When diagnosing animal damage or problems, you should look for signs left by the animal. Almost all animals leave signs. Some are more obvious, and some are easier to identify, but the sign is usually there somewhere.
Droppings are often readily observed, especially for mammals. Fresh droppings are black, shiny and moist. Old droppings are dry, brown or gray. Black and white droppings could be from a bird, snake or lizard. Size is important for identification. Rats, mice, chipmunks and toads leave droppings the size of a rice grain. Rabbit droppings are pea size and usually brown. Deer droppings are large ovals and could be deposited loosely or in a large clump, depending on diet. Even in a clump, individual pellets can be easily recognized.
Digging is another obvious sign of animal damage. Here again, there are important clues to identify the culprit. The diameter of the hole is a clue to the size of the animal. If a dirt mound is present, this could be a sign of a woodchuck, turtle, armadillo or coyote. If a dirt mound is not present, this could indicate a chipmunk, skunk, mole or vole. Armadillos dig an inverted, cone-shaped hole, 3 to 4 inches deep and 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Tunnels in the dirt but near the surface are likely from a mole or vole. Remember, moles eat insects, earthworms or grubs. Voles eat plants and plant parts like bulbs, roots, tubers or bark.
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