How To Level Bumps And Depressions Caused By Digging And Burrowing Animals

If your fluffy friend has been searching for treasure in your yard, don’t be too hard on them, they’re just doing what comes naturally to them, besides, it’s a super easy fix.

If the disturbed earth is still hanging around, scoop as much of it up as you can, refill the holes, and pack the earth down.

This has happened to me before with my cat, believe it or not. I found that you’ll never be able to truly level the holes with the soil you can regather, so if you’ve got a friend that’s getting rid of some topsoil, ask them for a shovel or two’s worth.

Use it to top up the depressions, and if the holes were small enough, your existing grass will patch the bare spot up.

If your dog is more wolf than dog, with a big old pair of front paws, I’m assuming you’ve got some slightly bigger holes to fill. You can follow the small hole steps, but it’s unlikely that your grass will self-seed over the bare spots, so you’ll need to overseed.

It’s best to look for grass that’s the same or similar to the established species, otherwise your lawn can end up looking a little like a patchwork quilt.

Once you’ve filled the hole with topsoil or quality top-dressing to bring it to level, pack it down a little, then use your hand rake to fluff about ½” – 1” of the surface.

Sprinkle your grass seed over the bare spot, rake again to spread and submerge the seeds, then water them.

New grass is incredibly thirsty, so unless there’s some rain forecast, it should be watered every day. It’s best to water early in the morning to prevent stagnation.

Affiliate Disclaimer: As an Amazon Associate and participant in various other affiliate programs, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you from qualifying purchases.


How To Level Lawn Bumps And Depressions Caused By Burrowing Animals

Seeing as they’re actually living in your yard, burrowing animals poses something of a conundrum. We have to find some way of urging them to move on before we take action on the holes and bumps they’ve created.

I’m a big proponent of dealing with animal intruders humanely, so if you’ve got some form of rodent squatter on your hands, I’d recommend using something like this CaptSure humane trap.

CaptSure 2-Pack Humane Mouse Traps Indoor for Home - Catch and...
  • 100% Humane & Ethical - Remove stubborn mice without hurting them with this animal-friendly Captsure humane mouse trap cage. Our enclosed chipmunk live trap is ideal for safer and cleaner spaces.
  • Safe for Kids, Dogs, & Cats - Keep your children, dog, cat, and other pet animals protected using our mouse traps outdoor for home! No chemicals or violent reactions with these non lethal live chipmunk trap.
  • Easy & Reusable - These self locking plastic no kill mouse traps indoor for home attic & hotel are made even for beginners. Just clean and reuse our child proof live chipmunk trap with added air holes!

Affiliate links and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2025-02-06

After baiting the animal into the trap, release it in a suitable area at least 1 mile away for moles, and 2-3 miles away for mice or rats. 

It’s harder for humans to empathize with ants than fluffy animals, but be that as it may, they’re living beings, so I’d urge you to try a humane deterrent first.

Ants hate strong-smelling things like citrus, paprika, chili pepper, coffee grounds, and cloves, so place some of them either around or inside their mound.

Alternatively, you can make a homemade ant spray out of pepper and water. It won’t harm them, but they will hate it enough to figure out that they’re best off elsewhere.

Only if these humane methods fail should you consider a toxic solution. Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter2 is the most effective insecticide on the market and is guaranteed to solve your ant farm issue in a single treatment. It’s safe for your grass as well — phew!

Deal
Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter2 with...
  • Ortho Home Defense Insect Killer for Indoor & Perimeter2 is a bug killer spray that kills the toughest home invading insects, including ants, cockroaches, spiders, fleas, ticks, scorpions, earwigs, silverfish, and periodical cicadas (as listed)
  • Provides a long-lasting bug barrier of up to 12 month protection (against ants, roaches, and spiders indoors on non-porous surfaces)
  • Apply this pesticide anytime as a preventative treatment or after you see evidence of insect activity

Affiliate links and images pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2025-02-06

As soon as your unwanted guest has vacated the premises, just…

  1. Step 1. Cave in their burrows with your boots, a shovel, or a lawn roller.
  2. Step 2. Add topsoil if necessary.
  3. Step 3. Then, finally, overseed if the scarring is widespread.

Leave a Comment