Shrew

Ger Roe

I found this chap dead in my back yard this morning. I thought it was a mouse at first.

A quick google says it's a pygmy shrew and that they are very common in Ireland. I live in semi rural Wicklow and have never seen one before.

hairyprincess

Living in Donegal and my cats caught them continually in my back garden. Had never seen them other places I lived in the county. They are so tiny you would hardly see them.

Alun

Ger Roe wrote: »

I found this chap dead in my back yard this morning. I thought it was a mouse at first.

A quick google says it's a pygmy shrew and that they are very common in Ireland. I live in semi rural Wicklow and have never seen one before.

Can't see a photo. We also have an invasive species called the white toothed shrew which it might also be. If you put up a photo put something in it for scale like a coin or a ruler.

c.p.w.g.w

Have a house in my estate currently invested with mice and the gardens are full of shrews.. one of our cats has literally caught either a shrew or a mouse each day for the last 2 weeks.

It's so bad that's there are cats from neighbouring estates hanging around the house catching things too.

Ger Roe

Here is the pic.

In my haste to take a photo, I forgot to add something for scale, but the body length was no more that 4 cms. It really was a tiny creature.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Yes, pygmy shrew. Lovely little creatures and a gardener's friend . Cats kill an awful lot of them.

Ger Roe wrote: »

Here is the pic.

In my haste to take a photo, I forgot to add something for scale, but the body length was no more that 4 cms. It really was a tiny creature.

recedite

If there is long grass nearby they will be around.
Interesting little animal, but short lived anyway, so don't mourn his death for too long. There will be plenty more of them out there.

topazkk

I think what you had there is there actually an invasive species, the greater white toothed shrew.We had a lot of them in our garden in the early Summer and caught two of them in the house yesterday. The native Pygmy Shrew is shorter with a snout that's only about a third of that length. They are really cute looking in comparison.......https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27975546

Eddie B

topazkk wrote: »

I think what you had there is there actually an invasive species, the greater white toothed shrew.We had a lot of them in our garden in the early Summer and caught two of them in the house yesterday. The native Pygmy Shrew is shorter with a snout that's only about a third of that length. They are really cute looking in comparison.......https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-27975546

A lot of white toothed around here. Most I've seen are more greying in colour than the one above. Also, they seem to be a nice bit bigger than the pigmy.

doyled4

One came into my house a year or 2 ago. I spend an hour and half trying to get him of my sitting room humanly. All the couches on their side vertical, the presses pulled out, a little ramp made so he could get up a step and out the door. Eventually worked and he flew straight out the door and instead of going down the steps he jumped straight off the balcony. I was absolutely devastated haha