Nov 15, 2011 – Oh Poop!
QUESTION:
What animal has 3/4 inch droppings?
ANSWER:
Believe it or not, this is really an important issue for us, and for me a somewhat fascinating topic. We so often are presented only with the "evidence" of some animal and not the animal itself, and our challenge is to determine just what critter left that little prize behind and therefore the importance of it. To class up this whole subject we add some syllables and refer to it as Scatology - the study of feces - rather than Looking At Poop.
The description offered of "3/4 inch droppings" is, unfortunately, not enough to provide a definite ID for you. A lot of little animals may produce fecal pellets about that length including large rats, other rodents such as squirrels, or possibly even large bats. They also may come from reptiles such as lizards or even from toads or frogs. If the scat is round perhaps it is rabbits. They key to figuring this out, and don't be disgusted, is to pick up the pellet and determine what it consists of, and it really pays to have a small hand magnifier with you so you can take a close look. If you find a lot of pieces of insects in that pellet then you know you have an animal that feeds on bugs, such as lizards, frogs, or bats. If it is more of a smooth consistency without obvious bug parts then perhaps it is a rodent - rat or large mouse. If the pellet crumbles easily as you roll it in your fingers (with gloves on preferably) then it probably came from a bat. If it does not easily fall apart then rodent. If there are hairs in the pellet this suggests an animal that frequently grooms itself, such as a mouse or rat.
So, I can only offer some suggestions and ask that you take a closer look. Another key that I have seen may be its location. You may find fecal pellets stuck to a vertical wall, and this suggests an animal such as a frog that may perch on that wall, perhaps near a porch light and its bugs. Rodent droppings do not stick to vertical surfaces. If the droppings are on a flat surface but scattered around this often occurs when bats roost above that point, and their droppings bounce as they land. Rats and mice tend to move along vertical surfaces, and their droppings will be concentrated along that wall as well.
Hopefully the professional technicians out there are continually adding to their knowledge, and being able to identify fecal material is a very important skill. This includes the ability to identify insect droppings too, as very often this will be what the customer finds, and determining what bug left it can lead to finding the source of the problem.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
What animal has 3/4 inch droppings?
ANSWER:
Believe it or not, this is really an important issue for us, and for me a somewhat fascinating topic. We so often are presented only with the "evidence" of some animal and not the animal itself, and our challenge is to determine just what critter left that little prize behind and therefore the importance of it. To class up this whole subject we add some syllables and refer to it as Scatology - the study of feces - rather than Looking At Poop.
The description offered of "3/4 inch droppings" is, unfortunately, not enough to provide a definite ID for you. A lot of little animals may produce fecal pellets about that length including large rats, other rodents such as squirrels, or possibly even large bats. They also may come from reptiles such as lizards or even from toads or frogs. If the scat is round perhaps it is rabbits. They key to figuring this out, and don't be disgusted, is to pick up the pellet and determine what it consists of, and it really pays to have a small hand magnifier with you so you can take a close look. If you find a lot of pieces of insects in that pellet then you know you have an animal that feeds on bugs, such as lizards, frogs, or bats. If it is more of a smooth consistency without obvious bug parts then perhaps it is a rodent - rat or large mouse. If the pellet crumbles easily as you roll it in your fingers (with gloves on preferably) then it probably came from a bat. If it does not easily fall apart then rodent. If there are hairs in the pellet this suggests an animal that frequently grooms itself, such as a mouse or rat.
So, I can only offer some suggestions and ask that you take a closer look. Another key that I have seen may be its location. You may find fecal pellets stuck to a vertical wall, and this suggests an animal such as a frog that may perch on that wall, perhaps near a porch light and its bugs. Rodent droppings do not stick to vertical surfaces. If the droppings are on a flat surface but scattered around this often occurs when bats roost above that point, and their droppings bounce as they land. Rats and mice tend to move along vertical surfaces, and their droppings will be concentrated along that wall as well.
Hopefully the professional technicians out there are continually adding to their knowledge, and being able to identify fecal material is a very important skill. This includes the ability to identify insect droppings too, as very often this will be what the customer finds, and determining what bug left it can lead to finding the source of the problem.
View past Ask Mr. Pest Control questions.
