So... I found a baby mole, what do I do?

[iToaster]

Out in the garden today, my father happened to dig up a mole (I'm fairly certain it's a baby given the size of moles in KY). Of course, there's no way to just let it go (part emotional stuff, part dad not wanting moles in his garden), so the question is, what do I do? What does a mole eat? What should I keep it in? Stuff along those lines. Right now, as you can see, he's in a jar with a penny for size comparison.

 

[McGiord]

it's always fun to read something new

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mole_(animal)
________
Lamborghini Cala specifications

 

[ravenvii]

You're still better off letting it go, though.

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Wild-Animals-705/Mole.htm

 

[CanadaRAM]

The little guy is pretty much @#^$=d.

If it's a baby still nursing it needs its mother's milk, and it's gonna die.

If it is weaned, it needs live worms and small bugs, which it only knows how to catch and eat underground, so it's gonna die.

 

[EricNau]

Please, do the right thing and contact you local wildlife rescue foundation.

 

[zimv20]

i looked up recipes for mole sauce, but none of them actually contain any moles. hmmm....

 

[iJohnHenry]

Sorry, but CanadaRAM is correct.

It was as good a dead when your Dad removed it from it's habitat.

Step on it (harsh but quick), or flush it (lingering death).

 

[iToaster]

I tossed it back out into the wilderness to let nature take it's way. Seeing as I've never read a successful mole keeping story (I hardly even found one), I figured he'd be best out in the wild, so that's where he is now.

 

[twoodcc]

so that's a mole huh? i've caught one of those before. someone told me once that it was a shrew?

 

[Neil321]

Don't you have any wildlife societies in the states ? were you can ring up if you found a injured animal or such like ? isn't that a shrew by the way?

This is what one looks like in the UK

 

[iJohnHenry]

"The American Pygmy Shrew is almost completely blind" - Wiki.

And they are very ugly too, with 2 big teeth.

I think that is a mole, poor thing.

 

[119576]

isn't that a shrew by the way?

The ideal mole will be indistinguishable from not only a shrew, but- indeed- any other member of the organisation it wishes to syphon information from.

 

[NC MacGuy]

Put it in the woods to replenish another animal. The circle of life my friend... Owls love them.

 

[Neil321]

The ideal mole will be indistinguishable from not only a shrew, but- indeed- any other member of the organisation it wishes to syphon information from.

there's always a comedian lurking around somewhere

 

[LumbermanSVO]

I squished one with my truck last week. I don't think it felt a thing, I was around 60k pounds when contact was made.

I had a squirrel play chicken with me today at 62mph. The bugger went under the front of my truck, I saw it run away from the side. Lucky little creature!

Almost got a deer this morning too. Turns out the airhorn scares them. Now I have another reason to use my airhorn

 

[0098386]

I've never seen a mole in real life. Only saw my first badger about a year ago, poor thing had been hit by a car on a road going over the moors. Bloody massive thing too, hate to bump into a live one!

So living in the countryside doesn't help. I've probably seen the same amount of wild animals as any inner city resident.

 

[swingerofbirch]

My dog is so cute with moles! This time of the year he frantically digs looking for them, but he is such a pacifist, the two times he has gotten to one, he has gently picked it up in him out and set it back down on the ground so gently like he's carrying a baby. He also chases bees! So cute.

 

[John.B]

Anyone who thinks moles are cute doesn't have to maintain a lawn or garden infested with the infernal creatures....

 

[jb60606]

notify your nearest Eagle and/or Owl. They'll know what to do.

 

[Loveforlife]

You should not kill it. They are a threatened species. People every where are killing them for the sake of their yards and gardens. It's not their fault they are just trying to live. It is possible to keep them as pets. I have a pet mole. I love him to bits. I keep him in a big plastic bin with top soil. Not fertilized top soil! Chemicals will kill him or her. That's another reason they are dying off. They eat earth worms. I go and buy the night crawlers from local stores. They are used for bait when fishing. They also have a life span 3-6 years. I saved mine from being eaten by my cat. I also take him with me to places and some people get a real kick out of him. Mine is still small. He loves tunneling and eating. Mole love to eat and they can eat a lot. Mine eats about 5 worms a day. And you cant stock pile worms because they die to quickly. I feel my mole is better off with me then where he was. He was just a pup (which are what a baby is called) when I found him. If you don't what him call local wild life reserve. They will take care of him or her. The mole is just trying to live its life. And everyone should remember you can alway kill something but you can't bring it back.

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I finished reading the rest of the post on this and saw some doubt on weather it was a mole or a shrew. A mole has flat paddle like front paws with long nails.

 

[Imaginator]

Snip

Pretty sure it's dead by now. Just check the date of the thread.

 

[turtle777]

LOL, how on earth do people dig up 6 year old threads ?

-t

 

[rick snagwell]

LOL, how on earth do people dig up 6 year old threads ?

-t

and its their first post ever. odd.

 

[sjinsjca]

See a dermatologist and be sure it's not cancerous.

 

[Imaginator]

See a dermatologist and be sure it's not cancerous.

The mole or posting in 6 year old threads?