Table of contents
- Clear indications of hedgehog droppings
- Solution - indication of the health of the hedgehog
- Legacies can transmit diseases
- Properly remove debris
Every garden owner will occasionally find traces of excrement in the garden. But is that marten, fox, rat or hedgehog droppings? In most cases, the excrement can be easily distinguished by its appearance and texture.
Clear indications of hedgehog droppings
An indication of the presence of hedgehogs in the garden are their legacies. On the other hand, direct encounters with the shy animals are rather rare. In order to be sure that it is actually hedgehog droppings (slogging), you have to take a closer look.
- Hedgehog poop is shiny, black to dark brown
- More recognizable by the shape, less by the smell
- Long, rolled with pointed ends
- Between three and six inches long
- Eight to twelve millimeters wide
- Some remains of insects, berries, hair or feathers can be seen
- Prefers green areas, flower beds, paved paths and terraces
- Mostly widely distributed, since hedgehogs are constantly on the move
- Odor varies in intensity depending on the food eaten
Tip:
Rat droppings are also scattered around. You can usually find it along a wall or wall. In addition, rat droppings are significantly smaller at one to two centimetres.
Solution - indication of the health of the hedgehog
Changed consistency and color may indicate that the animal is ill. If this is the case, the stool not only looks different, it also smells much more intensely, even disgustingly. He is no longer black, but green to light green. A shape is no longer recognizable and it has a mushy, slimy and soft consistency. A sick hedgehog may also be out and about during the day, which distinguishes it from its healthy counterparts.
Tip:
If everything points to a sick hedgehog, an experienced person who has sufficient knowledge and appropriate permits, seek veterinary treatment as soon as possible respectively.
Legacies can transmit diseases
Hedgehog poop is not only unpleasant, it can also transmit diseases to humans and pets, some of which are serious. One must not forget that the hedgehog is a wild animal that comes into contact with all sorts of pathogens.
- As wild animals, they are naturally infected with parasites and other pathogens
- Without being sick yourself
- Low to moderate infestation usually normal
- Infestations with external parasites such as hedgehog fleas and internal parasites such as worms
- A bacterium closely related to the diphtheria pathogen can also be transmitted
- Transmission via animal faeces
- May affect humans and pets
- Infection with salmonella or leptospira (bacteria) possible
- Just like skin fungal infections, so-called mycoses
- Diphtheria-like pathogens can cause serious illnesses
- Skin and lymph node abscesses, respiratory infections, neurological damage and cardiac inflammation
Tip:
Prudent hygiene when disposing of excrement is essential to protect against all these pathogens. It is all the more important to avoid direct contact as much as possible.
Properly remove debris
As already mentioned, hedgehogs often do their business on paved and paved surfaces, but also on flower beds and green spaces. It should be removed as soon as possible. This is relatively easy from paved surfaces using conventional cat litter and a cat litter scoop. Alternatively, you can use special manure tongs with two gripping arms, if you have one on hand. It is then advisable to treat the affected area with a vinegar-based cleaner, which will also neutralize the odour.
Removing hedgehog droppings is a little more difficult on unpaved surfaces such as a lawn. You should use disposable gloves for this. You use them to pick up the excrement and pull the glove over your hand, just like picking up dog faeces, so that the faeces end up in the glove. The whole thing is then disposed of in the household waste. Here, too, it is advisable to rinse the spot in the lawn with plenty of water afterwards. If the lawn has been mowed short, a manure tong can also be used if necessary.
Tip:
Hedgehog poo should not be thrown on the compost heap. Otherwise, so-called pathogens (germs with pathogenic properties) could spread in the garden in this way.
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