What’s The Difference Between Mice, Moles, Voles, and Shrews?
What’s The Difference Between Mice, Moles, Voles, and Shrews?
Mice, moles, voles, and shrews are all common small mammals that can become a nuisance for homeowners in the Westchester, NY area. It’s important to be able to tell the difference between these nuisance critters, because each creates a specific type of damage, and each may require different methods of removal.
Mice
Mice are small rodents with prominent front teeth, long tails, slender bodies, and large ears. Out of all of these animals, mice are the ones that you will find indoors the most often. Mice will raid your kitchen pantry for dry, prepackaged food, tunnel through your attic insulation, and build nests in your basement.
You can often tell if you have a mice infestation by seeing their small droppings around the house, especially in the kitchen, or smelling a strong urine odor. Gnaw marks on food packaging, baseboards and doors are also a sign of mice, as is scratching and running sounds coming from your attic space or inside your walls.
Mice can gnaw through wires and chew on wooden support beams and other structures in your home, so these rodents are most often associated with internal damage to the home, while moles, voles, and shrews are more associated with external damage to the home.
Moles
Moles are the most distinctive critter here, with cylindrical bodies, large front paws armed with long, sharp claws for digging, extremely small eyes, and no visible ears. Moles live underground, digging out large tunnels throughout your yard and feeding on earthworms, grubs, and other insects.
Moles can kill your lawn by tunneling through the soil underneath, disrupting the soil and destroying the root system of your grass. Moles can do the same inside your garden, killing vegetables as well as flowers and bushes. Unlike mice, you almost never find a mole inside your home. Some common signs of moles on your property include volcano-shaped mounds of dirt near the entrance to their tunnels, and raised ridges in the lawn that correspond to where they are digging underneath.
Voles
Voles are closely related to mice, often called “meadow mice” or “field mice”, but there are some key differences that set them apart. Voles are chubbier and stockier than mice, as opposed to the slimmer build that mice often have. While mice have long tails and big ears, voles have short tails and small ears. Mice more commonly get inside the house, but voles are commonly yard pests. Voles can live above or below ground, and stay active-year round. Voles are herbivores that feed on grass, roots, and bark. You can tell when you have a vole problem by spotting small surface runways, similar to tiny trenches, dug out through your yard. Spotting chewed bases of your plants and stripped bark can also indicate a vole problem. It’s important not to ignore voles, as they can destroy your garden and damage trees and shrubs.
Shrews
Shrews are similar to mice, but they have smaller eyes and an elongated, pointed snout. Shrews have denser fur, usually of a uniform color, either brown or gray. Shrews are more insectivorous than mice, and they are very aggressive hunters for their size. Much like moles and voles, shrews are rarely seen indoors, however, you might spot them inside garages or sheds. However, they prefer to live in leaf litter, under logs, or near foundations. Shrews are less destructive than mice, moles, or voles, but they can bite or scratch when handled.
When To Call A Wildlife Professional
If you have mice, moles, voles, or shrews causing problems on your property in the Westchester area, contact the experts at Westchester Wildlife. Our team can correctly identify the type of critter you are dealing with, and begin working on a treatment plan, and once the animals are gone, we can offer exclusion work and preventative treatments to keep them from returning. Contact our team today to get started with a FREE estimate at (800) 273-6673!
Are Groundhogs Tearing Up Your Yard? Here’s What You Can Do
Are Groundhogs Tearing Up Your Yard? Here’s What You Can Do
Are you noticing soft, weak ground in your yard, a torn-up garden, large mounds of dirt, and holes underneath your deck or porch? You might have a groundhog problem. Groundhogs are a common nuisance wildlife in the Westchester, NY area during the spring and summer. It’s important to deal with a groundhog problem as soon as possible, as their destructive burrowing and feeding habits can quickly decimate your lawn and garden. This blog can help you recognize the early signs of a groundhog problem, as well as what steps to take so you can act fast and protect your lawn.
