By Owdboggy
West Midlands,
United Kingdom 
While moving some sacks of couch grass roots etc. I was rather astonished (and for the word smiths I mean astonished not surprised, though it did make me jump), to see a shrew or a vole jump out and run away. Not sure which, but it had the long nose of an insectivore rather than a field or house mouse with the short nose. I thought that either of these hibernated. Am I wrong?
14 Dec, 2010
Answers
I would say it's a shrew. As I recall very fast and gone in seconds, were there any signs of a nest in the bags?.
14 Dec, 2010
shrews have the long pointy nose and dont usually hibernate. I have live trapped these every month of the year during mammal surveys.
14 Dec, 2010
They don't hibernate. Shrews need to eat a vast amount just to stay alive, so can't afford to sleep too long! In fact, only hedgehogs hibernate in anything like the proper manner. All of the others (squirrels, mice, badgers, humans), often wake on milder days. Worthy
14 Dec, 2010
Ha ha, humans indeed, yes that's true in my case, but wouldn't it be great to truly hibernate...
14 Dec, 2010
Ta. Well it was lucky in that the cats were not around to chase it. It disappeared into the undergrowth outside the garden. There was no sign of a nest in any of the sacks. I made sure of that before I emptied them out at the tip.
14 Dec, 2010
I think they do. Perhaps it was, but survival instinct made it leap up when its environment was disturbed? Or are they like other animals which hibernate - come out when the weather's a bit warmer? It's been a little warmer here, not sure about where you are though.
14 Dec, 2010