Rat droppings are a sure sign of a serious pest problem. A thorough assessment is worthwhile. Depending on the size, the excrement can be the remains of other animals, such as mice, hedgehogs or martens. This guide explains how to clearly identify rat droppings. Pictures of rat droppings, information on appearance and a clear comparison simplify reliable identification.

Rat droppings are up to 2cm in size and shiny dark brown

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. recognize rat droppings
  3. Mouse droppings or rat droppings?
  4. Hedgehog droppings or rat droppings?
  5. Marten droppings or rat droppings?
  6. Rat droppings size species differences
  7. How to remove rat droppings?
  8. inhaled rat droppings
  9. prevent rat infestation
  10. Rat control tips
  11. frequently asked Questions

    12. the essentials in brief

    • Rat droppings are 1-2 cm long, dark brown, and have a tapered spindle shape, comparable to large grains of rice.
    • More than 120 dangerous diseases are transmitted through rat feces, such as hantavirus infection, cholera, dysentery, toxoplasmosis, and salmonella.
    • Thoroughly and safely removing rat droppings requires disposable gloves, a respirator, and the use of effective disinfectants.

    Recognizing and distinguishing rat droppings

    What does rat poop look like? That is the first question when finding excrement in the house and garden. Sometimes a foul smell of ammonia raised the worrying suspicion that rats were in the immediate vicinity. Of course, a horrible stench is not the sole criterion for the presence of the dreaded pests. The droppings of some harmless small animals also emit a vile odor. The following table provides an overview of the important properties of rat droppings compared to mice, hedgehogs and martens:

    comparison rat feces mouse droppings hedgehog droppings marten excrement
    size 1-2 cm 0.3-0.7cm 3-6 cm 8-10cm
    shape (appearance) banana-shaped, tapering spindle-shaped or round rolled, pointed ends twisted tip
    color dark brown, shiny dark brown black to dark brown black to dark gray
    odor after ammonia severe barely perceptible horrible stench
    consistency (fresh) sticky, soft shiny, soft fixed coarse, visible remains of food
    Typical localities + basement + basement + bed + attic
    + attic + attic + garden paths + basement
    + along baseboards + false ceiling + terrace + garden house
    + kitchen + kitchen + paved areas + garden

    The rat droppings images below visualize the droppings in comparison with the droppings of mice, hedgehogs and martens. In the following we will go into more detail about the special properties. Practical tips provide information on the differences to the excrement of mice, hedgehogs and martens.

    Mouse droppings or rat droppings?

    The size of the droppings, appearance and smell in the table above serve as a first indication of whether the polluters are mice or rats. For the layman, the fact that the legacies of young rats and adult mice can hardly be distinguished is aggravating. Include the following additional aspects in the assessment to distinguish between mouse droppings and rat droppings:

    • mouse droppings: widespread or randomly distributed in the house, mainly near the nest
    • rat feces: concentrated in certain places with up to 40 grains of faeces per night

    Mouse droppings only appear occasionally at the beginning, mainly along walkways and preferred places to stay. Parallel to the explosive multiplication, the amount is gradually increasing. Adult house mice produce 60 to 80 droppings per day, which are significantly smaller at 3-8 mm than rat droppings. What at first glance looks like a bundle of fluff often turns out to be mouse droppings on closer inspection. In contrast, the rat droppings latrines are hard to miss.

    Mice and rat droppings can hardly be distinguished

    Hedgehog droppings or rat droppings?

    Joy and sorrow are closely related when distinguishing between hedgehog droppings and rat droppings. Hedgehogs are beneficial creatures that are very welcome in the garden. As insect eaters, they actively support the natural gardener in pest control. Rats in the garden pose a high risk for hobby gardeners to scare the rodents away when working on the ground and to incur dangerous bite wounds.

    You are spared a lot of guesswork if you want to distinguish between the hedgehog and the rat's passwords. At 3 to 6 centimetres, hedgehog droppings are more than twice as long as rat droppings. To test, simply hold a match next to it to dispel any remaining doubts. You can read here what to do if your garden is infested with rats.

    Marten droppings or rat droppings?

    If martens meet in the house, an undisturbed night's sleep is gone. Before the nocturnal uproar starts, the nimble animals unnoticed inspect the attic, garden shed (€24.90) and barn as a potential kindergarten. In this context, martens leave their droppings which, even to the untrained eye, are clearly distinguishable from rat droppings. At 8 to 10 centimeters long and 1 to 2 centimeters thick, marten droppings are significantly larger than rat droppings. Furthermore, marten droppings are interspersed with food residues such as fruit stones and feathers.

    In terms of smell, however, there is no significant difference. The droppings of martens and rats stink abominably alike.

    digression

    Danger potential of rat droppings

    Rats are dangerous disease vectors. In fact, house rats and brown rats carry the pathogens of more than 120 serious diseases in their luggage. Direct contact with the shy, nocturnal pests is rare. This circumstance does not make the beasts any less menacing. Insidious pathogens such as toxoplasmosis, dysentery, cholera and life-threatening hantaviruses settle in rat droppings. Rats in the garden also act as reservoir hosts for various Lyme disease bacteria, which are transmitted from ticks as vectors to humans and animals.

