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Wildlife, nature & conservation

Passionate about wildlife, nature and conservation? Join our community to share sightings, discuss environmental issues, and swap tips for protecting the planet and its creatures.

What could be under my shed?

54 replies

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 14:34

I believe there’s an animal/animals nesting under our shed.

I have a 9 year old jack Russell terrier who keeps going to the same spots around or shed, no barking or anything she just starts sniffing, trying to get under our shed and wagging her tail - more playful than anything which makes me think that it’s not any kind of rodent/s as I feel she’d been acting more aggressive. I also felt we’d know if there’s any kind of rat or mouse as they’d more be likely seen around our bins which is in another part of our garden.

So I assumed hedgehogs - we’ve had hedgehogs before as have the neighbours - quite common in our area. But now I have some concerns.

she will stay in the spot spot for ages just looking or trying to get under the shed (which she cannot)

there’s a very small gap at the bottom of on side of the shed which might be an entrance point however it’s quite small and can’t see how a fully grown hedgehog would’ve through it - baby hedgehogs would. We cannot see any other points but one side is against a fence and there’s a massive hedge at the back which my dog keeps trying to get into - she’s not a typical Jack Russell so struggled with any stealthiness 😂

we’ve tried looking under the shed - also had a wired camera under there connected to our phone but cannot see anything obvious - but it was hard to see much.

obviously we cannot rip the shed down and we don’t want to potentially disturb any wildlife.

we haven’t seen anything obvious sign wise. We keep meaning to check at night when anything could become more active but we end up falling sleep quite easily.

any idea? Tips?

whatever it is our dog cannot cannot get to it - yet. The gap is too small.

we’ve also tried looking in and through the actual shed - as there’s a few small gaps in the floor - damn rain.

OP posts:
MissMoneyFairy · 06/05/2026 14:46

Could be fox cubs, if your dog is trying to tell you there's something under there it could be kittens, badgers foxes. Can you use the camera at night, put some food out and see what emerges.

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 14:49

Probably rats the size of cats. We have them under our decking and they keep the dog occupied for hours on end, sniffing, digging and pouncing. 🐀🐈🐕

Purplewarrior · 06/05/2026 14:50

Rats probably

WeaselsRising · 06/05/2026 14:55

At our last house we had an enormous toad, a badger and a fox under the shed, not all at the same time.

Our ndn had a family of rats under their shed which was hilarious because they called pest control to say that WE had rats that were going into their garden. Didn't they look stupid.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 06/05/2026 14:56

Definitely rats

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 14:57

MissMoneyFairy · 06/05/2026 14:46

Could be fox cubs, if your dog is trying to tell you there's something under there it could be kittens, badgers foxes. Can you use the camera at night, put some food out and see what emerges.

But the only gap on the side on the outside of the shed is tiny?

OP posts:
Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 14:58

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 14:49

Probably rats the size of cats. We have them under our decking and they keep the dog occupied for hours on end, sniffing, digging and pouncing. 🐀🐈🐕

Does your dog act playful with them? As I assumed a terrier would be more aggressive if it was a rodent. She seems quite happy to try and see what it is and wants to play!

do they come out and go round the bins which you’d expect with rodents?

OP posts:
climbintheback · 06/05/2026 14:58

You will know if you have hogs they poop a lot small black and squitty if you know what I mean!

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:00

Was kind of hoping people would say definitely not rats as I couldn’t cope 🤣

there isn’t much gap between the shed and the base/ground either so it’s baffling!

i am still hoping it’s a hedgehog as we have had them before.

OP posts:
Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:01

Might go out and purchase a night vision camera of some kind 🤦‍♀️

OP posts:
Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 15:15

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 14:58

Does your dog act playful with them? As I assumed a terrier would be more aggressive if it was a rodent. She seems quite happy to try and see what it is and wants to play!

do they come out and go round the bins which you’d expect with rodents?

Ours is a terrier too and it’s a game for her to catch and kill any wildlife. Haven’t seen them round the wheelie bins but she catches them when they come out of the chicken enclosure. We had one in the house a while ago so we caught that in a humane trap and let it go in a forest a few miles away. It was very annoyed at being caught 😀

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:20

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 15:15

Ours is a terrier too and it’s a game for her to catch and kill any wildlife. Haven’t seen them round the wheelie bins but she catches them when they come out of the chicken enclosure. We had one in the house a while ago so we caught that in a humane trap and let it go in a forest a few miles away. It was very annoyed at being caught 😀

thanks, I would have expected more barking as she barks at every other animal.

interesting about the chicken. Can that attract rats to the area? My neighbours had chickens and ducks.

but I was always under the impression that rats always lived near streams and rivers but that’s not any water like that near us. A good mile or two away at least.

