The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: Ghdp on February 29, 2016, 11:12:12 pm
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My fruit cage is in a sorry state courtesy of storm something or other but the sides are still fairly sound. There is a gap around the door that a rabbit or cat sized creature could get in. Yesterday I noticed a freshly dug burrow, about 20 cm high and wide ( rabbit hole size) The curious thing is that all round the hole looks like pulled rabbit fur. There is quite a bit off it but no rabbit (and no sign of rabbit carcass.) I first thought a rabbit might be pulling fur to line a nest but could not see why it would then waste it and leave it outside. That is why i thought it might be a preditor of some sort.
To day there was some droppings it was black, like a foxes but only very smalll and the size of a monkey nut shell. I have smelled fox in part of the garden recently but have not seen any. Could this be a fox hole.? How do i discourage what ever it is?
We are 100 yards or so from a water course but the fruit cage is otherwise out in the open in the middle of a grassed area.
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My first thought would be rabbits. You sometimes see Fur outside before they start breeding, clear out old and line with new.
Or maybe it was a rabbit but something, mink, ferret, etc, pulled it out and the bedding fur came out with it?
The scat is a bit tricky, have you got a photo? - although a carnivore will often deficate where it smells another animal has been so the scat is not very diagnostic.
I love an animal mystery, I'd wait and see what starts using it! - keep and eye out for some tiny footprints :). Or wild life camera?
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If your garden is anything like mine you'll have plenty of mud. Spread some round and take photos of footprints for us :excited:
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I will see what Ican find out.!
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We have mud!!