would any of you be able to...

autumn wren

Would any of you be able to tell what type of rodent/animal has been digging in my flower beds based of a picture on the hole? I know that probably sounds crazy, but I know some people can recognize such things by the pattern of dirt around the entry and the depth of the hole. We have never ever had issues with digging or burrowing pests (besides our dogs, haha). I walked outside today to water the flowers earlier and noticed this:

http://tinyurl.com/3hzfue9 (The mess all over the steps right by the hole)

http://tinyurl.com/3o2tfxy (The hole itself...not deep at all. That's a rock at the bottom, not an egg haha)

http://tinyurl.com/3flagnz (Another picture of the hole...if you look closely, it looks like claw marks or something at the entry)

http://tinyurl.com/3jwsd74  (This shows the mess of dirt thrown everywhere and weird patterns in the dirt...no foot/paw prints, just this)

 

I know it's a long-shot to ask, but I figured I would try. I live in northern Alabama. Any ideas? Thanks in advance, even if you have no clue! haha

~NB~

Yowza. Looks big! Maybe a skunk or a groundhog. You don't have armadillo there, do you?

autumn wren

Yes, we do have armadillos, but I've never seen one just wandering around in neighborhoods or anything. I thought maybe a squirrell, but it is a larger hole. Maybe a mole? I want to figure it out and nip it in the bud...I'm about to plant a garden and would rather not have my vegetables uprooted haha. Maybe my husband will be able to tell when he gets home.

~NB~

It has to be somewhat hefty to fling dirt that far and leave big claw marks... badger? Like badger or skunk... it's not my area of expertise but I'm gonna guess a large weasel-family creature. Armadillos and groundhogs dig, but don't fling dirt all over the place that way, as far as I know. Maybe someone else will chime in.

TootsieK

Are you sure it's not a dog?

autumn wren

No, I'm not sure at all. But there were no footprints, and with the amount of dirt around it, I would expect a few.

gibbonlove

Check out this site.

 http://icwdm.org/inspection/groundholes.asp

It looks like maybe a badger or fox, but because it's against the brick wall/corner like that, I'm thinking dog.

Magdala9

Foxes will burrow into a corner in a residential area.  They just prefer something more private.   Our local pest control will come on a visit if we schedule one.