How to Stop Animals From Digging Holes in Your Yard? 😤


Don’t you find it irritating when you wake up in the morning and see a hole dug in your yard by some animals and rodents? Taking care of your yard and protecting it from cavities dug mysteriously overnight by naughty creatures can be a difficult task. Want to learn how you can stop these animals from digging the hole? 

How to Stop Animals From Digging Holes

First of all, you must identify who is responsible for ruining your lawn. Finding the culprit who digs holes in your yard at night will make it easier for you to get rid of them. Let us study who all can be responsible for making holes in your beautiful garden. 


Before you move on to the techniques of getting rid of the animals who create holes, it is essential to identify the invaders. Usually, the pests that invade your lawns are voles, racoons, moles, badgers, skunks, squirrels, and foxes. 

The pests always leave some clues behind, which you can use to identify them. For example, if you see a smaller hole, then it might have been dug by some more miniature mammal, i.e. chipmunks or voles. However, if you see shallow holes, it could be skunk holes. 


Raccoons are sensible pests, and it is difficult to remove them. They act defensively when you approach them and can be dangerous for you if they have rabies. So, if you think raccoons are playing in your yard, better call wildlife control. 


One secure way to find out if your hole diggers are none other than raccoons is to find out their holes. They tear up everything that comes in their path. They carelessly plough the lawn for food by using their hands and flip the mounds of sand, soil, and grass. If you see these unusual scenes when you wake up, then the chances are that raccoons have visited your property at night. 


             Skunks are always discouraged from entering your properties. It is difficult to remove the scent of the spray they release when they are afraid. They also carry rabies, which can be transferred to you if they bite you. 


Skunks use their front claws and nose to make holes. That is why the holes are shallow and smaller in size. Skunks love consuming grubs ( larvae of beetles). So, one of the effective ways to remove skunks from your lawn is to eliminate grubs from your yard. 

  • RATS:

Other members of the rodent family that can dig holes in your yard are rats. It is not at all difficult to identify rat holes. They burrow holes to find their food, mainly under the bushes or near dense vegetation. They always follow the same path because they develop habits. They also release greasy residue, making it easier for you to know the invaders. 

  • MOLES:

Moles are fossorial creatures. Unlike other animals, they do not burrow holes for grubs or shelter for a specific period in the year but live their lives digging holes. Two types of moles can invade your property: the star-nosed mole and the eastern mole


The eastern moles dig an interconnected tunnel close to the earth’s surface whereas, deeper holes are explored in the warm climate by the star-nosed moles. The moles can do their work both in the daytime and nighttime. Remember not to use rodent-killing chemicals to remove them from your lawn because sometimes they can be ingested by your pets as well. 

Also Learn : How To Get Rid Of a Mockingbird


  • Destroying all the grubs: As already studied above, grubs attract wild animals to your lawn. So, killing grubs from your property can help you with this problem. Nematodes can be used to remove the grubs and control pests in your garden. 

Do you know what nematodes are? These are microscopic worms that help in getting rid of insects living in soil, such as grubs. Nematodes do not have any harmful impact on earth and humans. So, do not worry about using nematodes. 

  • Seeding your lawn regularly: One of the most effective ways to prevent animals from invading your garden is to create difficulties in their path of digging holes. Planting seeds in your garden at regular intervals provides your yard with more prolonged and deeper roots. This makes it challenging for rodent animals to burrow the soil. 
  • Animal trappers: Using animal trappers is another way to get rid of creatures physically from your yard. However, before buying one, you need to be sure about what invaders you will catch. Otherwise, you will end up buying the wrong trapper and waste your money. If this is not helping you, then call the wildlife controllers who are experts in this field. 
  • Building physical barriers: Constructing physical obstacles in your yard can also help you with this problem. Remember to create a barrier that is approximately 30 inches deep because pests like moles dig deep holes. You can also develop your DIY walls by using wire cages and wire mesh. After installing the fence, regularly check if your yard has any holes created by the pests or not. 
  • Get the help of vibration devices: Vibration devices can help when placed at the openings of the burrows made by pests. This will scare the creatures and eventually force them to escape because of the intolerating vibrations. However, it can work only in parts and in smaller areas. The advantage of using a vibrator is that it is environmentally friendly and possesses no harm to your pets and kids. 


Maintaining your garden requires a lot of hard work and attention. Animals are habitual to enter your yard looking for food and shelter. There are no ways to keep the pests out of your garden completely, but you can surely minimize their entry by following the above tips. Try to opt for as many natural solutions as you can to avoid harming any living creature. 

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