Animal Burrow Identification - Ask Extension
I'm in a new home for 4 years. It is next to a wooded area. I'm familiar groundhog behavior from my previous home. What I see now, for the first ti...
Knowledgebase
Animal Burrow Identification #870665
Asked May 29, 2024, 8:51 PM EDT
I'm in a new home for 4 years. It is next to a wooded area. I'm familiar groundhog behavior from my previous home. What I see now, for the first time, next to the foundation seems to be something different. The first photo shows the initial dig. The hole is not deep, 6-8 inches. A few days later, the next photo, shows that pine needles were added to the hole. Do you have a guess what animal is doing this? Thank you.
Sussex County Delaware
Expert Response
The hole is too narrow for a groundhog, and also looks too narrow for a rabbit. But it would be the perfect size and depth for a vole. They dig a shallow hole about 1-2" wide possible 4-6" deep and then cover it with grass and pine needles. They can have up to 5 litters a year and are a fairly short lived animal.
Here is a link to a publication with the life cycle of voles and their control listed:
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/vole-damage
Have you peeked under the pine needles? If you touched the hole the critter may have decided to go elsewhere if your scent was near the hole, but it may have babies in it that will be about the size of your pinky fingernail. Don't lift the covering with your hand, use a rake. We have had a few helpline calls about voles this year, even though we did not have a snowy winter.
If you are near a pond or body of water, ducks will also build a pine needle nest at this time. But they just dig depressions, not holes, and look for some cover, like behind a bush. They do like to have their backs up against a foundation though.
Here is a link to a publication with the life cycle of voles and their control listed:
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/vole-damage
Have you peeked under the pine needles? If you touched the hole the critter may have decided to go elsewhere if your scent was near the hole, but it may have babies in it that will be about the size of your pinky fingernail. Don't lift the covering with your hand, use a rake. We have had a few helpline calls about voles this year, even though we did not have a snowy winter.
If you are near a pond or body of water, ducks will also build a pine needle nest at this time. But they just dig depressions, not holes, and look for some cover, like behind a bush. They do like to have their backs up against a foundation though.
