Animals burrowing under pole barn slab

[burger]

Animals are burrowing under my garage slab.

I found a hole against the slab that looked like an animal tunnel. I thought that if I filled the hole, maybe the creature(s) would go away. Nope, they cleared the hole. Looks like I have something living under my garage slab, potentially causing damage. I have questions.....

How do I get rid of said animals? Not afraid of poison or chemicals, this is my garage slab we're talking about.

Once animals are gone, what do I use to backfill the void from their evil den?


Thanks,
Ed

 

[The Cobbler]

skunks, rats, or something there. they are tough and want to live there.
Ammonia soaked rags will deter them .

 

[BillK]

Go buy a cheap trail camera at Walmart and find out what animal it is first. Then you can figure out the best way to eliminate it. I would bet on a groundhog.

 

[mreisner]

If it is a groundhog, Hubba Bubba bubblegum works. No, I'm serious! Non-toxic and dogs won't bother it but groundhogs eat it. It goes in and it can't go out so to speak. I have them under several grain bins and I was skeptical at first but it worked like a charm. It has to be Hubba Bubba however other stuff doesn't work. Just unwrap the individual pieces and put them near the outlet of their tunnel and your problem will go away.

 

[Mr onetwo]

I had a mole do this exact thing last fall. Cleared the hole 3 times. Got him with these worms from Tractor Supply https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/motomco-mole-killer-worm-pack-of-8

 

[kenners]

I had a larger cavity dug under the slab on the back side of my shop floor. Thinking it took about 3 times of filling back in with compacting from the shovel handle. I check it fairly often and has not returned.

I had a skunk get stuck trying to get thru a wire fence. Called animal control and because of location in the county they stated they would not dispatch a person. They ended up sending someone and they threw a towel over the animal and removed it from the fence.

Some time later I remember finding the remains of a dead skunk under a stack of boards that I had tried to save for a later project.

I have also seen a weasel type of animal around the area of the shop.

 

[WisJim]

I had this problem years ago with my new garage and shop building at a previous place. The original critter for me was a woodchuck (groundhog). I swear they could move faster than I could pull the trigger, but I finally shot or trapped them. Then possums moved into the tunnels, and after trapping them, a skunk showed up. I ended up burying galvanized sheet metal all around the perimeter of the building, going down about a foot.

 

[gungatim]

Sounds like a ground hog. You need to kill it. Look around for its backup tunnel. I shot one with an AR-15 3x before I killed it. They are extremely tough. A #220 trap will work too, they are hard to set by yourself, so buy the setting tool.

Most other things don't work. If you try to smoke them out or run exhaust in the tunnel, they will quickly seal up the tunnel and dig a new one.

and no, bubble gum, juicy fruit gum etc. are all just wives tales.

 

[bdbecker]

...I shot one with an AR-15 3x before I killed it. They are extremely tough...

Same experience here. Anything short of a head shot, they always seem to make it back to their den. Dad was fighting with them a few years ago. One lazy afternoon, my brother and I setup on the field line to try and help with the issue. He had Dad's .204 and I had my .223. We were both using well tested (on prairie dogs) varmint rounds. We had both put shots on groundhogs we were both certain hit their mark, but they just ran away every time. We even did a coordinated shot on the same groundhog at the same time only to watch him run it back to the den. Dad said that we must have done some damage because he only saw/shot one more after that day and they haven't been back since.

 

[Longhair]

Animals are burrowing under my garage slab.

I found a hole against the slab that looked like an animal tunnel. I thought that if I filled the hole, maybe the creature(s) would go away. Nope, they cleared the hole. Looks like I have something living under my garage slab, potentially causing damage. I have questions.....

How do I get rid of said animals? Not afraid of poison or chemicals, this is my garage slab we're talking about.

Once animals are gone, what do I use to backfill the void from their evil den?


Thanks,
Ed

Please don't use poison !! you could buy a cheap trail cam to see what kind of animal your dealing with then buy a live trap both will come in handy in the future, below is a link to the groundhog thread here. That's more than likely your problem but you should be sure.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/saw-my-very-first-babby-groundhog-this-weekend-it-rand-out-of-my.533463/#post-10703592

We had a family of fox move in under our shed this spring I'm sure you would hate to poison such a beautiful animal.

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[mreisner]

Sounds like a ground hog. You need to kill it. Look around for its backup tunnel. I shot one with an AR-15 3x before I killed it. They are extremely tough. A #220 trap will work too, they are hard to set by yourself, so buy the setting tool.

Most other things don't work. If you try to smoke them out or run exhaust in the tunnel, they will quickly seal up the tunnel and dig a new one.

and no, bubble gum, juicy fruit gum etc. are all just wives tales.

You don't know what you're talking about, I had them under a 23 foot grain dryer and 2 30 ft grain bins and wiped them out, it was the only thing that worked for me other than lead, the Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum other brands wouldn't do it but the Hubba Bubba did it. All floating slabs so needless to say I had to stop the problem. Traps worked intermittently but there was always more of them coming back. I wiped out the colony using the bubble gum. I could have mixed up something for insects and something otherwise known as the real thing for a beverage, but I have cats it didn't want to wipe them out. Hubba Bubba was safe and effective. I do have to redo a small slab underneath the burner for my drain dryer as they ended up dropping that about 8 in from all sand that they dug out underneath of it before I eliminated the problem, but other than that I stopped the damage to my bins before it was too late. A million pounds of corn needs a firm foundation underneath of it for sure.

 

[mreisner]

This is a picture of the smaller floating slab for the burner on my dryer. I have to remove the burner and put a new slab under, but you can see the hole and all the sand they dug out to make their den and there has been no activity around it at all this spring that is fresh. Last fall when I put the Hubba Bubba out about 5 days later there was a mighty stench coming from under there where they had died and I didn't dig them out. I was skeptical of it when I first heard it from the DNR officer that recommended trying that, but it definitely works. Other brands other types of gum don't but Hubba Bubba worked for me. Well other than the ones that died from acute lead poisoning.....

