original poster

What animal does this to the lawn?

29 replies

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 21:51

Just got back from a week away to discover some animal has dug little holes all over our lawn. They are about teacup to cereal bowl sized holes in the ground, clearly dug out by an animal with quite large paws as the grass has been spread around quite a bit. So far, someone has suggested squirrels digging for roots, but we don't particularly have many squirrels round here. Any other suggestions?

Needlesstosay, the cats have been brought back from the cattery with strict instructions to patrol the garden all night and apprehend the offenders!

OP posts:

Rhubarb · 03/06/2006 21:51

moles

KommandantColditz · 03/06/2006 21:51

A stray dog? rabbits?

southeastastra · 03/06/2006 21:54

cats?

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 21:55

Definitely not moles as I know they leave heaps on top of the hole and there is no heap of earth. We do have a fox that visits, but it has never done this before. Rabbits? I have no idea. We are next to a small stream if that helps anyone. I have seen a dead rat next to the stream so there must be plenty of live one about, but they dont dig do they?

OP posts:

Rhubarb · 03/06/2006 21:55

yes, rats dig

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 21:55

What for?

OP posts:

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 21:56

I mean, what would rats be digging for? And why is it only in the lawn, not in the borders?

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Rhubarb · 03/06/2006 21:56

dh says they dig esp in summer. He doesn't know why, nests possibly. He's lived on a farm.

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 21:58

Well I hope in a way it is rats as then the cats will be able to deal with them.

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Alipiggie · 03/06/2006 21:59

Definitely sounds like rodents of some description. Squirrels normally make smaller holes so go along with the theory that it's rats.

liath · 03/06/2006 22:00

Squirrels do this to ours.

I hate the b*startd, with their twitchy noses and furry tails.

Have a supersoaker on standby to go out and get the little f*ckers.

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 03/06/2006 22:03

I really haven't seen a squirrel in our garden since we moved here a year ago, only one down the stream a bit. Our last garden had loads of squirrels but no holes in the lawn.

I feel it is significant that the holes appeared this week when we (and our cats) were away. If I leave the cats out tonight, would they be able to deal with the offenders?

OP posts:

PanicPants · 03/06/2006 22:03

Dig up one of the holes and see if you can find a nut or something similiar as squirrals will be burying nuts/fruits and seeds ready for the winter.

They do this to my sisters flower pots - drives her mad!

liath · 03/06/2006 22:06

Panicpants - I got willow hoops to stick in my pots (at the same time as I was ordering my slug beer traps - my garden is a zero tolerance area for pests, LOL) and they really do work!! Dead cheap too.

PanicPants · 03/06/2006 22:24

liath - i'll do that to my pots, but won't tell my sister :o

Dp says it's rats at that size. Are they by a compost heap?

tatt · 03/06/2006 23:01

badgers? They dig for insects although often bigger holes.

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 04/06/2006 09:59

Holes are not by compost heap, they are scattered across the lawn although mainly in one part. I left the cats out last night and told them to do their duty and apparently there was a dead mouse on the patio this morning, but nothing larger.

Our first insticnt was to say badgers, but I imagine, looking at the hole sizes, that it was something smaller than that.

OP posts:

hasbean · 04/06/2006 10:04

My first thought would be badgers as well, they do do this kind of damage I had to do out with a orch onenight to see it for myself- It was lovely to see a badger family on the lawn but not the damege! Foxes will also dig for worms / insects and could be responsible

SoupDragon · 04/06/2006 10:09

Badger. Definitely. They dig for grubs in the soil.

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 04/06/2006 10:18

oh So a couple of wussy cats aren't going to cut the mustard with badgers are they?

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SoupDragon · 04/06/2006 10:20

Probably not! You never know though.

PrincessPeaHead · 04/06/2006 21:27

most of the damage we get like this is foxes - look around and see if you can see any fox spoor around.

could be badgers but IMO if they do dig they make a bit more damage than that.

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 04/06/2006 21:33

I am wavering between foxes and badgers. I can believe it is a fox as i have seen one several times in our garden (a beast of an animal I have to say) whereas I have not seen a badger, but then, as we border a stream and the stream leads dwon to open countryside, I guess anything could be lurking there....

So what are foxes digging for then?

OP posts:

southeastastra · 04/06/2006 21:49

dont they dig to hide their poos like cats?

Original poster

DumbledoresGirl · 04/06/2006 21:51

In lawn? There is no evidence of any covering up going on. Just holes the size of teacups but sort of tapering at the bottom and grass ripped out at the roots and scattered around IYSWIM.

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