OP posts:
Sunseed · 06/05/2026 15:21

We used to have stoats under our shed.

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 15:26

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:20

thanks, I would have expected more barking as she barks at every other animal.

interesting about the chicken. Can that attract rats to the area? My neighbours had chickens and ducks.

but I was always under the impression that rats always lived near streams and rivers but that’s not any water like that near us. A good mile or two away at least.

Yes, chickens definitely attract rats as they go for the food and even sleep in the coop with the hens.

ScholesPanda · 06/05/2026 15:32

If your neighbour has chickens and ducks they will attract rats.

We had foxes and badgers (not simultaneously) under our brick shed- you wouldn't have believed they could get in and out from under it but they did.

Badgers have been driven into urban areas by the cull I think.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 06/05/2026 15:33

ScholesPanda · 06/05/2026 15:32

If your neighbour has chickens and ducks they will attract rats.

We had foxes and badgers (not simultaneously) under our brick shed- you wouldn't have believed they could get in and out from under it but they did.

Badgers have been driven into urban areas by the cull I think.

Our neighbours a couple of doors down at the back have chickens. Yes, have seen rats in my garden, cat caught 2 there.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 06/05/2026 15:35

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 15:26

Yes, chickens definitely attract rats as they go for the food and even sleep in the coop with the hens.

What?! Sleep in the coop with the hens?! I need a picture.

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 06/05/2026 15:37

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:20

thanks, I would have expected more barking as she barks at every other animal.

interesting about the chicken. Can that attract rats to the area? My neighbours had chickens and ducks.

but I was always under the impression that rats always lived near streams and rivers but that’s not any water like that near us. A good mile or two away at least.

We have an underground river but it’s near the park and there’s no streams or rivers here and yes we have rats.

RudolphTheReindeer · 06/05/2026 15:37

Mice or rats I reckon. Our neighbours cat was very interested in the underneath of our shed in the back garden. We then saw a rat round the front of the house so assumed it was that and put bait boxes around. We were later told by pest control the bait box behind the shed had mice going in it. Apparently they can tell because rats eat the bait and leave, but mice drag things in and try and nest in them. I wouldn't have minded the mice but the rats had to go.

Overallydependent · 06/05/2026 15:37

Gonnagetgoingreturnsagain · 06/05/2026 15:35

What?! Sleep in the coop with the hens?! I need a picture.

To be fair, I didn’t see them cuddled up together but the rat poo in the nest boxes showed that they were in there over night.

AltitudeCheck · 06/05/2026 15:39

You can get wildlife cameras that film at night quite cheaply. Or motion sensor solar lights Pop some cat biscuits out after dark and sit and watch/ set the camera to see what you have.

If you have kids, this is a fun alternative project
https://mammal.org.uk/blog/mammal-monitoring-methods-footprint-tunnels

Hedgehogs can get under quite small gaps, they are very flexible and and flatten to squeeze underneath gates and fences just a few inches high. They do tend to leave poop that is easy to spot.

Mammal monitoring methods: Footprint tunnels  — Mammal Society

Footprint tunnels offer an accessible and non-invasive approach to surveying the presence of hedgehogs and other small mammals in your local environment. Creating and setting footprint tunnels is a fun and educational activity that can engage the whole...

https://mammal.org.uk/blog/mammal-monitoring-methods-footprint-tunnels

Framboisery · 06/05/2026 15:41

Rats ?

Fox cubs.? We had fox cubs come out from under the shed one year.

Baby badgers.
Mices.

Usernumber36373647323 · 06/05/2026 15:44

ScholesPanda · 06/05/2026 15:32

If your neighbour has chickens and ducks they will attract rats.

We had foxes and badgers (not simultaneously) under our brick shed- you wouldn't have believed they could get in and out from under it but they did.

Badgers have been driven into urban areas by the cull I think.

crikey. I am in a semi rural area! Badgers scare me as I had to be tested for TB a year or two ago, because a relative tested positive for it (I don’t have it). Think I would prefer rats 🤣

we do see a fair few foxes around here but usually on the edges of fields whereas I’m not too close to fields!

OP posts:
FizzingAda · 06/05/2026 16:39

We're surrounded by farmland so see rats. Once I was up a ladder clean8ng the greenhouse roof and a rat came out from under our shed chased by a weasel, that caught it, they had a fight, the weasel won and dragged the rat off to eat. Amazing, it was so much smaller than the rat.
yours could be rats, hedgehogs, mice, foxes, a toad, weasels. Any identifiable poops? Or footprints?

Arcticsway · 06/05/2026 17:38

We have mice and voles under our shed (rural), there haven't been any rats under there. Our cats sit staring underneath and from time to time bring in a mouse/vole. One of our neighbours did have foxes under their shed and it was fairly obvious, you could see them coming and going.

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