Canabalistic Moles

[Phil Lloyd 10,738]

When I was thrown out of school,...one of my first jobs, was on an estate where they reared pheasants, using the Euston System..The Banty hens were restrained in coops ,.laid out in tidy rows,.. all along the rides.

 

One of my jobs was to trap the moles...

 

The reasoning behind this, was that weasels might use the tunnels, to come up underneath the wee chicks....

 

I never captured a weasle in one of my mole traps, but there must have been credence in the claim, or I would not have been put to work on the job. Nowadays, I have taken a few weasels in my Talpex traps, plus Shrews and wood mice,.but never a rat.

 

Moles are definitely cannibalistic,.and as others have mentioned, back in the Snow Days,...those nibbles, were a definite bonus....

[Heyford moles Pest Control 16]

here's a mole trap I pulled up today with a mole with its arse chewed,

the second photo is one I pulled up last year complete with not a mole!!

 

[Matt 160]

Has anyone else noticed an increase in doubles in the last week?

 

I think love is in the air...

[moxy 617]

I find it funny sometimes why some moles have a chew and others don't.

You can always tell when a trap has caught a mole and it's fur is all ruffled on the back end by another mole in either frustration or aggression. Trying to get past the blockage!

I have had moles with the arse end chewed but have also had those stripped clean and turned inside out by a mustelid.

[earth-thrower 493]

I've seen this , but only the once. A very neat round hole eaten into the dead mole at the base of it's neck and into the body cavity. Weird.

Exactly the same,Darcy. ( in almost twenty years ! ) But im certainly not setting the amount,some are,these days. LOL

[Heyford moles Pest Control 16]

yep had a few doubles this week now its stopped raining & warmed up a bit, as matt says love is in the air,

I some times get moles with there back ends pushed in where another is trying to get passed but not chewed at all.

[jamie mc 168]

Sorry trying to put a picture on so bear with me

[jamie mc 168]

[socks 32,253]

Well definitely more than just moles use their run .... Caught this today .....

 

[DKGPestControl 22]

I have had this on a couple of occasions in the past but always thought it was weasels or stoats. But thought it was strange that the mole was never completely eaten.

 

I still struggle to believe that another mole is actually eating it though, but they have the nashing gear and strong jaws for the job, so I guess it's possible.