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Are there mounds of dirt in your grass? Did animal holes show up overnight in your yard? Is something chewing up your garden?
Discovering a yard full of holes and tunnels is not only a frustrating and unsightly tripping hazard, but it can also lead you to speculate which type of burrowing animal is responsible for tearing up your lawn and garden. While most well-known burrowers are mammals like moles, gophers, chipmunks, and groundhogs, not all of them live in Florida.
What Animals Dig Holes in the Yard in Orlando
Many small animals dig holes in the ground, but when it comes to burrowing in residential lawns and gardens, these animals are the usual suspects.
Moles
Subterranean mammals, moles travel through complex underground tunnel systems in order to catch earthworms and insects. If you see long, stretching mounds snaking through your yard, then moles are the likely culprit.
Pocket Gophers
Orlando’s sandy soils provide suitable habitat for pocket gophers. The most obvious sign of a pocket gopher infestation is crescent-shaped or fan-shaped mounds of loose sand. Unlike moles, pocket gophers usually keep tunnel openings plugged with soil. Their tunnel systems can extend hundreds of feet underground.
The Difference Between Moles and Gophers
While both rodents are furry, similar in appearance, and produce large piles of dirt on your grass, there are ways to tell the two apart. The ways in which moles and gophers differ include:
- Tunnel Systems –The tunnel system for moles usually runs 16 to 18 inches deep, while gopher tunnel systems are shallower and 2 inches in diameter.
- Size –At six to eight inches long, moles are the smaller rodent. Gophers, on the other hand, range from five to 14 inches long.
- Appearance –Moles have a pointed and hairless nose with small eyes, big paws, and webbed toes on their front legs. Gophers, however, have prominent incisors and close their lips behind their teeth.
- What They Eat –The diet of a gopher includes plants and vegetables, while moles eat insects. This is a key way to tell which rodent is damaging your yard.
- How They Dig –Moles dig into the ground, creating a circular, cone-shaped hole with no regard for whether or not it closes behind them. Gopher hills are typically crescent-shaped with an intentionally closed hole.
Problems Caused by Moles and Gophers
The damage from burrowing and digging generally outweighs immediate hazards, such as getting bitten or diseases they may carry. They often uproot grass and create mounds, ridges, and tunnels in yards, flowerbeds, and gardens. Other rodents use these tunnels and often eat exposed plant roots in a garden or flowerbed.
When these tunnels go under parts of your house, it becomes a big issue. The burrows can undermine foundations, sidewalks, or driveways, and sheds or porches, which can lead to significant structural damage.
Other Burrowing Critters in Orlando
Norway Rats
Also called the brown rat, this is the most notorious rodent in New Jersey. They are large, growing to around 16 inches long (tail included—their bodies are around 9.5 inches), with males typically weighing around 1.25 pounds. Norway rats only require about an ounce of food and water each day to survive.
Norway rats usually construct nests in below-ground burrows or at ground level. In the yard, they typically dig shallow burrow systems under sheds, decks, woodpiles, retaining walls, and thick vegetation. Burrow holes are about 2–4 inches wide near structures, woodpiles, dense shrubs, or along fence lines.
Armadillos
While they do not burrow underground, armadillos are known to dig up yards and gardens. These wild mammals use their sharp claws to dig as they root for grubs and insects. Deep claw marks in flower beds are a sure sign of an armadillo invasion.
Rabbits
Except cottontails, all rabbits live in underground burrows that provide shelter from predators. These underground homes can create sinkholes or destroy your lawn. If you spot deep pockets along the edges of your lawn, then bunnies are to blame.
How to Stop Animals from Digging Up Your Yard
For the home DIYer, Moles, groundhogs, and armadillos are difficult to remove. Repellents don’t really work, and their tunnels are designed to avoid detection. It’s easy to target abandoned tunnels, wasting time, energy, and money. The experts at Critter Control have the training to remove the critter in your yard and the Orlando experience to do it quickly.
- Inspection & Identification
We identify the main runways and molehills. - Animal Trapping & Removal
Safe, effective, and compliant with wildlife laws. - Exclusions & Prevention
Protecting your garden beds and landscaping. - Maintenance for Control
Because these animals are territorial, you need maintenance to stop future infestations.
How to Prevent Underground Pests in Orlando
One option to prevent wildlife from entering and destroying your property with their destructive digging is to create a fenced barrier around your yard’s perimeter. The slick texture of vinyl fences can prevent wildlife from scaling their tall sides, while the narrow slots of mesh-wire fencing work best to keep pests from squeezing through. Be sure to bury the fencing 6 to 10 inches below ground to prevent wildlife from digging beneath it. While perimeter fencing can deter wildlife, it can be an expensive investment and often requires approval from Homeowners Associations before installation.
Stop Animals from Digging Up My Yard with Critter Control® of Orlando
Critter Control® of Orlando has over 30 years of wildlife management experience and is fully licensed and trained in all types of animal removal. Our expert technicians will identify your pest, safely and humanely remove it from your property, and seal off entry points to prevent it from returning. For more information about our services, call us today at 407-410-4285 to schedule a consultation and receive a free wildlife removal estimate.
Why Choose Critter Control® of Orlando?
40+ Years of Wildlife Control Expertise
☑ Licensed & Insured Wildlife Removal Professionals
☑Safe, Humane, & Environmentally Responsible Methods
☑100% Customer Satisfaction Guarantee
Get them out.
Keep them out.®
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Experience a wildlife or pest issue? We can help! Complete this form, and your local Critter Control® office will contact you to assist.