moles in the garden

[Tess]

we are having are back garden re turfed and its down to just mud at the minute......we noticed alot of cats hanging about last night and were intrigued in digging and watching the garden...woke up this morning and theres a patch of mud been raised, but its not a molehill its more like a trail of mud...(been raised from underneath)..could this be moles or even worse rats???
does anyone know, or has anyone had problems in thier garden with rats or moles and how do you get rid of them?...not sure if the gardening people will relay turf if its gets any worse
(we are only getting the garden done due to a dispute with the housing ass.cos the grass was in such a state when we moved in (brand new house)..now im wondering if it was properly laid and these pesty things have dug it up.(whoops)

[Netty]

Not sure if rats would do that ... we live near a railway line, so some people in the street did have a problem with rats a year or two ago. Pest control and environmental health sorted it, I think.

Not sure about moles to be honest. Is the turf being relaid by the housing association? I assume they would have an idea when they see it. Hopefully someone else will have some constuctive advice for you soon.

[Tess]

thanks Netty...only thought of rats because when we veiwed the house there was a dead mouse in the garden!! (and rather proud looking cat!)...the grass was sooooooooo overgrown and when we strimmed it backed it was just a mess..loads of loose soil so obv something had been running underneath it!!..dh just spoken is bil who knows a little about moles and he said it could be moles 'excavating' having a look around and seeing whats about!!
but seeing as theres no grass there (no food!) they hopefully would have decided to move on....but they are still building houses next door (a whole new estate!) so they may have been disturbed and are just using our garden as an escape route!!

[Ravenfire]

Are you sure its not where a cat has been using the garden as a toilet!! They do that then cover it. TBH cant see its could be rats or moles. If you had moles they probably would have been apparent by now. Has it rained a lot near you recently, surprising when the mud has been disturbed and then it rains what can rise to the surface we had bricks and everything in ours when it was done!

[Tess]

it was really soggy when we forst moved in and the ground seemed to be 'sinking' in places..the 'turf' just came loose when you lifted it like rolls of turf that had not been laid properly..all in one patch at the bottom of the garden...since they removed the grass (about a week ago) and made it all flat mud it does look like a trail which has been been dug from underneath..have stood on it to flatten it back down (and still got that sinking feeling ) but if it reappears i will try and take a photo...will try and google it tommorrow..thanks xxx

[Tess]

it bloody is a mole....woke up this morning to a huge molehill....

[Lemon]

Awww ... I bet he's really cute !!

[Tess]

he won't be for much longer:D

[Azzi]

Get a couple of kids windmills in your garden apparently they don't like the vibrations should move them on

[Tess]

really?
thanks i will.....been thinking about a trap but thats dangerous with ds around and its not really that nice! xx..but we have got a nice flat (muddy) garden awaiting new turf any day now!!....thanks good idea xx

[Netty]

Hope the windmills work for you (have heard before that they are supposed to.)

[Tess]

well.....:update:

the little mite has been loving it since we got new turf..dh has been on 'mole patrol'..he is obsessed with it...(even went out in the garden at first light (about 0530) for an hour waiting....he played with a 'hunting cat' at the bottom of the garden only to find the mole had been up the top end of the garden (hehehe)
never got around to getting the windmills....but someone told us to put creosalt (sp) in their trails/holes/mounds...which we done yesterday...and we bought a trap!.....
well dh has just asked me to see if the trap has sprung....IT HAS!...he wants me to lift it out and see whats in there??....ewr don't think i can!! i will probably scream!!...but it looks like we may have caught him!...i keep going out to phyc myself up for lifting it up,,but i'm such a woss!!...