What dug this hole?

[chrisdb]

I went down the garden this afternoon to find a hole where I used to have some self seeded wild garlic:



The impact on the wild garlic is mostly what bothers me. If the digger had been more considerate, I wouldn't mind there being a small hole somewhere along the boundary.

I'm not entirely sure what dug underneath. We live in an urban area, so the candidates are limited. Neigbourhood cats or hedgehogs seem unlikely, but we used to have foxes passing though and the neighbour on that side has a dog. What's puzzling me is that I haven't had this problem before in the years we've lived here - if either the foxes or the dog wanted to pass, they could have done so at any time.

In any case, I've blocked the hole by burying a load of bricks there. If that gets moved, I'll put down some postcrete or concrete. What I'm not sure about is whether to try to redirect the foxes, if that's what did it. The best solution for me would be to dig a small hole somewhere more convenient instead of having the buggers digging up more plants I actually want. The issue is that by doing so, there'd also be a route out for the aforementioned neighbourhood dog.

[veggiechicken]

I'm struggling to see the "hole". Do you mean the gap beneath the wall?
There seems to be loose soil some distance from the wall. Could that mean creature was trying to dig out of your garden, rather than in?

[chrisdb]

I'm struggling to see the "hole". Do you mean the gap beneath the wall?
There seems to be loose soil some distance from the wall. Could that mean creature was trying to dig out of your garden, rather than in?

Yes, the gap. There is loose soil on my side, that's true, which maybe supports the fox theory? Digging isn't necessary to get out of our garden since we have a hedge on one side and a wooden gate to the front, so it's more likely it was trying to get in to the neighbours' than that it was somehow stuck.

[Jay-ell]

Possible that whatever dug the hole was after the wild garlic.

The botanical name for wild garlic is Allium ursinum which is an indication that it is eaten by bears.

Whilst I doubt that it was a bear it could be something else with a taste for it.

[Jungle Jane]

Is that a white brick building or just a wall with nothing behind it? I wonder if foxes are nesting under there?

[chrisdb]

They're gravel boards underneath a wooden fence. Behind them is the neighbours' garden.

[chrisdb]

Possible that whatever dug the hole was after the wild garlic.

The botanical name for wild garlic is Allium ursinum which is an indication that it is eaten by bears.

Whilst I doubt that it was a bear it could be something else with a taste for it.

The focus of the hole seems to be in the wrong place for that. It's deepest underneath the gravel board, which is not exactly where the wild garlic was. It was slightly offset from the fence and just got scraped to pieces in the process of digging.

[nickdub]

might be a Badger ?

[chrisdb]

might be a Badger ?

Do you get them in towns? I'd always regarded them as a more rural species.

[veggiechicken]

Maybe its rats?

[Jay-ell]

What else was planted around the area of the hole?

[Dynamite]

Fox for me.

Kind Regards.............Rob

[Scarlet]

Maybe its rats?

Rats make small holes usually with a mound of the excavated dirt by the side.

might be a Badger ?

My choice would be badger.

I wouldn't bother with digging in bricks as if it wants to come in it may start another hole further along the fence line. Try chicken wire to start as you would on a chicken run and see if that helps.

[nickdub]

If it is a badger it would be digging up stuff like bulbs to eat.

[Bren In Pots]

Could it be a hedgehog they can dig their way out if they can't find a place to climb out.