What animal dug this burrow?

[rod5591]

It is close to my chicken yard, on the other side of an old dog kennel. I just saw it yesterday. My dogs have been paying attention to the dog kennel for a couple of days now. The wood on top is an old pallet laying on its side. Measurement is 4 inches. Fresh dug dirt is at the entrance. What dug this burrow. I am in central Tennessee.

 

[paneubert]

Could be anything. Rats make holes that large. But so do many other animals. Lift the pallet and see if you can follow the trail.

 

[Compost King]

I found rats and Possums in the burrows like that I had.

 

[PattyNH]

I'd move the pallet and see what I could find- animal, hair, track... Could you put out a have-a-heart trap?

 

[rod5591]

I have a live catch trap out now, it will catch a possum but a rat can squeeze out of the 1 x 1 steel mesh.

I didn't consider a rat cause I never heard of them burrowing into the ground, leaving earth trailings outside the burrow. I will move the pallet tomorrow and see what is there.

 

[Chickassan]

I'm betting groundhog, maybe skunk.

 

[Kessel23]

I have some rat burrows by my coop, they look just like that except the soil is much darker but that must be because of the location. I can't take any pictures of them right now because it is dark but I set a trail camera up in front of the hole and got this-

The hole is right next to that 4x4 and goes underneath the coop. I have trapped 1 rat so far. I thought that was it because I did not catch anymore on camera or in traps for a few days but more burrows have started to pop up so there must be more, I have the camera set up tonight.

 

[Kessel23]

4 inches sounds a little big, I will measure mine tomorrow. 4 inches is to small for a groundhog.

 

[aart]

4 inches is to small for a groundhog.

For sure.

I have a live catch trap out now, it will catch a possum but a rat can squeeze out of the 1 x 1 steel mesh.

I didn't consider a rat cause I never heard of them burrowing into the ground, leaving earth trailings outside the burrow. I will move the pallet tomorrow and see what is there.

Put out a rat trap instead.

 

[rod5591]

2 Rat traps are deployed along with the live catch trap. We’ll see what the morning brings.