my allotment has a healthy shrew population. unfortunately I only know this because I have found several dead shrews: two last year and another three in the past month or so - I think one of the two I found last year was a pygmy shrew.
but what I don't understand is why they're dying, and the weird places I find their little bodies in. each one has been in the middle of an area of open ground, either in the middle of an empty vegetable bed lying on the bare soil, or in the middle of an area of carpet laid on the ground to suppress weeds. they have all looked perfectly intact, too, with no obvious signs of having been attacked by something.
I can only guess that either they're reaching the end of their life cycle and are dying of natural causes (but I think it's odd that they're doing it in open ground) or that something is hunting and killing them but not eating them because they don't taste good. or, would the weather have anything to do with it? I seem to find them when it's been raining... ???
any ideas anyone?!?
It could be cats. Our farm cats killed shrews but I don't think they ever ate them. The shrews usually didn't look very damaged either. I know the cats would play with them first because I caught them at it from time to time - perhaps the shrew eventually dies from exhaustion/stress.
PS If ever you do rescue one be careful - they have a rather poisonous bite (not lethal but painful)!
thanks Barnowl, it never occurred to me it might be cats ::) I just assumed that it would be something far more exotic as it's an allotment rather than a garden, don't know why!
I was also greeted on Sunday morning by a plot full of feathers and the remains of half a wood pigeon. do cats pluck birds??? or is that more likely to be a fox?
Cats will defeather birds too....as my living room can testify some mornings! We had 2 dead mice yesterday as well, I intact, the other not so lucky... :-\
Norfolklass it's more likely to be foxes. I often find pigeon feathers on my plot as well.
They're dying because they're at the end of their lives. They're born in summer, live about 15 months, and die at the end of the following summer or the beginning of autumn. They'll have raised young well before now, so no need to panic.