Some people want to tame them, others think you need to use shrew-d methods to outsmart them. But in reality, shrews are a valuable critter that can be both boon and bane to your property. Let’s take a few minutes to look at how to get rid of shrews and keep them away.
Afterwards, we’ll get to know these critters a bit better and discuss why you may want to actually keep them around. There’s a lot more to these little guys than you might think.
Getting Rid of Shrews
As helpful as they can be, shrews can still wreak havoc and tend to leave an unmistakably nasty odor behind. As a result, even if you could use their help, you might not want to keep a shrew around.
Here are several methods to get rid of them, ordered by effectiveness. Note that you might have to try a few to find what works best in your situation.
From the Yard/Garden
Snap Traps
Snap traps are the most effective method for controlling shrews. Use mouse snap traps with expanded triggers (like these), which are more sensitive and better suited for shrews’ lighter weight compared to standard mousetraps.
Bait with small pieces of meat, tuna, or peanut butter. Tie bait to the trigger when possible to prevent shrews from stealing it without setting off the trap. For bait that cannot be tied like peanut butter, use very small amounts.
Position traps directly in runways or at the beginning of runways a couple of inches from burrows, and cover outdoor traps with vegetation to protect from weather.
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Live Traps
Live traps (like this) can work but are less reliable because shrews are wary of enclosed spaces and not easily lured into traps. Any live trap designed for mice should work for shrews as well.
Their excellent sense of smell means you can use seeds or similar baits, but match your bait to what they’re targeting: use peanut butter or sunflower seeds if they’re going after seeds and nuts, or raw meat if they’re mainly hunting mice.
Multi-capture traps (example) can work especially well, as you can lure a mouse in with peanut butter and the shrew will enter hunting the trapped mouse. Always relocate captured shrews at least five miles from your home and wear gloves to avoid getting bitten.
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Natural Predators
Owls, hawks, snakes, and other rodent hunters also love shrews. Inviting natural predators to hunt on your property can be effective, but exercise caution as these hunters may also attack small birds or smaller pets.
Research the pros and cons of encouraging specific predators before getting started, and ensure you won’t create new pest issues.
Pesticides/Insecticides
Rather than targeting shrews directly with pesticides, a more effective approach is eliminating their food sources.
Shrews mainly feed on soil-dwelling insects like worms, centipedes, millipedes, beetle larvae, snails, slugs, sowbugs, and sometimes even spiders, snakes, small mice, or frogs. By eliminating the insect population in your yard, you remove the main food source that draws shrews in.
A bifenthrin-based insecticide concentrate such as Talak 7.9% or Talstar P eliminates 70+ pests and repels them from treated sites for up to 3 months after application. Dilute according to directions and spray your grass and bushes thoroughly, treating the top and bottom of leaves to the point of wet but not runoff.
From the Home
In general, you’ll use the same methods you used for the garden (excluding natural predators of course).
If using snap traps, place them along baseboards where shrew activity has been noticed, using the same baiting techniques as outdoor traps. Check frequently as dead shrews will quickly produce strong odors.
Sticky traps along baseboards can also work, though they’re not exactly the most humane. Just make sure kids and pets can’t access them unless you want to deal with a particularly messy bath time.
While poison bait stations are often touted as a shrew control option, we don’t recommend them. Besides them being inhumane and posing a serious risk to pets and children, they have another issue.
What often happens is that shrews ingest the poison and end up in hidden or hard-to-reach areas where they die and start decomposing, leading to serious odor problem. If you thought the smell of a dead mouse was bad, shrews take it to another level.
Getting Rid of the Smell
Once you’ve removed the shrew, you’ll need to locate and clear up any messes they made. Indoors, you’ll want to thoroughly scrub the area and disinfect it. An odor neutralizing enzyme is also a good idea. Outdoors, you’ll want to spray the perimeter of your home with enzyme, as well as any places you know the shrew liked to hang out.
Even if you can’t smell the shrew outside, they leave chemical scent trails which can attract other shrews. These trails will last up to two years if left untreated. Proper cleanup is necessary to prevent re-infestation.
Signs of Shrew Infestation
Recognizing a shrew problem early can save you time and effort in control measures. Unlike mice infestations that leave obvious chew marks on food packages and dark, pellet-like droppings along baseboards or in corners, shrew signs are more subtle but distinctive once you know what to look for.
The most telling sign of shrews is their unmistakable musky odor that’s remarkably similar to skunk spray. This pungent smell comes from scent glands on their flanks and becomes stronger in areas where shrews are active. If you notice this distinctive odor in your basement, garage, or around your property, there’s good chance you have a shrew problem.
Look for their characteristic corkscrew-shaped droppings, which are much smaller and differently shaped than poop that mice leave behind. You may also find tiny holes throughout your lawn and garden beds where shrews have been hunting for insects and worms.
Listen for high-pitched squeaking or chattering sounds, especially during summer months when shrews are most vocal and territorial. These sounds are much sharper and more frequent than typical mouse noises.
Check for small tracks in soft soil or sand around your property. Shrew tracks show five tiny toes on both front and back feet, and you might even see a tail drag mark between the footprints.
Finally, if you find small dead animals like insects, worms, or even mice that appear to have been cached or stored, this could indicate shrew activity, as they sometimes hoard prey for later consumption.
Preventing Shrews
Prevention is a fairly simple matter as long as you’re willing to put a little effort in. Begin by securing your home, sealing any visible cracks or holes, installing exclusionary devices, and replacing any damaged screens.
