What do Bank Voles eat?

The bank vole lives in woodland, hedgerows, parks and gardens. It eats fruit, nuts and small insects, but is particularly keen on hazelnuts and blackberries. Bank voles are very active and agile animals, and are frequently seen - they even visit bird tables.

1. How do you take care of a bank vole?
2. What do you feed a vole?
3. Are bank voles protected?
4. Are bank voles rare?
5. Where do voles have their babies?
6. Are voles endangered?
7. Do voles eat peanut butter?
8. What is the life cycle of a vole?
9. Do voles eat grain?
10. How big is a bank vole?
11. How many voles live in a hole?
12. Are voles bigger than mice?
13. Is the bank vole nocturnal?
14. How fast do voles reproduce?
15. What is the difference between a bank vole and a water vole?

How do you take care of a bank vole?

Voles make reliable pets and taking care of them is considered relatively simple. Fill your vole's cage with soft material for bedding. Because the bedding must be washed or changed often in order for your vole to be healthy, the bedding that you choose should either be washable or disposable.

What do you feed a vole?

Voles often feed on brassicas and will strip Brussels sprouts from the stems. They also enjoy eating roots – beetroot and stored potatoes, for example. Soft fruit is a favourite food, especially strawberries. Bank voles will even climb trees for fruit and berries.

Are bank voles protected?

Status & conservation

Native to Great Britain; populations in Ireland were accidentally introduced in the 1950s. Common and widespread. Bank voles are not legally protected in the UK and have no conservation designation.

Are bank voles rare?

Bank voles are common and widespread across the UK. They don't hibernate so you can spot them all year round. Bank voles produce three to four litters of between three and five young per year.

Where do voles have their babies?

Voles make their nests in underground burrows around tree roots, ground cover and beneath fruit trees. From their nests, voles tunnel beneath the ground in their endless search for food.

Are voles endangered?

They were first discovered in Shoshone, California, and formally described as a species in 1900. But before it was even of legal age, the vole was deemed extinct in 1917. ... In 1980, habitat degradation and the animal's small population led to its listing as an endangered species by the state of California.

Do voles eat peanut butter?

Best Vole Bait and Vole Baiting Tips

The best bait for voles includes bread and butter, small nuts, cherry pits, oatmeal, sunflower or similar seeds, mixed peanut butter and oatmeal or gumdrops. When baiting vole traps, make sure you put the bait in and around the trap.

What is the life cycle of a vole?

Voles' lifespan

Like most other species with accelerated life cycles, voles have a really short lifespan. Most small species with a vole size of fewer than 4 inches have an average life span of 3 to 6 months and rarely live long enough to reach one year of age.

Do voles eat grain?

Voles are granivores, meaning grains are their main food source. Since the bird seed in bird feeders is a grain, fallen seeds can be a major attractant for voles. Homeowners notice vole activity when the snow melts and the vole paths become apparent in the lawn.

How big is a bank vole?

Size: Head and body length 9-11cm, tail length 3-7cm. Weight: 20-40g. Distribution: Found across mainland UK and in the south of Ireland. Bank vole distribution (in green), taken from 'Britain's Mammals 2018: The Mammal Society's Guide to their Population and Conservation Status.

How many voles live in a hole?

There may be two adults, several juveniles, and a nest with up to 5 babies in a family colony. Adults are thought to defend their home habitat or territory from invasion by other voles.

Are voles bigger than mice?

Since voles and mice are both around five to eight inches long and have gray or brown fur, it may take a closer look to tell them apart. Voles are stockier than mice with shorter tails, larger eyes, and smaller, less prominent ears.

Is the bank vole nocturnal?

They have slightly longer faces than the field voles and larger eyes and ears, and longer tails. Habitat: Generally nocturnal but emerge sometimes in sunlight. Make shallow burrows, partly underground, which form runs in banks under ivy or exposed bush roots.

How fast do voles reproduce?

Voles can breed any time of year, but the peak breeding period is spring. Voles are extremely prolific, with females maturing in 35 to 40 days and having 5 to 10 litters per year. Litter size ranges from 3 to 6 young.

What is the difference between a bank vole and a water vole?

Bank vole much smaller than water vole with head and body length of 9-11cm compared to 14-22cm. Water vole tail is slightly longer than that of bank vole, with it being 60% head and body length compared to 50%.