Why Groundhogs Love Your Yard
Groundhogs love your yard because it provides them with plenty of sources of food and shelter. Groundhogs are primarily herbivores, feeding on grass, garden vegetables, fruit, flowers, and ornamental plants, however groundhogs may also eat bird eggs and insects. Either way, whether it’s from a lush vegetable garden, a bird’s nest, or some insects passing through, your yard has what groundhogs are looking for.
Your yard also provides the perfect place for groundhogs to dig out their extensive burrows. Groundhogs nest in aerated soil to create temperature regulated homes that offer protection from predators like foxes and coyotes. Groundhogs usually prefer soil that’s loose and not too rocky for their burrows, and many landscaped yards can provide them with exactly that. Digging underneath solid structures like your deck or porch provides them with more cover and protection against predators, and they can also absorb more heat from your home’s foundation this way.
Signs That You Have A Groundhog Problem
Some of the common signs that you have a groundhog problem in your yard in Westchester include:
- Burrow entrances: groundhogs leave behind large holes at the entrance to their burrows, sometimes as big as 10-12 inches wide. You might also spot mounds of dirt nearby that were kicked up by the groundhog while digging.
- Missing garden plants: groundhogs will tear through your vegetable garden, happily taking all your hard work for themselves.
- Chewed flowers: groundhogs will also chew up flowers and other ornamental plants in your yard or garden.
- Weak or soft ground: groundhogs will quite literally hollow out your yard to dig their multi-chambered burrows. The ground above a burrow can feel weak or soft, like it might cave in at any time.
- Holes near foundation, deck, porch, or shed: groundhogs like to nest underneath your home’s foundation, deck, or porch, or underneath a shed, as these structures provide greater cover. Seeing large holes in the ground near the base of these structures can be a warning sign that you have groundhogs burrowing underneath them.
The Risks of Ignoring A Groundhog Problem
Groundhogs don’t go away on their own, and if you have a groundhog problem left unchecked, it can lead to serious consequences. Groundhogs can cause structural damage to your foundation, which can lead to it cracking and settling, which can lead to other issues like water damage and termites. If groundhogs are digging underneath your deck, it can cause the deck to slowly sink into the earth. Groundhog tunnels can also lead to cave-ins, which are a serious safety hazard. If you’re walking over a groundhog tunnel when it caves in, you can trip and may hurt yourself.
If you have a flourishing vegetable garden, groundhogs can destroy your crop yields year after year if they are not dealt with. It can make all your hard work feel like it’s going to waste when a groundhog is able to steal your tomatoes or carrots before you get a chance to try them. The same goes for flower gardens, or any other ornamental plants.
Why DIY Groundhog Deterrents Often Fail
There are plenty of Do-It-Yourself deterrents for groundhogs on the market in Westchester, but some of them might not work as well as you want them to. Devices that use light, reflection, noise, or vibration might scare groundhogs off initially, but they will just come back once they realize there is no real danger. The same applies for scent-based repellents like castor oil.
Unfortunately, DIY groundhog trapping also might fail, as groundhogs are very clever, and can evade traps set by a newcomer. Novice trappers can even make it harder for professional trappers, as they might be inadvertently training groundhogs to avoid common trapping methods. Don’t worry, if DIY groundhog removal/deterrent methods fail you, Westchester Wildlife is here to help.
Who To Call To Remove A Groundhog In Westchester
If you have a groundhog nesting on your property in Westchester, your best bet is to call a professional nuisance wildlife removal service like Westchester Wildlife. Animal control will only deal with animals that are on public areas like roads or parks, or animals that pose a direct safety threat like a rabid raccoon. For animals causing a nuisance like a groundhog burrowing under your porch, call Westchester Wildlife.
Humane and Effective Groundhog Removal in Westchester
If you are noticing groundhogs tearing your garden up and destroying your lawn in Westchester, contact the professionals at Westchester Wildlife for humane, effective groundhog trapping and removal services. Our technicians have years of experience dealing with groundhogs, so you can rest assured that we can catch these clever little critters. After the groundhogs are gone, we can provide you with wildlife fencing around the perimeter of your yard, around your foundation, or underneath your deck or porch, buried a few feet deep to keep groundhogs from digging underneath it. Contact our crew to get started today with a FREE estimate at (800) 273-6673!