Feel like someones playing jokes on me

Jessey

Well-Known Member
Dec 20, 2004
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Suffolk, UK
Got to the yard late tonight and as usual jess was waiting for her tea, no sign of hank but it was dark so figured he was just taking his time coming up so went about putting the kettle on for speedibeet.
Then realised the net of carrots I brought last night were gone, I fed about 4 carrots out of it yesterday and this is all that was left tonight

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The net is shredded and nothing left. Im used to rats/mice nibbling on a few this time of year but what on earth can devour an entire net in 24 hours? Ive seen a small cat get in my feed room through a gap in the wall but my jack Russell couldnt get out and he could escape from almost anywhere and the door was locked shut and the alarm was armed.

Then I hear hank come up, but he was 2 paddocks over from where he was meant to be with Jess, admittedly the elec fences weren't on but thats because neither ever go anywhere near them, let alone him pushing under 2 (both were still up and taught).

So went to put jess in for tea and shes arguing about going in (loose but I normally just say in and she goes, tonight I had to chase and grab her to put her in) then shes all eyes on stalks, snorting and staring accross to the field I found hank in, very unlike her, eventually I had to let her eat outside.

All very odd, glad I didnt need to hang around too long on my own tonight.
 
How peculiar, and a bit peturbing! I think even rats would struggle to eat an entire sack of carrots - but why would an intruder nick your carrots?!
 
I dont think they'd been nicked by a human, aside from being locked in and it being alarmed surely a person would just have taken the sack.
Do moles eat carrots, we have quite a mole problem and one had popped up just inside the wall (dirt floors)
 
I have no idea! Round here we get those weird gliss-gliss dormouse things, do you have them?
 
Ive never seen those round here. A friend has offered to loan me a trap so will hopefully find out what it is at the weekend.
 
Think moles only really eat worms etc. No poop anywhere? When I've had rats/mice/rabbits eating my things they've always left some around.
 
Not seen any poop and they havent touched the bag of freeze dried grass I have left out, nor tried to get in any of my plastic feed bins that I could see.
Part of the back wall is old corrugated steel which looked like it had bent out and the assumed mole hill is right next to it, we have a lot of muntjack here, l could see them breaking in (they are really strong) and but would expect them to eat the grass too.
Last night I heard something back there and it wasnt something small and scurrying, I ran round the back expecting to find a person but couldnt see anything.
 
Rats will take mountains of stuff away and stack them neatly in a hidey hole for future use. They will spend several hours doing this until they have effectively removed every last morsel of the item they are raiding. Have you any pallets or similar places that they might have dragged the carrots under?
 
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Rats will take mountains of stuff away and stack them neatly in a hidey hole for future use. They will spend several hours doing this until they have effectively removed every last morsel of the item they are raiding. Have you any pallets or similar places that they might have dragged the carrots under?

Yes, our pet rats used to do this, they'd collect stuff and take it away to their den. I've no idea whether rabbits would do the same.

Hope you get to the bottom of it Jessey, must admit I'd be spooked too.
 
That's really bizarre and I can see why you didn't want to hang around in the dark! Not likely to be moles as they are carnivores and their teeth aren't suited to gnawing so they'd leave a mess not a pristine scene of crime like that. I thought squirrels but again it's very tidy. Mind you they too might 'squirrel' (sorry:rolleyes:) them away somewhere. We did have one come into the house through the eaves and via the loft when we were on holiday once. We noticed because of teeth marks in the soap in the bathroom :D

Seriously though I'd be a bit rattled until I got to the bottom of it. Maybe something unrelated spooked Jess and Hank - it's hard to believe they got so upset if it's just a dormouse/rat/squirrel or even a deer. Good luck solving the mystery.
 
I just thought, I remember at another yard nearby a few years ago, also near the river Bo suddenly went very snorty spooky, to the point he wouldn't come onto the yard for several days. When I spoke to an old local he said there are mink about and horses really, really hate them.

I have no idea, behind the feed shed there is a junk pile (belongs to the property owner) so I wouldn't be suprised if things are living in there. I'm going to move all my stuff into another shed at the weekend (unfortunatly theres no lights in that one so I don't normally use it) and see what I find, not looking forward to that!
 
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