Signs of pests are never pleasant to find in your home. If you’re cleaning out the attic or wiping up a counter and find a scattered set of small dark droppings, you’re right to suspect a rodent. The key to a successful pest control effort is to narrow down exactly which rodents you’re dealing with inside or around the home. All rodents come with risks if they co-habit with you, but mice can produce some of the worst due to their habit of chewing electrical wires and leaving droppings that can spread Hantavirus and other serious diseases.
Conduct a basic investigation of the droppings left around your home to try and narrow down which rodent you’re dealing with this time.
What do Mice Droppings Look Like?
Mouse droppings are small; they usually measure less than 1/4 of an inch in length. Collections of fecal matter are generally composed of a few separate pellets, which are pointed at the ends. Some experts liken mice droppings to grains of rice in terms of shape.
Fresh droppings are shiny and very dark in color, and as time goes on, they will become dull and their coloration will become lighter and lighter. Whether you have fresh mouse droppings or old mouse poop, it is still a clear indication of a mouse problem.
While some infestations lead to droppings right out in the middle of the kitchen, most mice and other rodents hide instead. You should start your search in the attic, crawlspace, and other areas that aren’t occupied regularly. Mice congregate in these areas and then venture to the kitchen to retrieve food. You may also notice rodent droppings under the kitchen sink, in cabinets, or even in the bathroom.
Why Does Properly Identifying the Rodent Matter?
Each type of rodent that visits your home will take a different path inside and find a different area to nest. Knowing whether you’re dealing with rats, mice, squirrels, or other rodents like chipmunks and shrews can mean the difference between failure and a successful pest treatment.
Not only do different rodents need different approaches to baiting and cleaning, but they also need their approaches to exclusion to ensure they don’t just return later. Identifying the droppings is the first step in keeping rodents out for years to come with minimal chemical use.
Mouse vs Rat Droppings
It is unlikely you found rat droppings in the Twin Cities. Mice are much more common pest than rats. Rats are the rodent most commonly mistaken for mice, especially when you’re only seeing the droppings. Rats are bigger than mice, but they’re also from a different branch of the rodent family.
Mice produce small droppings that rarely reach longer than ¼ inch in total. Some mice species leave droppings as short as 1/8 inch instead. Rat droppings tend to start around ½ inch in length and may even get as big as ¾ inch in length.
If you look at the ends of each dropping, double-pointed ends point to rat. Many mice species leave droppings that are rounded on one end. Mouse droppings also tend to be lighter in color than nearly-black rat droppings.
Mouse vs Squirrel Droppings
Squirrels are a problem for Minneapolis homeowners. Mice are a nuisance any time of year, but squirrels tend to be most active in the spring. So if you find droppings in your attic during the spring, it might be a squirrel.
If you’re searching your attic for signs of pests, there’s a good chance you might see squirrel droppings instead. Like the rat, the squirrel tends to leave a dropping between ½ inch and ¾ inch in length. That’s bigger than the average mouse’s droppings. They’re also much lighter in color than even the mouse dropping, thanks to a diet of mostly nuts. These droppings have a cylindrical shape with double-rounded ends.
Mouse droppings are pointed on at least one end and feature a darker color.
Mouse vs Other Rodents Droppings
Chipmunk droppings are perhaps the most difficult to tell from mouse droppings, but they also tend to carry the same diseases. They tend to be oblong rather than rice-shaped and are a little larger than mice droppings but not as big as most rat or squirrel droppings. Bat droppings can resemble mouse droppings, although you’ll usually only find them in the attic or under an open attic area. These droppings will appear in piles and crumble even without being touched because they’re made of compacted bits of insects. Hard droppings that dry out intact are most likely from a mouse instead, especially if they’re scattered around.
How to Clean Mouse Droppings
No matter which rodent species left the droppings, there’s a chance you could get sick from disturbing or cleaning them. Avoid using a broom to sweep them up or powering up the vacuum. Both of these cleaning methods distribute particles that can make you sick. Instead, you’ll need to soak the droppings with a disinfectant and wipe them up after a waiting period. Before doing so, you’ll want to suit up with rubber or latex gloves, shoe covers, disposable coveralls, protective goggles, and a half-mask respirator with a HEPA filter rated for dust exposure. A basic dust mask won’t protect you when cleaning, but it’s sufficient if you’re just getting close enough to check the droppings and plan to disturb nothing.
Call a Professional for Rodent Control
Still not sure what kind of droppings you’re finding? Call the pest professionals at WMSMN. Regardless of what type of rodent droppings you found, it is a clear sign you have an infestation. Cleaning up the droppings will not solve the underlying issues. For over 30 years, we have been protecting our neighbor's homes from mice. Our technicians are highly trained to trap, remove, and exclude your house for mouse protections.
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