# Some Sort of Rodents Making Lawn Holes



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

This is coming from the rear of a property, the corner bordering two others. One of the yards hasn't been mowed most of the year.

All the holes are shallow, under 1" deep tearings through the grass. Almost like a small animal is going around sampling the surface. Or most likely going after whatever lives that shallow to feed off it. Not sure what is causing this but I've never seen any creatures out there, and it definitely isn't coming from rabbits. Their little nests are different. And rodents would probably go deeper.

Don't believe the holes would come out on a picture...

What could it be, how to treat?


----------



## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

look up moles in yard


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

MarkJames said:


> look up moles in yard


 moles go deeper, right?


----------



## MarkJames (Nov 25, 2012)

artinall said:


> moles go deeper, right?


No idea.


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

Squirrels, all over the place here


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

rrk said:


> Squirrels, all over the place here


 We have a lot too. I thought they hung around trees more. 

If it is them, how do you stop it?


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

artinall said:


> We have a lot too. I thought they hung around trees more.
> 
> If it is them, how do you stop it?


you dont, it will not be a problem by the spring


----------



## Stunt Carpenter (Dec 31, 2011)

Sounds like voles to me. We had something similar last year. A few mouse traps with peanut butter overnight.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole


----------



## overanalyze (Dec 28, 2010)

Sounds like moles. My partner gets them in his yard. See if you have grubs. The moles like the grubs. Kill the grubs and the moles eventually go away. They have spring loaded mole death traps out there too.


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

they are squirrels, on monday I will try to take a video of them on the job I am on now. holes are 2" wide and 1 1/2" deep if that. They are about 3ft apart, lawn is shady. I have been watching them from my truck while eating lunch.

Voles are about the size of a large field mouse and do not like to be out in the open.


----------



## Peter_C (Nov 26, 2014)

Chickens will tear a grassy field up looking for grubs, as do turkeys. Squirrels like planting future trees in our pots at home, along with removing a large portion of the dirt from said pot. They like to bury the future oak trees just about anywhere. 



So I am going to go with an animal. I would recommend doing nothing but enjoying having animals around. *shrugs*


----------



## Rio (Oct 13, 2009)

Skunks love grubs too...........


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

rrk said:


> they are squirrels, on monday I will try to take a video of them on the job I am on now. holes are 2" wide and 1 1/2" deep if that. They are about 3ft apart, lawn is shady. I have been watching them from my truck while eating lunch.
> 
> Voles are about the size of a large field mouse and do not like to be out in the open.


This is out in the open. Can't see where anything could be hiding unless it's under the shed.


----------



## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

So, just shallow holes dug here snd there. Nothing special, just tore up down an inch or two. The holes tend yo be in clusters.

Skunks digging up grubs.


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

Stunt Carpenter said:


> Sounds like voles to me. We had something similar last year. A few mouse traps with peanut butter overnight.
> 
> https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vole


winner winner, chicken dinner.

We have em in our yard all the time. My cats bring up to the house all the time. Ours look different than those in stunt carpenters link. Ours barely have a tail & almost no eyes.

Here's some pictures of their holes/runs
https://www.google.com/search?q=vole+hole%2Frun&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

hdavis said:


> So, just shallow holes dug here snd there. Nothing special, just tore up down an inch or two. The holes tend yo be in clusters.
> 
> Skunks digging up grubs.


Not saying this is wrong, but where I've seen skunk activity, they do a lot more ground destruction than what the OP is describing. They'll tear up large areas of yard digging for worms & grubs.


----------



## hdavis (Feb 14, 2012)

pinwheel said:


> Not saying this is wrong, but where I've seen skunk activity, they do a lot more ground destruction than what the OP is describing. They'll tear up large areas of yard digging for worms & grubs.



I've seen both, I'm not sure why. Could have something to do with what they're after?

Tough to do much with the description.


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

We normally see voles in pachysandra under the leaves eating at the roots and stems


----------



## pinwheel (Dec 7, 2009)

rrk said:


> We normally see voles in pachysandra under the leaves eating at the roots and stems


Every spring, it's easy to see their runs in my yard. They run under the grass. 50 yd long runs with holes along the way. Not as easy to see them in the summer because the grass is growing. I live in the country, so they're everywhere out here.


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

pinwheel said:


> Every spring, it's easy to see their runs in my yard. They run under the grass. 50 yd long runs with holes along the way. Not as easy to see them in the summer because the grass is growing. I live in the country, so they're everywhere out here.


the runs can be easily seen now that the grass has slowed down but if he cant see them then it is a squirrel problem like I have seen.


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

rrk said:


> the runs can be easily seen now that the grass has slowed down but if he cant see them then it is a squirrel problem like I have seen.


 See no runs. I need a camera out there.


----------



## rrk (Apr 22, 2012)

Ground hog day 2


----------



## 91782 (Sep 6, 2012)

My back yard is a criss-cross of lumpy lines made by moles/voles/whatever.

Cannot take a step without landing on a soft spot.

It is comforting to know that occasionally, one of my tractor tires may crush an unfortunate tunnel rat.


----------



## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

I have squirrels, moles and chipmunks. Squirrels just make a mess with nuts, mole leave runs and mounds of dirt, chipmunks leave holes.

I quit using grub control because I never figured out if it was safe for my dog. I've only killed one while drinking a beer with a pitchfork in my other hand. Chipmunks I used to trap but that's a full time job.

Thinking of cutting down a hickory tree but these might not hang around any longer.


----------



## Idothat (May 19, 2018)

avenge said:


> I have squirrels, moles and chipmunks. Squirrels just make a mess with nuts, mole leave runs and mounds of dirt, chipmunks leave holes.
> 
> I quit using grub control because I never figured out if it was safe for my dog. I've only killed one while drinking a beer with a pitchfork in my other hand. Chipmunks I used to trap but that's a full time job.
> 
> Thinking of cutting down a hickory tree but these might not hang around any longer.


Looks like gentrification has come to the hickory tree , expect higher property taxes


----------



## avenge (Sep 25, 2008)

Idothat said:


> Looks like gentrification has come to the hickory tree , expect higher property taxes


My HOA fees have already increased 500 percent in 4 years so there's that.


----------



## Idothat (May 19, 2018)

avenge said:


> My HOA fees have already increased 500 percent in 4 years so there's that.


I knew it,...next there will be craft beer pubs and , upscale restaurants with snooty waitstaff , and all the old factories will be condominiums 

Then ( gasp ) Starbucks


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

late pics, of only a sample - basically they, he, or she is churning up a widening section of the lawn.


----------



## artinall (Aug 14, 2007)

As a follow up (11.3.19) the rodents simply left on their own this year.

Can't even tell.


----------



## ct123123 (Nov 27, 2018)

I think it's just squirrels too. Moles make tunnels not like that. 

That looks like a squirrel is getting ready to 'squirrel away' acorns and nuts etc. Maybe it's a decoy for competition since they're empty holes, or maybe if you dig a bit you'll find acorns etc if they're falling yet there.

That's what squirrels do, they eat what they can but so many acorns etc fall from trees so they hide them in the ground to eat later.


----------



## bocklejohn (Nov 24, 2020)

whoops i misread something and made a post. not sure how to delete it! haha my bad i'll leave this here. maybe ill give someone a laugh?


----------



## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

It is defiantly a mongoose or maybe more than one making it mongeese,,,


----------

