How to permanently seal an animal burrow near a foundation
Animals like chipmunks and rats dig burrows near foundations that channel water inward and provide entry points under the house. Quick fixes like steel wool and concrete fail because pests simply tunnel underneath them. A permanent seal requires addressing both the void and the exterior access route to stop water infiltration and re-entry.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Filling the hole with soil
- 2Using gravel
- 3Pouring dry or wet concrete
- 4Using 000 steel wool and wet concrete to patch holes
- 5Setting lethal traps under the house continuously
- 6Trying to identify the specific animal and figure out how to kill them or deter them from digging.
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Problem is the are getting underneath.”source ↗
“There is a rather deep chipmunk hole that diagonally sweeps downwards near our foundation.”source ↗
“What material would be best to seal this?”source ↗
“There was a hole in the corner going I to the crawl space. I shoved it full of 000 steel wool and then packed it with wet concrete. They burrowed under it and made a new hole!!!”source ↗
“Rats I think. I’m actively catching them under the house. 8 or 9 so far this week.”source ↗
“Thoughts on how to actually close this down?”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3How to stop animals from digging trenches around house foundations
- 17Should I use foam or caulk to seal gaps in exterior walls?
- 4Why are there big soil gaps around my foundation?
- 3How to stop dogs from ruining yard paths
- 12How to fix concrete cracks near garage foundation
- 8How to identify unknown animal burrows in your yard