    Rat droppings size - differences in brown rats and black rats

    The black rat is one of two species of rats that live in our country

    Two rat species have settled in Germany, which naturally have different lifestyles. The black rat (Rattus rattus), also known as the black rat, ship rat and roof rat, primarily seeks proximity to humans. Brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) prefer to live in gardens, fields and forests. The latter is the larger rat species and is well on the way to displacing the weaker black rat. Progressive urbanization and the destruction of their habitats are increasingly forcing brown rats into the habitats of black rats. You can tell which of the two rats you are dealing with by the size of the rat droppings and the associated characteristics:

    • rat droppings: 0.5 to 1.5 cm long and thin, regular, cylindrical with pointed ends
    • brown rat droppings: 1.0 to 2.5 cm long and thick, cylindrical with blunt ends, more irregular, resembling a grain of rice

    With a bit of luck, the rats will have left their footprints in the dust where the excrement was found as another distinguishing feature. Black rats mostly walk on tiptoe, while brown rats move on the cushions of their paws.

    Remove rat droppings - how does it work?

    Removing rat droppings goes well beyond traditional cleaning. As the above digression conveys, there is a high risk of infection from the excrement. Important precautions must be observed in advance so that you never inhale toxic faecal particles or come into skin contact with the faeces. The following instructions explain practically how to remove rat droppings correctly:

    equipment

    • disposable gloves
    • respirator
    • street broom
    • Hand brush with shovel
    • Buckets, scrubbers and pickups or wet scrubbers
    • all-purpose cleaner
    • disinfectant
    • trash bag

    When removing rat droppings from the garden, please have a stiff brush (root brush) ready if the droppings are on paved surfaces. If the rabble on the bed soil has relieved itself, you need a spade.

    If you want to remove rat droppings, you have to be well prepared

    Step-by-step instructions

    Before starting the cleaning action, please ventilate the room thoroughly. Then set the windows to tilt for a continuous supply of fresh air (without a draft) during the cleaning work. How to thoroughly and safely remove rat droppings from around the house:

    1. Put on disposable gloves and a respirator
    2. Remove the dung heap with a street broom and shovel
    3. Sweep away small, isolated excrements with a hand brush and shovel
    4. Fill buckets with hot water and all-purpose cleaner
    5. Moisten the floor well and leave it to work for 20 minutes
    6. Mop the floor thoroughly
    7. Spray or wipe with disinfectant and leave to dry
    8. Clean the entire surface again with hot water and an all-purpose cleaner

    You can remove the repulsive smell with a high-quality cleaning agent such as Sagrotan All-Purpose Cleaner Disinfection. Remove the last remnants of the bad ammonia stench with an enzyme cleaner, such as Grüner Teufel or BactoDes Spezial-Odorentferner (Amazon). Please put the rat droppings that have been swept away, as well as the disposable gloves and the breathing mask, into the rubbish bag, tie it tightly and throw it in the residual waste bin. Shovels, brooms and hand brushes should also be meticulously cleaned with water and disinfectant.

    You can use this guide with slight modifications to remove rat droppings from paved areas in the garden. The easiest way to get rid of rat droppings is on bed soil. In this case, pierce the contaminated area with a spade and put everything in the garbage bag, which you dispose of in the household waste with a tight knot.

    tips

    The risk of infection does not only come from rat droppings. Mice droppings are just as dangerous to humans and pets. In Germany, infection with the hantavirus or leptospirosis is much more frequently attributed to contact with mouse droppings than with the excrement of the increasingly rare house rat. For this reason, driving mice gently out of the house and garden is also a sensible measure for animal lovers.

    Inhaled rat droppings - what to do?

    Dried rat droppings become an acute health hazard when you inhale the dust particles. This often happens when gardening or cleaning around the house. Sweeping the patio, tidying the shed or stacking firewood is enough. Fatally, the faecal dust that is thrown up can contain the pathogens of the dreaded hantavirus infection, which can get into your respiratory tract and the organism in this way. The following symptoms indicate that you have caught the reportable disease:

    • sudden high fever
    • severe joint and muscle pain
    • strong headache
    • massive drop in blood pressure
    • visual disturbances
    • acute renal failure
    • Incubation period: 5 to 60 days

    If you are suffering from symptoms that are similar to a severe cold, please see your family doctor. He will clarify whether it is the hantavirus infection or one of the numerous other diseases associated with rat droppings. Your symptoms will be treated, especially impending kidney failure. A vaccine is not yet available. The good news for those affected and their families: Sick people are not contagious and therefore do not have to be quarantined.

