Shrews are miniature animals that are often confused with common vole mice. If you look closely, you can find a lot of differences, and the damage caused by shrews is much greater than from rodents.
The photo shrew will help to identify the species of the pest on your site. You can find out how to get rid of it in the article on methods of dealing with these animals.
Harm or benefit of a shrew in the garden
Shrews are characterized by a very fast metabolism, so the animal is constantly in search of food and is active around the clock. The shrew can be safely called a rather fierce predator that feeds on various insects and their larvae. In the garden in a day, he destroys the number of pests, several times higher than his own weight.
It would be worth recognizing this animal as useful if, in search of food, the shrew did not dig a huge number of underground passages. In search of larvae, the animal gnaws at all the roots and root crops that are found along the route. In a matter of days, an even green lawn can turn into heaps of earth and bumps. Although it is worth noting that the moves improve the aeration of the soil if something remains on it to grow.
In most cases, control of the shrew is necessary. Spoiled lawns and destroyed crops negate all the benefits that the animal brings.
Why fight?
Sorry shrew eats not only harmful insects like caterpillars, beetles and others. She digs in the ground with her oblong nose, gnaws carrots, beets, etc. from which the plants begin to wither. Breaking through the passages spoils the roots of peppers, strawberries, tomatoesdo not give up the seeds of cultivated plants. It spoils the beautiful view of the lawn and flower beds. Their sense of smell and touch is very well developed, one more ability is echolocation.
IMPORTANT! Pests do not live long - only 1.5-2 years, but female droppings reach up to 14 pcs. on a scale of about 40 pieces per hectare.
Chemical method of dealing with a shrew in a garden plot
It is not very humane to use poison and you need to resort to it last, but there is effectiveness from the use. Purchase poison for mice or poisonous food such as "Rat Death", "Nutcracker", "Anti-Rodent Hunter". It must be poured into each hole or spread out near the entrance to the dwelling.
Poisonous gases or gas bombs, but if the tunnel is branched, then the small pest will simply run away. Therefore, you need to use it immediately, as soon as the shrew chooses the site. The principle is the same with filling holes with water.
Pour diesel or gasoline into the mink. Some gardeners use smoke bombs. They try to use sharp-smelling reagents like "Creatol", "Ekar", "Pomethanol", etc. In general, everything that has a strong smell, but it is not recommended to use near plantings of plants, trees, fruit bushes.
Shrew - what it looks like, photo and description
The shrew is a small animal covered with gray-brown or light brown hair. Belongs to the order of insectivores, measuring 3 - 6 cm and weighing no more than 3.5 g. Outwardly similar to mice, but with a muzzle elongated in the form of a proboscis. Look at the photo how she looks.
The animals are distributed almost throughout the entire territory of the globe, except for the polar regions, Australia and the southern regions of South America.You can meet them on flat and mountainous areas, in tropical forests and in deserts. Many of them prefer humid places, under the shade of trees. They settle alone, dig holes or occupy the holes of moles, mice. They can be found in the voids of old stumps, under the dead wood. They are rare in human buildings. Each shrew has its own plot, up to several square meters in size, where it gets its own food.
Mechanical method of dealing with a shrew in a garden plot
The whole point of mechanical methods is that you yourself, with the help of improvised means, poison the rodents. One of the known mechanical actions is the flooding of underground passages with water. It is best to use boiling water. In addition, you can make a sound turntable that will scare away shrews with its rattling. It's easy to do - take a plastic bottle, cut off 1/3 of it, place something iron on top (for example, a tin lid from a can). Secure the cover at one end so that it is loose. Thus, it will flutter in the wind and make loud sounds that scare off mice.
Pregnancy, cubs
The pregnant shrew is carefully preparing for the offspring. She lines her burrow with dry leaves and grass so that she gets a rather soft litter. In May-July, about 6-10 calves appear. At first, the mother takes care of them with trepidation and care, but very quickly her love passes. Then the cubs themselves go in search of food.
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The shrew is very active and agile - it runs very fast, jumps far and even swims, if necessary. She makes whistling sounds. He has a highly developed sense of smell, and is most likely never guided by sight and hearing.
Scaring off a shrew in a garden plot
Shrews do not see well, this problem is compensated for by an excellent sense of smell. It is this that helps the mammal search for food. This can be used and buried in the soil where the animal usually moves, something with an unpleasant smell, such as a fish head or entrails. When the fish begins to decompose, it will exude a stench that can scare away both shrews and moles from the garden. This is one of the most effective and safe ways to deal with a shrew in the garden.
There is information that these pests do not like the smell of beans, lentils, peas, milkweed. Therefore, these plants should be planted around the perimeter of the garden.
Another scaring method is to bury rags soaked in gasoline, tar and kerosene around the garden.
Features of appearance
There are about 350 species of shrews in nature. 25 live on the territory of Russia. A feature for all representatives of the mouse genus is a long, curved nose that looks more like a trunk. The coat is velvety, soft, thick. The head is large. There is a secret near the tail that gives off a pungent odor. The rest of the shrew is similar to an ordinary house or field mouse.
There are many species, several names of the animal.
- Common shrew. Body size about 8cm, weight within 160g, just like a normal mouse. The coat is soft, thick with brown on the back, gray on the sides. The ears are covered with hair, round, small. The nose is long, but blunt at the tip. The tail is equal to the length of the body, there is no hair on it. Unusual rodents live no more than 2 years.
- The shrew is tiny. They decided to call this animal because of its small body size. This is the smallest representative of mammals. Body weight does not exceed 3 g, length - 5 cm. Cubs of this rodent are born less than 1 g in weight, 1 cm in length. The tail is 3 cm. The nose is more like a curved trunk. The coat is short, gray-brown in color. The transition is clearly visible, in winter the color is more intense. Small gray mice with a curved nose are listed in the Red Book of the Murmansk region.
