12/26/2023 0 Comments Do mice hibernate over winterUnlike the vole, they will be seeking man-made structures to find a warm spot to nest when it is cold. The last rodent we will see thriving in the winter is the house mouse. So they move underneath driveways, decks, and patios and come up above the ground to feed at night. If and when the snow melts and they lose their protective cover they simply find man-made structures to protect themselves during warmer months. In the spring when the snow melts you can truly see how much damage they can do to a lawn. We find, when Alberta has a long hard winter with lots of snow that stays on the ground for six months, it creates the perfect environment for the voles to live under that protective cover. Voles eat grass and seeds and survive easily underneath the snow. Unlike the house mouse, voles are quite content to remain outside during the winter months and as a result active all year round. They typically live alone except when they are breeding or if females have young with them.Ī little smaller, more like the size of a house mouse is the Prairie Vole. Pocket gophers do not hibernate and are active year-round. In snowy areas they can also create burrows in the snow, leaving long earthen cores on the surface when the snow melts. Mounds can appear any time but can be most pronounced in spring or fall when the soil is easier to dig. He leaves big mounds of black dirt above ground from his extensive tunnel excavations. You will hardly ever see this critter above ground but you will certainly see the evidence of where he has been. This rodent is known to be very solitary. The next animal that calls Alberta home is the northern pocket gopher, another ground burrowing rodent that often gets mistaken for a mole (we don’t have any insect-eating moles in Alberta). Each female will produce one litter each summer and return to hibernate in late August. Most ground squirrels that you see above ground are the younger ones. They sleep through the cold temperatures until the ground warms up. They are only seen during the four months where they are active above ground. For about 8 months of the year, they remain in the burrow where they hibernate. This ground squirrel is a prolific breeder and easily destroys huge areas in parks or farmers’ fields. The Richardson’s ground squirrel lives in expansive burrows with tunnels and several chambers. The most popular one we have around here is the Richardson’s Ground Squirrel or as it is commonly known as the Gopher. The other squirrel species that you can find in Alberta is the ground squirrel. When there are really cold spells, they will stay in their nests and eat the food that they have stored away. Squirrels do not hibernate and will be active during the day. These squirrels often use man-made structures like attics to nest in and store food. The gray and black squirrels are a little bigger and are considered invasive species. There are three types the red squirrel, which is a protected squirrel species here in Alberta. The first rodent species that does quite well during the winters are squirrels. So despite the cold we have many opportunities for rodents to survive and thrive. The coldest months are usually January and February with temperatures reaching -30 to -40 degrees Celsius for short periods of time. The average winter temperatures range from -5 degrees to -15 degrees Celsius. In the Rockies we can see up to 9m (30ft) of snowfall between November and April. According to Environment Canada ( ), Alberta is ranked number one for the most comfortable weather overall in Canada.
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