Are you concerned about suspicious traces of feces? In combination with nocturnal rumblings in the attic, excrement is a typical indication of dormice. This guide provides help with identification and explains how to recognize dormouse droppings by appearance. Practical instructions describe how to properly remove the residue.

As cute as these little animals are, they are rarely seen in the house

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Determine dormice droppings
  3. Differences between marten droppings and rat droppings
  4. Edible dormouse droppings dangerous?
  5. Properly remove dormouse droppings
  6. frequently asked Questions

    7. the essentials in brief

    • Edible dormouse droppings are 1-2 cm long, bean-shaped dark brown to black. Feces and urine are odorless.
    • The appearance of dormouse droppings is characterized by an uneven, scaly surface.
    • Excrement from edible dormouse animals is not seriously dangerous, but does pose a hygiene risk for food and the household.

    Determine dormouse droppings - identifying features

    You can recognize dormouse droppings by their appearance. Size, color and shape in particular provide important information as to whether it is the legacy of one or more dormice. Remaining doubts clear up further clues, such as the surface condition of the excrement or the place where it was found. The following table summarizes the identification features you can use to identify edible dormouse droppings:

    Look localities Other features
    size 1-2 cm long attic odorless
    color dark brown to black roller shutter box isolated filing
    shape elongated bean-shaped nesting box
    surface uneven, scaly tree hollow
    Garden Shed Niche

    Dung with this appearance is usually the only indication you will see of a dormouse. The funny gray furry animals are a maximum of 30 centimeters long, nocturnal and very shy. Their preferred habitat are deciduous forests because beechnuts, seeds and nuts are their favorite food and they prefer to live in tree cavities. The depressing housing shortage forces the cute sleeping mice to look around for a place to stay in houses and barns. For this reason, excrement finds with the explained appearance can more and more often be dormouse droppings.

    digression

    Dormouse - record-breaking sleepyheads

    Dormice have earned their name

    With an epically long hibernation, Bilche outwit the lack of food and the cold. Edible dormouse retire to a cozy cave for up to nine months, which is hardly larger than the sleepyheads themselves. From late summer, preparations for the record-breaking break are in full swing. Everything that makes you fat is fed. Preferably calorie bombs, such as beechnuts and nuts. At the same time, each bilch digs a hole up to 100 centimeters deep and softly pads it. With twice its body weight, the dormice moves into its winter quarters in mid-September and curls up in a ball. Up until early summer, bodily functions run on the back burner with a body temperature of 3 to 5 degrees and a heartbeat of 5 per minute.

    Differences to marten droppings and rat droppings

    Fortunately, dormouse are not housebroken, because the nocturnal disturbers can also be other intruders, such as stone martens. Excrement is one of the few clues for unequivocal identification and the resulting measures. Any finding of feces in the house is actually cause for concern, because in the worst case it is dangerous rat feces. So that you can rule out the presence of martens and rats in the house, please read the following detailed descriptions of marten droppings and rat droppings with information on the differences to dormouse droppings:

    marten excrement

    Martens are nocturnal, shy and just as good climbers as dormouse. Because suitable hiding places are scarce in meticulously tidy gardens, martens also like to move into buildings and make themselves unpopular with the human residents with their nocturnal racket. In contrast to the dormice, stone martens are significantly larger with a head-body length of 50 centimetres. This circumstance is reflected in the droppings size as an important distinguishing feature. Marten droppings are characterized by these properties:

    • size: 8-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick
    • color: Light to medium brown or dark grey
    • shape: sausage-like, twisted tip
    • surface: crumbly, visible remains of food

    In contrast to dormouse droppings, marten droppings have a repulsive smell. Furthermore, beech martens prefer to defecate in the same place, which can be seen in so-called latrines. In contrast, dormouse drop their droppings wherever they are.

    rat feces

    Rat droppings are banana shaped and soft and shiny when fresh

    The unsavory task of determining feces found in the house is primarily intended to rule out rat infestation. Rats are feared pests and can transmit more than 100 diseases. Where the beasts nest, a plague of rats threatens within a short time due to an explosive increase. For this reason, you should be familiar with the following characteristics of rat droppings:

    • size: 0.5-2 cm long, 0.5-1 cm thick
    • color: dark brown to black
    • shape: banana-shaped
    • surface: smooth, shiny, soft

    If the house smells acrid of ammonia, there is little doubt that you are dealing with dangerous rats and not harmless dormouse.

    Is dormouse droppings dangerous?

