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[Hilborn.E@epamail.epa.gov]

I believe the rodents I am seeing at 5 - 6" are meadow voles. My dog
killed one, so I pulled out the old field guide to identify it.

Betsy Hilborn
7a NC

I am also confused.  My cat sometimes gives me something that looks like
a chunky mouse with a stubby tail.  I had assumed they were voles.  (She
gave me a shrew once, too, but it looked quite different.)

My biggest rodent pests are chipmunks and squirrels, in that order.  I
tried setting out rat traps last year for the chipmunks with no success,
but maybe I ought to try the concrete-mixing tray (or whatever?  where
does one buy something like that?  Home Depot?)  Any advice on baiting
traps for chipmunks?

Ginda Fisher
Eastern MA, zone 6


On Apr 29, 2010, at 6:07 AM, Alan Haigh wrote:

> The correction given me about meadow vole size caused me to do a
little searching and now I'm a bit confused about my own rodents here in
southeastern NY.  I described 2 types- one slightly smaller and tan and
white and only in the 4" range that I think are meadow voles.  These
seem to be responsible for girdling trees and create runs through grass.
A little larger, maybe 4.5 inches,  with shorter tails and grey-black
fur are what I identify as my pine voles.  They come up from fairly deep
holes and kill the trees by stripping the roots of everything but the
largest wood at the center.
>
> The only difference between the references I find and what I see here
is my voles don't get 6' long if we're talking about body length.  The
reference did say that size varies with larger animals the colder the
climate.  Can anybody explain what might be the reason for the smaller
rodents in my area?  I've been trapping these animals here for 20 years
and have seen hundreds if not thousands of the animals.  If there were
any larger rodents here besides wood rats, chip monks and squirrels I
would have trapped them as well because I set both rat and mouse traps.