please help with this dirty little rat, I think....

So I've had this ongoing problem since I moved into the place 2 years ago and it won't go away, every now and again, (not consistently) I have something dig holes under my foundation in my garage, one half is cemented, walled up separately and insulated but not heated(yet) other side is dirt floor, not insulated and doesn't see a lot of traffic, once a day during the week.
Anyways, something keeps digging holes from the dirt floor to under the cement floor, I've tried traps, poison that does get chewed on, I've tried traps again and more poison, tonight I even put whistling bottle rockets down the hole. To make it feel....unwelcome? Last winter I saw a rat run across the floor but I'm not sure if it's stuck around or not, we also have tons of smaller holes and tons of toads that hang around, I see 2 or better every time I open the garage doors on the dirt side, also lots and lots of millipedes. Not sure if any of this helps diagnose my issues but heres some pics to help.

 

No I don't but I was thinking about that to, I'd like to see whatever it is dead, I don't like poison for that reason, you never know if it died or worse yet where it died.

 

Another reason for not liking poison, we've got 3 hounds, that are constantly finding mice, traps are just easier and keep my mind at ease when I see results

 

I'm not even sure what it is, we have groundhogs, moles,mice,rats,chipmunk, ground squirrels, everything here. And not sure how to tell what's doing this, I know what its not, just not what it is

 

We have chippies that do that.

 

I was thinking chipmunk but an not sure, I have had peanut butter in a rat trap for a week next to the hole, nothing.
The hole is much to small for skunk, and it's inside the garage, so it's nothing big, plus with the dogs constantly running around the property the only thing that comes in the yard is birds and the occasional squirrel that for some reason doesn't like the hounds

 

Maybe an opossom????

 

They make smoke bombs for this. It is about the size of a sharpie marker with a fuze. Light it by the hole n stand back. It gives off a carbon monoxide smoke that is heavier than air and sinks into the hole and chokes the critter and there is no residual that a pet can get if they eat the dead critter. I used it years back and it did a great job getting rid of rats in a dirt floor barn.

 

That is if said creature is there, it comes and goes, last week I put poison out, it ate some, I covered the hole with dirt thinking it was dead or gone thought the problem was resolved for 3 days the today I go out and BAM! Same hole is dug up. This has happened more than a few times over the last 2 years. It's a small rodent, no possum skunk or anything like that, the hole is roughly 3 inches across. Something along the lines of a rat. Any other ideas or baits locations for the trap would be a great help seeing as I can't figure it out, I'm going to go nuts until I figure out what it is!!

 

From my experience I would say you might have a rat problem. Best thing to do is get any food source away and sealed up and go to you local farm fleet type place and by a bucket of mini chunk poison and throw it around. Most times pets wont touch the stuff but it would be best to be on the safe sideand keep them away from it in case they is stupid. Keep throwing the stuff around till you don't see any getting eatin any more.

 

Not really much for food source around, except the bean field that is 40 or more yards away across the driveway and short cut lawn, and the dogs keep that pretty well guarded during the day. Would rats have one hole or more? Do the little holes I find all over the dirt side of the garage mean anything? Is that the toads? The little holes are maybe 1.5 inches across and scattered throughout the dirt side.

 

Might be a House Hippo

 

Why not set out a sticky trap. See what gets stuck!

 

Try doin like when we wuz kidz. Stick a hose in and see what comes out and play whack a mole.