AboutJonathan Wright Expertise I can answer questions about wild mammals, as well as other wild animals. I can also answer questions on extinct animals and zoos.
PLEASE DON'T SEND ME ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT PETS. IF YOU ARE REALLY WORRIED, YOU SHOULD CONTACT A VETERINARIAN. PLEASE DO NOT ASSUME THAT UNPAID PEOPLE ON ALLEXPERTS ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY AND WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH ADVICE THE MOMENT YOUR ANIMAL GETS ILL. Find out how to look after a pet before you get it. It is unfair to keep an animal in inappropriate conditions and give it the wrong food. If you can't keep an animal in good conditions, please don't bring it into your home. I'm not a vet and I don't have any expertise in animal medicine and care. I don't agree with people taking animals out of the wild and then expecting other people to give free advice on how to look after them. It is cruel to take animals away from their parents, who are able to look after the babies and may look for them, while putting their other babies at risk. You may need a licence to look after some animals. You may be breaking the law by keeping wild animals; please check with a local wildlife organisation.
IF YOU FIND AN INJURED ANIMAL, PLEASE CONTACT A WILDLIFE VETERINARIAN OR CHARITY AND LET TRAINED STAFF LOOK AFTER THE ANIMAL. DO NOT TRY TO LOOK AFTER AN INJURED ANIMAL IF YOU DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING.
Please do not remove eggs from nests. The mother birds will know the right temperature for the eggs and will not sit on them if the temperature is warm enough for them to develop naturally. It is illegal to remove eggs of some species and, unless you have an incubator or a broody hen, the egg may not develop. If you are allowed to touch the eggs, you can candle them (check details on websites) to see if the eggs are fertile. If the eggs are not fertile, they will not hatch.
I do not agree with fights between different animals. Please do not ask me questions about them.
Experience I have a zoology degree and have been interested in animals since I was two years old. I am a zoo volunteer at London Zoo. I have appeared on a BBC Radio Quiz, 'Wildbrain'.
Organizations World Wide Fund for Nature. Zoological Society of London. London Bat Group.
Publications Newsletters of London Zoo volunteers and the London Bat Group
Education/Credentials BSC degree in Zoology. 'A' levels in Zoology and Chemistry. 'O' Level in Biology.
Question I am trying to figure out which animal made a series of four burrows along one wall of my house. That wall has no human traffic along it, and no dogs. It's a garden area, and the garden plants (mostly small bushes and 4" tall ground cover) goes right up to the house. The burrow entrances are all right up against the foundation, with two along the slab of the screened-in back porch. One is under a splashblock, and one is in the corner of a chimney.
Three of the entrances are at about a 45 degree angle. All of the entrances are from three to four inches in diameter, and three of them have quite a large amount of dirt mounded outside of them (perhaps half a wheelbarrow of dirt each). The dirt has no scat that I can see, and seems freshly dug. Last summer I saw these mounds but did not look for the holes, and thought it was some of the dirt I had added around the house, and so I spread it around so that it was no longer a mound. This year the mounds are back and I discovered the holes.
I live in SouthEast Michigan, nowhere near a lake.
I have seen the following animals on my property over the last year, but not often: Opossum, Raccoon, Rat, Rabbit. I have never seen a skunk or fox.
If it's anything but the Rat, I'm going to let them live there. If it's a rat hole, I'll get rid of them. How can I determine for sure?
Answer Dear Bill
Thnak you for your question. I also wish to thank the authors of the websites I used.
I think the holes are too big to be made by rats, but I advise you to contact a local pest control officer to check the holes and determine what animal has made them.
