Living in Florida, you are bound to come across all types of rodents. While many people don’t think of squirrels as rodents because of their cute bushy tails, they share many similarities with rats and mice. Squirrels and rats are both known to infest Florida homes.
You might not always see a squirrel or a rat living in your home. Usually, the first thing you’ll notice is their droppings. Thankfully, it is possible to tell the difference between rat and squirrel droppings. Squirrel feces tends to be larger and more oblong than rat droppings.
If you believe you have squirrels or rats living in your home, you’ll need professional help. Squirrel and rat infestations pose significant health risks, making it vital that you contact an animal removal service. At Nuisance Wildlife Rangers, we use humane and ethical approaches to solving rat infestations, which means you’ll never have to worry about us harming animals like rats, squirrels, and mice.
In this article, you will learn:
- What are the risks of coming into contact with rat and squirrel droppings?
- How to tell the difference between squirrel poop vs rat poop
- Where to look for rat and squirrel droppings
Do Rodent Droppings Contain Harmful Bacteria and Parasites?
Rodent droppings may contain harmful bacteria and parasites. Because of this, you never want to come into contact with squirrel droppings. If you have to handle their droppings, you should always wear a mask and gloves.
Rat and squirrel droppings may contain:
- Bacteria- Rodents can carry diseases like Streptobacillus moniliformis (rat-bite fever), Spirillum minus (haverhill fever), and salmonellosis (a type of food poisoning). You could come into contact with these types of bacteria by touching rat droppings or even breathing air contaminated with them.
- Viruses- Rodents can carry viruses like hantavirus and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), which can both be life-threatening without treatment. You can contract these viruses from coming into contact with rat droppings or squirrel droppings.
- Parasites- Rodent-borne parasites like toxoplasmosis can be transmitted to humans if you come into contact with squirrel and rat droppings.
Because of the risks associated with coming into contact with squirrel feces or rat poop, you should never handle the droppings yourself. Instead, contact a wildlife control company to clean the area and rid your home of the squirrel or rat infestation.
Appearance Differences Between Squirrel vs Rat Feces
Squirrels and rats might be similar, but it is easy to distinguish the difference between their droppings.
Size
Squirrel droppings are typically larger than rat feces. Rat poop range from 0.25 inches in length to 0.5 inches in length. On the other hand, squirrel feces tends to be 1/2 to 3/4 inch.
Shape
Squirrel poop tends to be longer and oblong, while rat droppings are cylindrical. Additionally, squirrel poop has rounded ends, while rat poop has pointed ends.
Color and Texture
Rat poop tends to be dark brown to black. Squirrel poop also tends to be dark brown to black, however, their droppings may contain undigested food particles in it (i.e., greens, grains, meat, slugs), making it appear lighter in some areas.
Smell
Both squirrels and rat droppings have a pungent odor, however, rat poop tends to leave a more distinct smell. For example, people describe rat droppings as smelling musty and sweet at the same time.
Distribution
Rats, squirrels, and mice leave their droppings in different areas. For example, squirrels tend to be specific about where they leave their poop. You can find squirrel poop in tree trunks and other secluded areas like crawl spaces.
On the other hand, rats tend to scatter their droppings all over the place. You’ll find rat droppings near items they’ve eaten. For example, if a rat has gotten into your cupboard to snack on boxes of crackers, they’ll leave their droppings next to the packages.
Where to Look for Squirrel, Rat, Mouse Droppings
Rats, squirrels, and mice tend to leave their feces in different spots. By locating droppings, you might be able to tell what type of rodent infestation you have.
Rats tend to leave their droppings near their nests or runs. This means you can find their droppings along walls and baseboards. You might also find rat poop in cupboards or behind refrigerators.
Squirrel droppings can be found in attics, on the roof shingles, houses siding, or inside the walls. They tend to be more discreet about where they leave their droppings.
Lastly, mice leave their droppings on their travel paths. You might find them in kitchens, cabinets, pantries, or attics.
Have You Noticed Rat Droppings in Your Home? Get Help From Nuisance Wildlife Rangers
Finding visible droppings in your house is never fun. You don’t want to have to clean up rat waste by yourself, as they carry bacteria and diseases. Thankfully, Nuisance Wildlife Rangers can rid your home of both rats and squirrels.
Because rodents can contaminate pantries, ruin personal property, and spread diseases, it’s important to get them out of your home as soon as possible. You could get rat bite fever, plague, or hantavirus. They can also ruin home and business interiors with their urine stains.
If you find a rat or mouse nest in your attic, you should contact Nuisance Wildlife Rangers as soon as possible. Rat droppings are usually left in areas they frequent, which means they won’t be far away from their waste. We can help you remove them from your home using humane and ethical approaches.
Contact us today to receive a professional removal service for squirrel infestations, rat infestations, or mouse infestations.
