What creature dug this burrow?

[WingsysRoost]

My dog was barking in the general direction of my compost bin at about 4 am this morning. I went out to check once it got light enough out, and found this burrow. What could have made it?

My first thought is possibly a rat. My second thought is chipmunk. My concern would be mink, since it is basically right next to my chicken yard, but I've heard that mink will just take burrows from other animals rather than making their own, and it also doesn't smell a bit musky like I've heard mink can smell like.

There is another smaller hole off to the side (not pictured, but I can grab another picture if needed).

Thanks in advance!

 

[aart]

Put a ruler or tape measure down next to hole and take another pic.
Stick something down the hole to see how deep it might be.
Multiple possibilities as to what made the hole.
Got a game camera?

 

[WingsysRoost]

This one might have been dug by a squirrel to bury a nut. It doesn't actually seem to go all the way through, and there was a partial nut at the bottom when I gave it another look.

More holes... these ones are smaller.

This one is about a foot away from the side of the bin.

This one is right by the side of the bin.

I couldn't get the measuring tape back there, but this hole behind the bin seems to be about the same size as the others.

More digging. I can't get the measuring tape under the branches, unfortunately. It definitely looks like soil has been dug up, and it seems connected to the rest of the burrows. It could be more squirrel holes or something else, though. I don't want to move anything without having some idea of what I could be dealing with if I disturb the area.

Would deer mice do something like this? I've seen one recently in this general area. I would guess probably not mink, because I would have thought it would cause a problem for both my chickens and anything else living here, unless anyone has any other thoughts on that. Is it possible this is big enough to be a rat burrow, or would it be too small?

 

[WingsysRoost]

I don't have a game camera at the moment, unfortunately. It's on my list of things to get, though.

 

[aart]

Always check for depth, many holes look awful but are most often some animal digging for grubs.
Whats the "bin" you mention?

 

[WingsysRoost]

Always check for depth, many holes look awful but are most often some animal digging for grubs.
Whats the "bin" you mention?

Compost bin. It's enclosed inside a wood frame to stop my dogs from getting into it.

 

[WingsysRoost]

The hole hidden under the branches (in the last picture) is definitely bigger but seemed to end when I put a stick down it, so it was probably from either a squirrel digging to bury food or something else digging to get into the burrows (or to get compost or grubs).

The other smaller ones do seem to go through, though, or at least go deeper than the length of the stick.

 

[WingsysRoost]

I'm going to put flour around them tonight to see if I can pick up any tracks that might give a clue to what is living in the burrows.

 

[lagrange chicks]

Looks like chipmunk to me.

 

[WingsysRoost]

Looks like chipmunk to me.

Chipmunk was definitely one of my guesses.

Do you think a chipmunk would be active after dark? My dog doesn't normally react unless he knows that something is right there. I thought chipmunks were mostly active during the day, but I could definitely be wrong about that.

Putting flour around the burrows should help solve this mystery. I hope!