Voles in the garden?

Vole (also: water vole)

( Arvicola Terrestris )

The body of the vole/water vole is between 12 and 22 cm long. The tail is slightly shorter than half the length of the body.
It weighs 60 to 180 g.
The vole can be easily distinguished from the house mouse due to its compact, plump physique and the relatively large and broad head and short tail.

The mating season of the vole/water vole is mainly between March and October.
The wearing time (all types) is about three weeks.
The females give birth to 3 to 8 young per litter. There are 3 to 6 litters per year.
There are about eight weeks between birth and sexual maturity.

The vole/water vole prefers fresh, moist soil, ditches, brook banks, embankments, extensively used meadows and grassy young crops (gardens, orchards, vineyards) as their habitat.
There it lives in widely ramified duct systems just below the surface and causes burrowing damage.
The vole feeds on parts of plants such as roots, tubers and vegetables.
She is good at swimming and diving.
The vole/water vole is active during the day and night. She does not hibernate.

( Microtus pennsylvanicus )

The mating season of meadow voles extends over the whole year.
The females throw up to 5 times a year.
Each litter contains about five young.
Meadow voles live for about a year in the wild. They can get older in captivity.

Meadow voles occur all year round. In summer they can be seen mostly at night, in winter more during the day.
They feed on grasses and seeds and often also on tree bark in winter.
As a place to stay, meadow voles prefer open fields and moist meadows with high vegetation.
They live in underground structures.
They build their nests out of the grass; in winter, their nests are above ground and often snow.