    The shy, peace-loving dormice pose no danger to humans. Unfortunately, this does not apply to their legacies. Dormouse droppings in the house primarily means a hygienic risk for food. The experts at the Federal Environment Agency explicitly draw attention to this. When the rodents scurry around the house at night in search of treats, they drop their droppings everywhere. The contamination of food stocks can therefore not be ruled out.

    tips

    Footprints reveal the presence of the dormouse in the attic. Sprinkle a thin layer of flour on the floor. The nocturnal poltergeists are sure to grope in. The track can be recognized by the 10-15 mm long and 10 mm wide front foot. The rear foot is twice as long at 20-35mm. Circular soles and forward-pointing toes are characteristic of dormice footprints.

    How to properly remove dormouse droppings - tips

    Gloves and a face mask are a must when removing dormouse droppings

    The removal of rodent droppings requires special precautions. Not only allergy sufferers should avoid dust being inhaled. The Robert Koch Institute draws your attention to this and recommends the following procedure. How to properly remove dormouse droppings:

    material

    • rubber gloves
    • respirator
    • broom
    • hand brush, shovel
    • Buckets, scrubbers, pickups
    • all-purpose cleaner
    • optional vinegar, vinegar essence
    • garbage bag

    method

    Before starting the cleaning work, please open the windows and ventilate the room for at least 30 minutes. Then set all windows to tilt without creating a draft. How to proceed step by step:

    1. Put on rubber gloves and a respirator
    2. Sweep up droppings with a broom
    3. Pick up excrement with a hand brush and shovel and throw it in the rubbish bag
    4. Fill buckets with hot water and all-purpose cleaner
    5. Mop the floor, let it dry and clean again

    An effective prevention against recontamination by dormouse droppings is vinegar. Dampen the clean floor with vinegar or vinegar essence. Sleep mice can't stand the intense smell and will avoid the area in the future. You can achieve a similar deterrent effect with essential oils of all kinds. Furthermore, frankincense is attested to be effective in gently and forcefully driving dormouse out of the house.

    Offer alternative quarters

    No one has to tolerate dormouse droppings in the house. However, responsible homeowners do not just stop at removing the faeces and expelling them. For shy sleepy mice, the attic or roller shutter box is only an emergency solution, because no shelter can be found in the garden. For this reason, natural hobby gardeners offer displaced dormouse a suitable alternative quarters outside. As experts from the German Nature Conservation Union (NABU) recommend, dormice happily accept unoccupied nesting boxes as daytime accommodation.

    frequently asked Questions

    What does dormouse droppings look like?

    Edible dormouse leave 1 to 2 cm small, brown-black, bean-shaped droppings. As a rule, the faecal particles lie scattered or all over the floor and do not form heaps. An important distinguishing feature compared to the excrement of other rodents is that dormouse faeces and urine do not give off any appreciable odour.

    Is there a way to tell the difference between dormouse droppings and mouse droppings?

    In fact, the appearance does not give a solid indication of whether it is dormouse or mouse droppings. Size, color and shape look confusingly similar. The minimal difference in size is useless as an indication, because young dormouse leave an equally large drop with adult mice. The only distinguishing feature is the smell. Edible dormouse droppings are odorless. Mouse droppings, on the other hand, spread a penetrating, intense smell of urine.

    We found dried dormouse droppings in the attic. How can we tell if the rodents have moved out or are still in the house?

    If you only find dried dormouse droppings, you can assume the rodents have moved out. To be on the safe side, we recommend two methods. Spread a layer of flour at the site. If no footprints can be seen after two to three days, the furry squatters have fled. It's quicker with seductive baits like pieces of apple with Nutella. Night owls can't resist this treat and nibble on it the first night.

    Are edible dormouse protected?

    Yes, according to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance, all dormice species are particularly protected wild animals. These include dormouse, garden dormouse and many other sleepyheads from the animal kingdom. Dormice may not be disturbed, hunted or even killed without good reason. Trade and keeping in cages are also prohibited. Anyone who adheres to this makes an important contribution to the preservation of these lovable goblins with the pronounced need for sleep.

    tips

    Hobby gardeners who are close to nature devote themselves to the first garden and clean-up work in spring with prudence. Hedgehogs could still be hibernating under piles of leaves. In deciduous and mixed hedges, the first beetles and insects rub the sleep out of their eyes. The garden soil is only dug up after a careful inspection, because dormouse could be slumbering in small burrows.

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Animals in the garden