    Preventing rat infestations - tips for preventive measures

    Were you able to use this information to match the faeces you found to another animal species? Then this circumstance only superficially gives the all-clear. Animal excrement in the house indicates loopholes that rats could also use as entry points. So that you don't have to deal with a plague of rats in the first place, we recommend these preventive measures in the house and garden:

    Rat prevention at home

    All entrances to the house should be blocked - also on the roof

    Rats are agile climbers and squeeze through tiny openings and crevices. Slam the door in the face of the brazen intruders with these home precautions:

    • Close door gaps: Close gaps with rubber lips or brush strips
    • barred entrances: Equip doors, windows, ventilation shafts with small-meshed grilles (less than 18 mm).
    • Seal supply pipes: repair damaged pipes and lines
    • plastering breakthroughs: Close wall openings with plaster, concrete, rock wool or grids
    • Install backwater flaps: Secure drain pipes with backflow flaps
    • repair broken roof tiles: After every storm, check roof tiles for damage and repair them

    Rats always want to be near water. This property makes the entire supply and drainage system in the house a potential entry point for the pests. Regular care and maintenance of the sewage system and connections from house connections to the public supply network effectively prevent rat infestation. This includes that no leftovers are disposed of in the toilet, which magically attracts the voracious pests.

    Prevention of rats in the garden

    A little prudence is enough to make the garden repellent to brown rats and free-ranging house rats. The pests are constantly looking for a rich source of food and safe haven. With these preventive measures, you can thwart the rodents in your garden:

    • No leftovers on the compost: Throw organic kitchen waste in the residual waste bin
    • Feeding pets indoors: Feed the dog and cat indoors, empty and rinse bowls promptly
    • Close the compost bin tightly: Equip the lid of the compost bin with a rubber seal or use a maggot lid
    • Store yellow bags rat-proof: Store yellow rubbish bags in locked rooms until the day of collection

    Food reserves for chickens, fish or ducks are a richly laid table for rats. It's worth the trouble to keep the stash in the basement or rat-proof shed.

    Rat control indoors and outdoors

    youtube

    Are our recommendations for rat prevention too late? Rat droppings in the house require immediate action. The rodents are dangerous disease carriers, cause expensive damage and contaminate your food. Most of the time, the beasts appear in packs, multiply extremely quickly, are extremely clever and suspicious. Without consistent and timely countermeasures, you will soon have a plague of rats on your neck.

    The occasional occurrence of rat droppings still opens up an acceptable time window to drive away the clan with home remedies. The following remedies have a chance of success in the early stages of a rat infestation:

    • Live traps baited with peanut butter
    • put used cat litter in a cloth bag and hang it near rat droppings latrines
    • Soak rags in turpentine and place in suspect areas
    • sprinkle black pepper or chilli powder on running streets

    Increased occurrence of rat droppings of various sizes indicates that the pests have started to multiply. There is not much time for experiments with gentle deterrents. Do not hesitate any longer and contact a tested, certified exterminator who is familiar with rat control.

    frequently asked Questions

    Is rat droppings in the house notifiable?

    In Germany there is an obligation to report rat infestations, which is laid down in a regulatory authority regulation on rat control. Obliged parties are property owners, house owners and tenants alike. According to § 2, any urgent suspicion must be reported to the competent authority, such as the finding of rat droppings in the house or garden. In most municipalities, the regulatory office is responsible. The report can be made in written or verbal form. Risk assessment measures are then initiated, either by the authorities themselves or by a specialist company.

    How long is rat feces contagious?

    Even when dried, rat droppings are contagious for a few days. Virus transmission does not require direct contact with the excrement. Frequent cases of infection with the hantavirus happen because the pathogens are inhaled with the dust or penetrate the organism through minor skin injuries when gardening.

    We managed to drive all the rats out of the house. What remains is an unbearable fecal stench. How can we remove rat feces smell?

    Conventional cleaning products are at a loss when it comes to the intense ammonia stench that rat droppings, urine and rat smears leave in your home. In practice, products on a microbiological basis, such as Biodor Pet Animal, have proven effective against the smell of rat droppings.The environmentally friendly concentrate is diluted with water and applied over a large area. Ideally, keep the spots slightly damp for two days. As a rule, one treatment is enough to finally eliminate the unbearable smell of rat droppings in the house. The agent is available in hardware stores and online shops at prices starting at 12 euros per liter.

    Is Rat Poo Toxic to Dogs?

    Rat droppings are just as dangerous for pets as they are for humans. Especially young dogs eat everything that comes in front of their nose because their natural warning instinct is not yet fully developed. If you suspect that your pet has eaten rat droppings, consult the veterinarian as soon as possible. Ideally, collect the remains of the excrement with disposable gloves and a respirator in order to take the sample with you in an airtight plastic bag. In the laboratory, the veterinarian can determine whether the rat droppings are contaminated with viruses and initiate the right treatment for your dog in good time.

    Despite all the rat droppings pics and detailed explanations of how they look and compare, we're still not sure? What to do?

    Get advice from pest experts. The Lower Saxony State Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Laves) offers a professional faecal examination under the heading of zoo diagnostics. For this purpose, send in the undefinable password along with a form specifying the circumstances of the find. At the low price of 12.50 euros, the experts determine which animal the excrement belongs to.

    tips

    The compost heap becomes a land of plenty for rats if you don't dispose of vegetable and cooked leftovers here. Expert composting is one of the best ways to prevent garden rats from invading your home. Clippings of all kinds, coffee grounds, withered flowers or chopped twigs have little attraction for rats and still turn into nutritious natural fertilizer.

Category:

Animals in the garden