 

[bassJAM]

Sounds like a ground hog. You need to kill it. Look around for its backup tunnel. I shot one with an AR-15 3x before I killed it. They are extremely tough. A #220 trap will work too, they are hard to set by yourself, so buy the setting tool.

They aren't THAT tough. Just like any animal, you need to hit it's vitals or all you're doing is poking holes and needlessly causing pain. I kill a couple every year with my lowly .22lr rifle, one shot to the head and they don't take another step. Sometimes I'll hit them right behind the shoulder, they might take a few steps but they still die very quickly. I can only recall 2 times I needed 2 shots with my .22lr, and both times the groundhog was 150 yards away where a .22 has lost most of it's energy. The first shot paralyzed them and I walked up to 40 yards so I could get a headshot both times.

 

[burger]

OP here. Pretty sure we’re dealing with groundhogs. I see them elsewhere on the property.

One thing complicating the project is that I spread 16 yards of dirt near the hole last weekend. We had heavy rain today and I bet you’d sink 8” into the dirt if you tried to walk to the hole. So I’ll wait for the dirt to dry.

I will try cat feces first.



You can kinda make out the hole if you zoom in on the center of the wall.

 

[burger]

Question that no one’s answered in all this excitement about groundhogs is what to do with the burrow after they’ve been evicted?

 

[dvblanch]

L have packed coarse gravel into the hole couple shovels full at a time and used a long 2x4 to push it down the burrow. Very labor and time intensive but wanted as much solid fill back under slab as possible

 

[Copymutt]

Occasionally get ground squirrels or skunks under the sheds. Mothballs & a cheap radio blaring rap 24/7 evicts them everytime.

 

[MerlinsBeard]

Animals are burrowing under my garage slab.

I found a hole against the slab that looked like an animal tunnel. I thought that if I filled the hole, maybe the creature(s) would go away. Nope, they cleared the hole. Looks like I have something living under my garage slab, potentially causing damage. I have questions.....

How do I get rid of said animals? Not afraid of poison or chemicals, this is my garage slab we're talking about.

Once animals are gone, what do I use to backfill the void from their evil den?


Thanks,
Ed

When I built my shed, I made sure to get 6-8 inches of compacted 3/4" washed gravel before laying the slab down. Each year I get attempts to burrow under the slab and they are foiled every time. I still have to do repair, but no one lives under there.

You may be able to make a similar "moat", but since your shed is on a hill, may be difficult to design. I have seen thin formed concrete slabs in my neighborhood placed under the side of sidewalks to control sinkhole erosion that could be another alternative, though where to buy them is unknown to me.

I don't know of a solution that isn't labor intensive. Best of luck to you.

 

[RPH]

I have smoke bombs that work. Find the escape holes and plug them up. I use a length of hdpe hose the will hold smoke bomb jammed into it. Once all the way and lit, I push the smoke bomb out of the tube with steel fish tape. It appears that they die or never come back after that. I have used ammonia and bleach mixed. Then poured through a hole in the wood floor of sheds. The skunks left quickly and were last seen heading north at high speed.

 

[mreisner]

While effective that is really really dangerous, that combination makes chloramine gas.

 

[NUTTSGT]

You don't know what you're talking about, I had them under a 23 foot grain dryer and 2 30 ft grain bins and wiped them out, it was the only thing that worked for me other than lead, the Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum other brands wouldn't do it but the Hubba Bubba did it. All floating slabs so needless to say I had to stop the problem. Traps worked intermittently but there was always more of them coming back. I wiped out the colony using the bubble gum. I could have mixed up something for insects and something otherwise known as the real thing for a beverage, but I have cats it didn't want to wipe them out. Hubba Bubba was safe and effective. I do have to redo a small slab underneath the burner for my drain dryer as they ended up dropping that about 8 in from all sand that they dug out underneath of it before I eliminated the problem, but other than that I stopped the damage to my bins before it was too late. A million pounds of corn needs a firm foundation underneath of it for sure.

I've heard that jelly beans will work too.

 

[engineer2]

I'm off to Menards today to get some Great Stuff rodent blocking foam to seal up some animal burrows under my concrete porch. Threw some mothballs in there last week to make them leave, now it's time to seal it up.

 

[NUTTSGT]

I'm off to Menards today to get some Great Stuff rodent blocking foam to seal up some animal burrows under my concrete porch. Threw some mothballs in there last week to make them leave, now it's time to seal it up.

I'd mix up some stainless steel wool in that Great Stuff. I've been told mice don't like it.

 

[Beauregard]

Plastic explosives are the answer.

 

[AC-WC]

If you have the time and a 22 cal, always worked for me. My favorite kill was 1 shot maybe 75 ft. He fell over, then his tail slowly drooped to the ground. Worst shot was 20 gauge on the back porch floor, divet is still in the wood

I got the most with this though.

1 Duke 160 Conibear Trap Body Grip Skunk Groundhog Raccoon Survival Trap Fisher | eBay

Jaw spread is 6" x6" and has the seal of International Humane Trapping Standards.

www.ebay.com

 

[Hellpig]

Plastic explosives are the answer.

Plastic explosives are almost ALWAYS the answer, no matter the question!

Have used snares, 220s, box traps, pellet guns, .22s, muzzleloaders, etc for ground hogs.

Killed one last weekend with a pellet gun, one shot, one kill...

 

[Montauket]

Surprised after the caddy shack reference that noone has said to hook a tube up to the exhaust on the car and shove it in the hole. LOL