Last night we went out to get in the car and this little creature was turning circles on the pad in front of our garage....over and over. Mike took a broom and nudged it off into the grass. When we came home hours later, it was back on the pad again still turning circles! I suspect it is diseased.
All my life I have found these lying around dead after a cat has killed them and left them. The cats never seem to eat them. I always thought this was called a Vole. After looking it up on-line, I think that it is really a Short-Tailed Shrew.
I think this particular one is sick. I hope that my cats don't find it. Maybe the hawk will get rid of it for me. It seldom stopped turning, so it was hard to photograph it. Below is a video of it turning in circles. Has anyone else ever seen this before??
All my life I have found these lying around dead after a cat has killed them and left them. The cats never seem to eat them. I always thought this was called a Vole. After looking it up on-line, I think that it is really a Short-Tailed Shrew.
I think this particular one is sick. I hope that my cats don't find it. Maybe the hawk will get rid of it for me. It seldom stopped turning, so it was hard to photograph it. Below is a video of it turning in circles. Has anyone else ever seen this before??
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8 comments:
That is too weird.
Looks like he has a bad case of vertigo!!
Yipes.... That is weird, Mary. I'm not sure what it is --but I hope your cats don't get it...... Maybe Mike needs to take it away from the house --if it is still there....
Good Luck.... Have a nice weekend.
Hugs,
Betsy
I would fear rabies. Maybe best to take it far away from the yard.
Our Patch cat likes to hunt small striped lizards, they get into screened porch. If she eats them she acts sick like she has a tummy ache. I find legs and tails, the body s gone. Yuck.
That IS wierd!! Nature has so many questions we do not have answers to.
You are correct, it is a shrew. There is a genetic mutation in shrews that can cause a circling disorder. So it could be that. But other things/illnesses can cause that behavior as well, so it's hard to say. I remember you having skunks on your blog. And in many areas skunks are the number 1 carrier of rabies (higher than the much talked about raccoons or bats). So I would use caution, just in case. But it could be just the genetic disorder. I feel sorry for it, whatever it is wrong. :(
This is definitely weird, but I can't think of a better explanation than those that have already been given. I definitely would keep the cats away if possible, however.
I've never seen this action either, and I think you are right about it being sick. My cats won't eat them either. Must taste bad.
B.
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