Anyone know what this is?

[Dailypix]

How big is the larger mesh in the pic?
Guessing it's 2x4?
It's got rather large ears...but pic is not too clear when zoomed in.

The large mesh there is about 2" x 4" so the critter is about 3". The wide-angle camera gives a distortion so things close to the camera look larger than they are. I had some clearer shots of it. I think it is a vole as there are a number of trails all over our garden. The game cameras caught a few last winter. I suppose the only risk is that they are very hungry grain eaters. Also they are good diggers and their burrows open doors for other critters like mice. This one seems to have got in however through a small space between two layers of the 1/2 inch hardware mesh. I spent a day going over the run microscopically sewing everything together with leftover electrical wire. Still the night vision camera catches mice that come out about 45 seconds after the girls retire for the night.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

But could eat chicks and eggs?.....and will reproduce prolifically and eat all your chicken feed.

I am not sure about this species of rat, but rats in general urinate on your chicken feed to make it unfit for a chicken to eat while leaving it palatable to a rat.

 

[aart]

The large mesh there is about 2" x 4" so the critter is about 3". The wide-angle camera gives a distortion so things close to the camera look larger than they are. I had some clearer shots of it. I think it is a vole as there are a number of trails all over our garden. The game cameras caught a few last winter. I suppose the only risk is that they are very hungry grain eaters. Also they are good diggers and their burrows open doors for other critters like mice. This one seems to have got in however through a small space between two layers of the 1/2 inch hardware mesh. I spent a day going over the run microscopically sewing everything together with leftover electrical wire. Still the night vision camera catches mice that come out about 45 seconds after the girls retire for the night.

Voles generally stay underground and are pretty tiny...I'd guess that's some kind of mouse, but there's all kinds of rodents and most like them some grains.
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Keeping feed and feeder contained at night helps.
I keep trap set all the time.

 

[mosse71]

voles up here are bigger than a mouse but smaller than a rat and have a tiny tail w/ small ears.

 

[aart]

voles up here are bigger than a mouse but smaller than a rat and have a tiny tail w/ small ears.

Guess it depends on species, there are lots of different kinds....but yes, shorter tails!

 

[llombardo]

I'm going to watch the video again but did anyone else see a second something in there? I swear I did. I didn't even see the one in question until more then half way through.

 

[llombardo]

So in the time frame of the picture I snapped look directly in the middle of the branch roost, where its lighter ground cover. You can see the eyes then it runs. Or am I just seeing things?

 

[KitCO]

So in the time frame of the picture I snapped look directly in the middle of the branch roost, where its lighter ground cover. You can see the eyes then it runs. Or am I just seeing things?

View attachment 1530873

View attachment 1530876

Yes, there are definitely more rodents running around.

 

[KitCO]

I'm not sure where you are located, but it looks like a kangaroo rat.