So sorry it looks like I didn't correctly add the pictures ...

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My only experience with diggers is armadillos. Squirrels also dig, but it looks like a lot of holes for squirrels.

Hey cyndy.....I think you have a/some "voles". I had one too. They are not gophers but in that family I think. Sort of between a gopher and a field rat in size. I bought some stuff in a cone shaped package and poured some into the hole. I think it left. Maybe someone else can tell you something better to use and I'll try it to. Good luck......DT

Whatever it is, it might be eating grubs, which would be a good thing, but if you think you have very many grubs, you might should treat the lawn. It's normally done in August, but it's probably not too late to do it now. Sure beats having to replace grass.
Or it could be something just eating roots. Possibly skunk, armadillo, possum, raccoon. Maybe squirrels, but they are active during the day, and I would suspect you would see them. The others hang out at night.

I have armadillos that eat at night. They have managed to rearrange many of my flower beds, so be grateful if they are just in the lawn. If you want to discourage them without trapping and relocating them, try sprinkling sulpher around your fence line. They have a very sensitive nose and do not care for the smell of sulphur at all.

Thank you all so much for all the tips :) I'm going to try them all ... I gave base housing a call yesterday about the issue and they had someone come by and sprinkle coyote urine. Which I'm not sure if it worked but last night there was no activity because this morning all the same holes were there. So, I'm thinking they must be sensitive to smells, I also used vingegar which was suggested by a friend. I had my husband dig about a square foot of dirt and we do have grubs. Not that many but enough to attract these armoured bandits. We plan on fixing the problem this weekend does anyone know if its ok to let my kids outside and play sometime next week? I mean someone told me that armadillos carry lots of disease.

I think I missed the call on those holes. I thought they were round holes. But after looking again I guess it's just something rooting around from the top. I believe you are better off trying to get rid of a rooter rather than a driller...good luck....DT

'Possums... we had the same thing.

Will sulphur keep the squirrels away too? I have seen squirrels digging in my garden. One of them is very brave and will allow me to get within just a few feet before it decides to move another couple feet away. I really have to scare it to scamper up a tree. It has also sat on a branch and scolded me - the little s#*%!

Check the label on whatever you are treating the lawn w/ for the grubs to find out how long you'll need to keep your kids inside.

The armadillos are mostly nocturnal...and they are lightening quick. I'd say there's a 99.9999% chance your kids will never catch one. Even if they did, they would be in more danger from being scratched by their long claws than from any disease they could possibly carry. I've never heard of anyone catching anything from an armadillo. The only thing I could even fathom would be rabies, since they are a mammal.

Thank you all, it looks like the armadillos or whatever was digging back there are now gone. We used two things, the coyote urine & vinegar. We're trying to help the grass regrow by watering now & seeding in a few weeks. After all the holes they dug up it made the lawn look 1/2 dead. Which ticks me off. They only thing I know of keeping squirrels away is not placing food outside. I feed the birds so I always have 1 or 2 squirrels that show up. Yep, some of them critters can be very brave. We call him Loco.

It doesn't seem to me that those holes should make your grass look 1/2 dead. I'd be thinking I have another issue besides the digging. I don't know how many "a few" grubs were when your husband dug the square foot, but you might should treat for them anyway. They could make the grass look 1/2 dead.

Bad news here, the creature or creatures are back. They dug up new holes last night & I'm so fed up with this. The thing thats bothering me the most is that my four year old goes outside and runs around and falls in those darn holes. I made a call to base housing they stated they would add the repelant (coyote urine) & look into placing a mesh on the gate (if they show up with some cheap mesh I'm going to lose it). debndal, I thought the same thing this morning. When we lifted part of the grass we saw about 3 grubs I'm having him treat it today. I also noticed a brown patch on the lawn that has suddenly started to get worse since I first posted here. Ugh, I never had these problems before with the lawn. Oh we also use Miracle-Gro® Water Soluble Lawn Food. I'm starting to wonder if this could also be the problem. We follow the directions to the T.

One question, how far deep do I need to dig to see the grubs? I just tried doing it myself and i could only get about 2 inches deep. I saw nothing ... do I need to dig deeper?

Cyndy - I'm not a grub expert, but as I dig in my beds I occassionally will find them 2-5" deep. They are after the roots, and when the soil is deep the roots can go deep. You could also be looking at take all patch or brown patch - so many things it could be. It's also the time of year when grass slows down, so that might be part of it too. The critter that is digging is definitely looking for something in the soil to eat, so grubs would be my first thought.

Thanks debndal ... they are placing chicken wire on the gate today. They added the repelant yesterday. Today we plan to treat the lawn with the grub killer once the gate has the chicken wire on it. Then we'll need to fix the lawn, it looks like swiss cheese in some parts. Any advice on how to fix those holes and help the grass regrow?

The grass will be slowing down for the year, so you might not get much regrowth this year. If the holes are deep you could fill with some soil from other areas of your garden or yard. If they aren't deep, they will even out over time. For now I think I would just watch it and wait see how it does next spring. It will probably be fine and cover quickly.

Thanks debndal I really appreciate all your help :) Next spring I'll be moving, I do hope there are no creatures in VA

I know this is an old post, but I just experienced holes in my lawn and while searching for an answer found this. Your pictures look like I took them of my lawn, it is the same scene. Did you ever find out for sure what was causing the holes?

I also have holes in the grass could this be grubs the
grass is also dying in spots.

so I have the same problem in my yard now I border a ranch an have a fenced in yard but with all 15year old fences there are places that wild life can get in so I do put food out for the Squirrels,Rabbits, an what ever else passes through our yard an recently have seen a skunk digging in the back yard also a possum was hit with in 100 yards of the house. so I think we have a digger an the predators urine will be the best answer you'll have to repeat every couple weeks if it rains a lot so the scent will be fresh good luck am trying the scent today will post results soon