What animal would make a path in grass?

madjackslam

From the corner of our garage, in a diagonal line to the hedge, is a path in the grass. The grass is mown, but not bowling green short. From the correct angle, you can see that something has trampled down a path. It's only a few inches across. And before anyone asks, it's really subtle, and I don't think a photo will pick it up (certainly not my photography skills). What's curious is that it travels from the hedge (safety) to just next to the garage side-door, which is used all the time and in easy view of the house. I haven't seen any other paths in quieter bits of the lawn.

So, any thoughts?

We have seen rats, mice, hedgehogs, rabbits, squirrels, voles, mice and shrews at one time or another, so take your pick.

Farway

Cat?

My neighbours' cats have made a diagonal path from my gate to my pond over the years

choille

Fox, cat, otter, hedgehog...............set up a web cam if you really want to know. Or lay some sand across the track & get paw prints.

Davesnave

My money on on a badger. They are animals of habit and don't like to deviate from their usual path. Indeed, if somene blocks it with some kind of construction, like a fence, they'll try to destroy it rather than go around.

Samsonite1

I would bet on foxes. I have paths in the grass and I see the foxes following the exact paths every day.

Ebe_Scrooge

Hedgehogs are also creatures of habit, and tend to stick to the same route night after night. Does the width of the path give you any clues ? A badger, for instance, is substantially bigger than a hedgehog.

Samsonite1

The paths should look different depending on the animal. I must admit that I have not seen a hedgehog path - I only ever see hedgehogs around the edges of the garden and usually in a wooded area away from the house.

Badgers (again, my own observations) seem to leave wider tracks and they move more slowly and unpredictably than foxes.

Foxes leave a path that looks similar to what it would look like if you rode a bicycle through your lawn!

Of those three animals, I rarely see hedgehogs and badgers, but I see foxes every single day. If I try getting rid of the paths (mow the lawn, rake it over), the tracks appear the next day and I see the foxes briskly following the paths again like some kind of patrol route!

redmalc

i have the same problem and its a fox

peter_the_piper

We are lucky to have both badger and fox, unfortunately due to rats we have cut down on putting down food for both.

elaineruk

maybe a fox - I would use a camera linked to the web - they are quite cheap nowadays and very interesting what you see

martinthebandit

Could also be rabbits