Something has chewed or clawed its way through the basement floor. Our basement is underground obviously.
What would be 5 or more feet underneath the ground and chew through a concrete floor?
I found it when I pulled back a rug covering the location. Whatever it is had also starting chewing the back of the rug. I panicked and filled the whole with glue, it has now chewed through the glue. I keep a cover over the hole so whatever it can not get inside the basement.
Now I worry it might start a hole in a different spot underneath our basement. 
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7Don't think any animal/bug can chew though cement. Is there any wetness/dampness there?– crip659Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 23:10
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5The likelihood that any living creature can eat through concrete is nil. Have you looked under there in the past and seen that that hole wasn't there? What is that white stuff - some sort of sealant?– Chris OCommented Jan 6, 2023 at 23:18
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5If you can catch it, it would be worth millions, as new specie– TravelerCommented Jan 6, 2023 at 23:20
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10Certainly any creature what can chew through concrete would have no trouble with that carpet. There is something else going on here and I think it's a pre-existing hole in the concrete and just your walking over the carpet has damaged the backing making it look like something is chewing on the carpet.– jwh20Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 23:36
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6Please remove the glue, clean bare, and take new close-up pictures. Also dig into hole with a spoon or stick and take picture of what you found / dug. Where in the basement is this? Check carpet and other areas for similar holes. With more info we may be able to help.– P2000Commented Jan 6, 2023 at 23:37
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5 Answers
Both Rats and Moles have been known to come up through cement floors, and they are the most likely to be what has done this to your floor.
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Your answer could be improved with additional supporting information. Please edit to add further details, such as citations or documentation, so that others can confirm that your answer is correct. You can find more information on how to write good answers in the help center.– Community BotCommented Jan 8, 2023 at 11:13
The hole is from something that used to go through the concrete.
Check it out. There is a circular concrete ring around that hole. Here is the original and I outlined ring in yellow.
A thing digging up and thru would not lay down a ring in the concrete. I bet this was a hole for a pipe and the ring is from the ferrule that used to be around that pipe. Like this:
The new hole in the glue is because unsupported from below, glue fell into the hole.
Maybe when the pipe was removed the hole was filled with something that has decomposed, like a wood dowel. Or it was just left open. Get the glue off and fill the hole with patch cement.
Hmm - you should see how far down the hole goes before you get the patch cement. Maybe there is a secret room under there?
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1I poured water down there and it was endless, so I'm not sure how far down it goes . I've lived here for 6 years. The rug has only been down for almost 2 years . There was nothing in that spot previous to the rug getting put down. I know it sounds crazy but when i first discovered the hole there was dirt around the outside just like a burrow. After I filled it with glue and the glue set , there was a perfectly round hole again with dirt on the outside like a burrow. Whoever said I wore that spot in the rug is wrong, its in a spot where no one walks . Commented Jan 18, 2023 at 22:26
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Having just seen that the rats are back in my yard there is no reason animals would not take advantage of a preexisting and poorly plugged hole. Plug it with a good wad of crumpled paper. If that disappears call an exterminator. There may be more than one route to that under space and if animals are there all access points need to be plugged.– WillkCommented Jan 18, 2023 at 23:08
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Thank you for your advice, I appreciate it.When I found it I was actually very unsettled and I put a jar over it so I could monitor activity. I'm not a crackpot but I know what I saw and it was like a burrow. But I also can't let it go without an answer. I'm going to unblock it and go back to monitoring it, can't help myself. Commented Jan 18, 2023 at 23:15
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Wad of paper can be moved by rat or mouse but otherwise will stay for years. Give it a try– WillkCommented Jan 18, 2023 at 23:34
Mongolian Death Worm
Pour 13.7 oz of Diet Dr. Pepper into the hole to keep the worms away, remove the white glue and other foreign materials, and then patch normally. If necessary, fill the hole with gravel or sand up to about 4-6" from the top then use patching cement to seal it up.
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3Are you sure Diet Dr. Pepper is the correct repellent? I'd have thought it would be something truly obnoxious like "New Coke".– Peter MCommented Jan 7, 2023 at 15:53
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3Just don't use Mr. Pibb. This is a problem that requires and advanced degree to resolve– DancrumbCommented Jan 7, 2023 at 16:35
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5@PeterM Well, we don't want to kill anything. Just make it go elsewhere.– gnickoCommented Jan 7, 2023 at 16:46
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2I was expecting a reference about "working without rhythm" to not call Shai-Hulud.– CriggieCommented Jan 8, 2023 at 4:18
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14"-6"? I'd have thought to be safe you meant 4'-6' of concrete - best over the whole floor. No problems for many years after that - unless the worm has mutated and developed extra strong teeth...– TimCommented Jan 8, 2023 at 16:17
I would agree that based on that ring, it looks likely that something used to go through the concrete. However, I do believe there are cases where an animal can indeed chew through concrete.
I was very surprised several years ago to find one day a small hole, an inch or two in diameter, in my garage floor that definitely was new. It had dirt piled around it. I could not believe it...but I really had no choice but to accept that something had dug from below. I never figured out what - I packed the dirt back in and filled it with cement and haven't had anything like it happen again.
I do not seem to be the only person who has experienced this:
https://www.bugspray.net/animals/chewing-on-cement.html
https://www.liftupconcrete.net/rodents-ruin-concrete-bothersome-burrowers/
(I know these are not the most authoritative online sources, but they were the first I found in 5 seconds of quick googling)
answered Jan 7, 2023 at 5:18
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3If you downvoted my response, I'd love to know why! No hard feelings - I'm just curious as to why. :) Commented Jan 7, 2023 at 21:11
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2Not my downvote. I wish you had caught whatever it was; everything wild can be tamed, they say, and I would domesticate'em and rent'em to plumbers by the cubic foot of concrete removed. Electricians, too. You didn't happen to take a picture of the hole, did you?– ConradoCommented Jan 7, 2023 at 22:50
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2Don't sweat the one downvote. Its not uncommon for answers to go down before they go up in score.– CriggieCommented Jan 8, 2023 at 4:19
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@Conrado - I will look back, and if I can find a photo I will post it. Commented Jan 8, 2023 at 21:58
It is false that an animal cannot go through concrete. Also some bugs can too. The link provided is a news report about one such bug that can go through concrete. https://youtu.be/vjhwyw2Lqbc I don’t know what is likely to have caused a hole of that size. Contact a pest control company to get a free quote.