- House shrew.The second name is the long-tailed shrew. Body length 8 cm, tail 5 cm. The rodent often lives in gardens, vegetable gardens. With the onset of cold weather, it moves to basements, cellars, barns. With a strong invasion of animals, you have to take action. Control methods are no different from the destruction of gray mice. But scare away is preferable to extermination.
- Water shrew. It is also called the common cutora. Body length about 12 cm, tail 5 cm. A mouse with a short tail, webbed feet, thick fur can swim well, dives well. It settles near water bodies - near rivers, lakes, swamps.
The photo of the shrew is presented below, you can see the funny animal clearly.
Long Nose Mouse
Preventive measures in the fight against a shrew in a garden plot
Quite good results are given by dug-in slate or iron sheets along the perimeter of the land area. You need to dig in to a depth of 150 cm.
Hang the plastic bottles or tin containers cut by a third on the driven meter pegs. The principle of operation is the same as that of the turntable.
Planting in the aisle of garlic, onions, carrots or beets. The enzymes secreted by these plants deter shrews.
The smell of cannabis spread in burrow holes helps to drive the rodent out of its infested area. When rotting, the plant will emit a specific aroma. The effect will last 2-3 years.
No matter how sorry for the little animal, the fight is most likely inevitable. The soul of the hardworking landowner is very much "wounded" by the dug up flower beds, spoiled lawns, destroyed vegetable plantings.
Reproduction [edit | edit code]
Shrews breed 1-2, at least 3 times a year. Pregnancy lasts 13-28 days. There are 4-14 cubs in a litter. They will be born naked, blind, with an undeveloped proboscis (snub-nosed), but they develop very quickly and become independent already at 4 weeks of age. In white-toothed shrews, the mother and her offspring move in a chain or "caravan", holding each other's tails with their teeth. In young shrews, an amazing ability has been found, which is called the "Dehnel phenomenon". In autumn, they have a decrease in body size and flattening of the cranium. Then, from April to June, there is an increase in the volume of the skull, an increase in the mass and volume of the brain.
The maximum life span of shrews is 18 months.
Burrows
This insectivore covers its nest with grass and leaves. Each shrew "guards" its territory - the site can reach several tens of square meters.
The miniature shrew disrupts the structure of the earth by digging various underground passages underground. The length of the passages can reach several tens of meters.
Minks, nests of animals damage the roots of vegetable crops, as well as fruit plantings, thus the crop dies.
This is what a shrew's burrow looks like.
Animal diet
After you have learned that the type of mice that digs the ground is called a shrew, it is worth familiarizing yourself with what they prefer to eat. The diet is quite varied, it includes:
- Caterpillars.
- May beetle larvae.
- Spiders.
- Worms.
- Woodlice.
- Weevils and others.
In the event that the animal lacks food, it is able to switch to other food sources. In particular, seeds of coniferous and fruit-bearing trees can be used.
The metabolic processes in the animal's body occur very quickly, so fat reserves do not accumulate. This is related to the fact that the animal does not hibernate.
Traces
The traces of the animals are best seen before winter - when the first snow falls on the ground. During this period, rodents climb out of the ground and look for food for themselves.
Outwardly, the tracks of the shrew are similar to the tracks of a small vole. They can be paired or trapezoidal.The footprints of the shrews are different, which either hurriedly minces or moves in leaps.
1. Jaw of the common shrew (teeth with reddish-brown tips). 2. Nest. 3. Small, five-toed footprints of shrews. 4. Tail print. 5. Rammed tunnels.
Small, five-toed footprints of shrews are clearly visible in the snow.
Varieties
To date, scientists have more than 350 species of animals, which belong to 24 genera, and those, in turn, are combined into three families:
- shrews;
- shrews;
- mouse shrews.
Let's take a look at some of the types of small rodents.
This is a small animal with an elongated nose, the fur coat is painted gray-brown. The tail is covered with pronounced small hairs.
The length of the dwarf shrew is 4-5 cm. The animal has rather sharp teeth. Other names for this species: Etruscan shrew or multi-toothed baby. It can be found in the European mountains.
One of the most common species of shrews. She, too, has the proboscis extended forward. The size of the rodent is 5-7 cm, the tail is 6-8 cm long. The color of the fur is dark brown, the tummy is light.
The forest shrew is common in the north of the European continent. Lives in thickets, under forests, as well as in garden plots.
A distinctive feature of the arboreal shrew is its tail. It is slightly longer than the body of the dwarf tupayti itself, even with its head together. The weight of the animal is approximately 45 g. The coat is grayish-brown in color with white spots on the abdomen.
Lives in Kalimantan and Sumatra, Borneo, Malaysia. Most often found on plantations and gardens.
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The water shrew is one of the largest representatives of this species. An adult animal can reach 13 cm in length, the weight of a rodent is about 8-20 grams.
The water shrew's wool is velvety, dyed black, quite thick and practically moisture resistant. The muzzle, like all representatives, is elongated. When swimming, the shrew is helped by bristly legs.
This species predominantly inhabits Norway, France, Sakhalin, the Scandinavian Peninsula, as well as Asia.
The elephant shrew is also a miniature animal that lives in Africa. Her coat is red-brown in color. Thanks to its long hind legs, the animal can quickly run and jump to a height of more than one meter.
On the African continent, there are 16 individuals of this subspecies.
Arctic
The Arctic shrew lives in the tundra in Central and Eastern Siberia.
The length of the animal is 48-72 cm (with the head). The muzzle is also with a short proboscis. In the northern part, short-tailed shrews with two-color coloration predominantly live.
In Arctic shrews, a dark saddlecloth is located on the back, and the sides of the body are light.
