Identify Your Pest Rodents Meadow vole
Meadow vole
Microtus pennsylvanicus · Also called: Meadow mouse, field mouse
The meadow vole is a small, stocky rodent that lives in grass and gardens across Alberta. Most people notice it in spring, when melting snow reveals winding runways, dead grass and chewed bark left from a winter of feeding under the snow.
Size 13 to 19 cm long, including a short tail
Colour Dark brown to chestnut back with a greyish belly
Key feature Stocky body, blunt nose, tiny ears and a short tail
Season Active all year; damage shows most in spring after the snow melts
Where Lawns, gardens, flower beds, tree bases and grassy edges near buildings
What it looks like
The meadow vole looks like a chunky mouse. It has a round body, short legs, a blunt nose and small ears that barely show above its fur. The fur is dark brown to chestnut on the back and greyish underneath. The tail is short and thinly haired, less than half as long as the body.
Voles are easiest to spot by what they leave behind. They make surface runways about 4 cm wide through the grass, plus small open burrow holes with no soil mound around them. Under the snow, they build tunnels and grass nests that show up in spring.
Often confused with
House mouse or deer mouse
Northern pocket gopher
Shrew
Signs to look for
Surface runways
Dead or thin patches
Chewed bark
Small open holes
Grass nests
Risks and damage
Meadow voles are mostly a lawn, garden and landscape problem. Under the snow, they clip grass, eat roots and bulbs, and chew bark from young trees and shrubs. Bark chewed all the way around a trunk can kill the plant. Voles rarely enter homes. Like any wild rodent, they can carry germs and parasites, so wear gloves if you handle nests or dead voles.
In Alberta
Meadow voles live in grassy areas across Alberta, including lawns, parks and acreages around Edmonton and Calgary. Snow cover shelters them from cold and predators, so damage builds unseen all winter. Their numbers can change a lot from year to year, so some springs are much worse than others.
Meadow voles stay active all winter. They live in a hidden space between the ground and the snow, where the snow works like a warm blanket that shields them from the cold and from predators.
How to keep them out
Mow short in fall
Skip late fertilizing
Guard young trees
Clear cover in fall
Break up snow piles
When it is time to bring in a professional
A few runways in spring usually recover with raking and overseeding. Call a professional if damage is widespread, comes back every year, or voles are chewing bark on trees and shrubs you want to save. Technica’s licensed technicians can assess vole activity and set up a plan for your lawn and landscape.
Frequently asked questions
Will my lawn recover from vole damage?
In most cases, yes. Once the snow is gone, rake out the dead grass and old nests so light and air reach the soil. Water dry spots, and reseed any patches that stay bare. Runways usually fill in once the lawn is growing well again.
Do voles come into the house?
Rarely. Voles prefer to stay in grass and under the snow. If you find a small rodent inside your home, it is much more likely to be a house mouse or a deer mouse.
Are voles the same as moles?
No. Voles are rodents that eat plants, roots and bark. Moles are insect-eating animals, and they are not found in Alberta. Mounds of soil in Alberta lawns are usually made by pocket gophers, not voles or moles.