Lots of animals roam around in the garden and leave their droppings behind. When it comes to pests, there is an urgent need for action for health reasons. In contrast, squirrel droppings are considered harmless.
squirrel
The squirrel has the botanical name Sciurus vulgaris and we also call it squirrels in some regions. The animals are typical cultural followers of humans and do not shy away from visiting gardens at home. They prefer trees as a habitat and are always on the lookout for food. Unlike rats, squirrels are usually not seen as pests, but rather as cute animals. In most cases, the rodents do not cause any damage in the garden. Sometimes it can even happen that the little rodents lose their shyness over time and even venture out to the balcony. On its way, it can of course happen that the animal leaves its droppings. However, due to the small size, this is not a problem for most people.
- Squirrels are small and nimble climbers
- Coat color from red to dark brown
- Fur is usually darker at high altitudes and in winter
- The abdominal region is always white
- Wears distinctive ear brushes from autumn to spring
- Long and bushy tail
- Belongs to the rodents
- Traveled a long way in search of food
- Leaves feces traces practically everywhere
Squirrel droppings
The medical term for animal excrement is solution or faeces. Compared to other animals, squirrel droppings are usually not dangerous. In contrast, the feces of rats are very harmful to health. In size and shape, squirrel droppings look similar to hedgehogs droppings, but they have a black sheen. Squirrel droppings are much firmer than many other animals in the garden. However, this aspect depends on the rodents' eating habits. Usually the animals feed mostly on nuts and seeds. However, squirrels also eat fruits and other parts of plants as well as eggs, mushrooms and small animals. When these foods predominate, the texture of the pieces of feces also changes. There are also residues in the droppings, as squirrels do not feed completely
digest.- Consists of several and separate pieces
- Small and cylindrical format
- About 2 to 3 inches long
- Structure is more dry than damp
- Features can be seen with the naked eye
- Often there are clearly visible residues in the faeces
- These include flower buds, pieces of nuts, mushrooms, and seeds
Tip: In order to examine the condition more closely, the manure can be tested with a wooden stick and maneuvered for a better view.
Color & smell
Other distinguishing features of squirrel droppings include color and smell. However, slight variations in color are possible, depending on the specific eating habits of the rodents. Regardless of this, the colored aspects of the pieces of droppings can only be a first indicator, since many other wild animals also drop the same colored droppings. Therefore, there is always a risk of confusion with these instructions. In addition, squirrel droppings cannot be identified by their smell. In contrast to some pests, squirrels also do not mark their territory with urine, such as rats, whose excrement smells badly of ammonia. In general, squirrels roam the garden at any time of the year. The rodents hibernate, but not as intensely as the hedgehogs, which overslept all winter. Therefore there is no risk of confusion with the droppings of hedgehogs in winter.
- Feces are mostly dark brown
- In some cases almost black
- Does not give off a noticeable odor
- Doesn't bother thanks to the lack of odors
- Squirrels are more or less active all year round
- Busy all day in summer
- Leave the winter quarters regularly for a short time
- Then go to hiding places with food
- That's why there is no time-out from their poop
Note: The odorlessness of the droppings is probably due to the predominantly plant-based diet of the rodents.
Examine and dispose of feces
If you want to examine squirrel droppings, you should always watch them from a distance. Since pieces of droppings from wild animals often contain parasites, which can cause diseases, a safe distance must always be ensured. Most people are not familiar with the solution of animals, an expert in this can Help out in the area, for example a gardener, forest officer or employee in the zoo Pest Control. In this way, any risk of confusion can be ruled out and the pieces of excrement found can be reliably identified as squirrel excrement. It is important that the feces do not come predominantly from rats, as these pests pose a threat to human health. If there are lots of pieces of feces lying around in the garden, there is a high risk that users will accidentally step on them at some point. In addition, young children basically put everything in their mouths, just like pets.
- Never touch feces with your bare hands
- Take some photos, especially close-ups
- Then compare with photos on the Internet
- Get rid of feces after the examination
- Never touch the manure directly
- It is essential to use disposable gloves
- Then dispose of it in the garbage together with the manure
- To do this, put pieces of feces in bags and close tightly
Tip: If you want to know the exact origin of pieces of droppings in the garden, you can send the animal droppings in for analysis. However, this investigation is associated with costs.