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Shrews

Identification
Biology
Inspection
Control
Pro Tips

Identification

  • Shrews are easily distinguished from mice by their more “streamlined” appearance, smoother fur, and more pointed snout. Also, unlike mice, they do not have prominent incisor teeth, and their small ear holes are covered with fur. Shrews have small, poorly-developed eyes and do not see well. It is easy to distinguish shrews from moles. Unlike moles, shrews do not have large, paddle-like digging claws.

Biology

  • Breeding period: February- September
  • Gestation:  21 days
  • Birth period:  March- October
  • Litters per year: 1-3
  • Litter size:  2-10
  • Feeding period: Night
  • Shrews’ diet consists of insects, spiders, worms, grubs, snails, and sometimes even small birds, mice or other shrews. They round out their diet with seeds, roots, and other vegetable matter when they find it.
  • Range

Inspection

  • Shrews are one of the less common rodents that we will receive service requests for.  Customers may call because of damage in mulch beds or they have misidentified the activity as moles.  Shrews may get into crawl spaces and leave droppings behind.
  • Remember to use the information provided by the customer as a starting point for inspection. This may come from direct communication with the customer or the notes from client service detailed in the work order/proposal. 
  • On initial inspection start by walking around the exterior of the home.  Check mulch beds for tunneling and potential entry points into the structure around the foundation.
  • Tunnels created by shrews will be cigar-shaped with openings, but shrews will commonly occupy mole tunnels as well.
  • Shrew droppings are curved and tapered and rough-textured because of the insect fragments in them. Some shrews, such as the short-tailed shrew, produce “corkscrew-” shaped droppings.
Shrew Droppings in Crawl Space
Shrew Tunnels

Control

  • Trapping is the most commonly used control method for shrews. Glue boards, snap traps, and Sherman live traps can all be used.
  • If bait is used peanut butter or sunflower seeds are the best options.
  • Exclusion can be proposed if the shrews are getting inside a structure.
  • Common types of exclusion include sealing gaps, cracks, and holes in the foundation to prevent shrews from entering. Screening all foundation vents can also prevent shrews from entering.
Snap Trap

Pro Tips

  • Weep holes are a common entry point for shrews.  They can be excluded but airflow must not be inhibited.
  • Identifying a shrew run and then digging a spot beneath it to set a glue board is an effective way to catch shrews.  When they run through the tunnel they will fall onto the glue board
Weep Hole Exclusion