Make sure that there’s no spilled birdseed or scraps of food or drink about. Clear up any debris and keep the lawn short, if possible. Complimentary gardening can help chase away any bugs the shrew might be attracted to.
Finally, a perimeter fence that extends underground can be one of the best ways to keep many burrowing pests out (maybe not gophers whose tunnels can go up to six feet underground).
Getting to Know Shrews
The family Soricidae boasts the fourth largest selection of species among all mammals at 385 currently identified. Of these, at least 30 can be found in North America. While they closely resemble rodents, they’re actually related to hedgehogs and moles.
Identifying Shrews
Shrews are tiny critters. In fact, the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus) is on record as the smallest extant terrestrial mammal at only 1 ⅜ inches long. The largest species, the Asian house shrew (Suncus murinus), is only six inches long. All shrews have pointy snouts and tend to have a high metabolism.
In winter, some shrews are capable of torpor, a state of reduced metabolism where they absorb nutrients from their own body to survive with less food. They have really poor eyesight but excellent senses of hearing and smell.
Some species can climb trees, while most prefer to stick to the ground or even burrow underground. However, they all tend to be good climbers.
Shrew vs Mouse
Many people mistake shrews for mice, but these are completely different animals requiring different control approaches. Here’s how to tell them apart:
- Physical Differences: Shrews have long, pointed snouts, while mice have blunt, rounded snouts. Shrews have tiny, barely visible eyes, whereas mice have large, prominent black eyes.
- Size and Shape: Shrews are generally smaller and more cylindrical, measuring 3-4 inches long. Their bodies appear more streamlined compared to mice, which have a more rounded, bulkier appearance.
- Behavior Patterns: Mice hug walls and dart quickly from hiding spot to hiding spot. Shrews move more erratically and don’t necessarily follow walls (they may run directly across open spaces).
- Droppings: Shrew droppings are distinctively corkscrew-shaped and smaller than mouse droppings, which are pellet-shaped with pointed ends.
- Odor: Shrews produce a strong, musky smell similar to skunk odor, while mice have little to no noticeable scent.
- Teeth: If you get a close look, shrews have sharp, spike-like teeth for catching prey, while mice have flat, gnawing teeth for eating plant material (and a bunch of other materials).
What Do Shrews Eat?
Much like their mole cousins, shrews are primarily insectivores. They also enjoy feeding on seeds and have a special love for hunting mice. They’re also known to eat worms and forage amongst leaf litter.
Shrew Super Powers
Shrews have a wide range of special abilities that vary from one species to another and are rare among mammals. Here are a few of the more interesting ones:
Echolocation
The genera Blarina and Sorex have the distinction of being the only land-based critters to use echolocation, a navigation system where animals produce high-frequency sounds and use the echoes that bounce back to locate objects and navigate in the dark.
While some humans have developed echolocation to compensate for blindness, this is a rare phenomenon, whereas it’s a natural ability for these shrews that helps them hunt and move through their environment despite their poor eyesight.
Metal Teeth
Some species have dark red teeth caused by the presence of iron. While scientists once thought the iron directly caused the coloration, new research suggests this may not be the case.
However, the iron does reinforce the surfaces exposed to the most stress, helping prolong the life of the teeth (important since shrews only have one set of teeth throughout their lives).
Venom
A few species, such as the American short-tailed shrew (genus Blarina), produce venom, which is an extremely rare ability among mammals. The aforementioned genus of five species (one of which is suspected to be extinct) produces enough venom to kill 200 mice on a single sacful.
Interestingly, the venom isn’t injected via fangs, but instead is released from grooves in their teeth.
This venom is extremely important to medical research, with various compounds being studied as treatments for high blood pressure, migraines, neuromuscular diseases, and even ovarian cancer!
Do Shrews Bite?
Yes, shrews can and will bite if they feel threatened. While getting bitten by a venomous shrew isn’t deadly (unless you have a sensitivity to venom), it can be very painful.
The good news is that there’s no evidence of anyone directly contracting an infection or disease from a shrew bite, so wash and treat the wound as you would any puncture.
However, shrews pose significant indirect health risks as disease carriers. Currently, over 190 species of viruses in 32 families have been identified in shrews, including Borna disease virus 1, Langya virus, and severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome virus, which cause diseases in humans and/or domestic animals.
I’ve Spotted a Shrew, Are There More?
Shrews are solitary outside of mating. That said, a female will have up to 10 litters of three to six (but occasionally 2-10) pups and can get pregnant the day after giving birth.
While nursing, pups are known to caravan, where they form a line behind the mother, each holding the base of the tail in front of them for safety.
Are Shrews Beneficial or Harmful?
Shrews can be an amazing garden ally, feeding on all sorts of tiny pests and even mice. However, the process of hunting can also mean holes all over the garden and the occasional bit of root damage or seed loss. They are also known to attack eggs and small birds.
More importantly, shrews can easily make their way into your home where their waste produces a particularly pungent odor and can spread a number of diseases and bacterial infections. While they have been known to carry parasites such as fleas and ticks, there’s very little documentation on whether this is an additional infestation risk.
In addition, if a shrew gets indoors, it can cause a lot of damage while searching for food, such as chewing into cardboard or ruining surfaces with its urine.
Morgan is a certified entomologist and pest control consultant and a member of the National Pest Management Association.
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