Photographs of Squirrel Poop - Images of Feces and Droppings (2024)

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The below photos should help you properly identify the animal poop that you see. These are pictures of squirrel poop. If you see these types droppings in your attic or yard, they were made by a squirrel.
SQUIRREL POOP DESCRIPTION: Oblong pellets, usually about 3/8 inch long and 1/8 inch in diameter, rounded tips and slightly bulging in the center. with some size variance. Fresh ones are dark brown, but they get lighter with age. Looks very similar to rat, only a little bit fatter, and a little more likely to grow lighter with time.

Photographs of Squirrel Poop - Images of Feces and Droppings (1)

The above image of squirrel feces was photographed in the attic of a house with a squirrel problem. I was able to identify the type of animal by inspecting the turds. Once I know what type of critter is in the house or the crawlspace, ceiling, yard, or any other part of the property, I can take the proper steps to get rid of the unwanted wildlife. Read the guide Best Way to Clean Squirrel Poop Out the Attic.

Does squirrel poop cause any health risk or disease concerns? Yes, the usual wildlife excrement health risks, such as leptospirosis or Salmonella.

I have more pics of squirrel poop here on my website, or I can send some more to you if you write to me. I don't think anyone else out there has as many images of squirrel poop and droppings as me - I often take photos of animal droppings to show the customer what kind of animal they have, and so that they can decide if they need me to clean up the squirrel waste, the scat and urine, and decontaminate. If you need to know how to identify squirrel poop, pictures such as the ones above are the best bet, but you can take a photograph and send it to me, and I'll tell you what kind of animal droppings you have. Read more about Squirrel Feces — How Dangerous Is It?

How do I clean up the squirrel latrine? You must remove as many of the droppings as you can, by hand or vacuum, including any soiled and dirty insulation and bag it in plastic bags. Be sure to wear gloves and a HEPA respirator mask, and even a Tyvek suit. I then spray / fog the area with a special enzyme cleaner, but any good disinfectant will suffice. Read more info on my: attic cleanup and restoration page.

Photographs of Squirrel Poop - Images of Feces and Droppings (2)

Click here for my full guide on how to get squirrels out of the attic for advanced tips and advice
Or my original squirrel removal page with various basic information
Or my comprehensive squirrel trapping tips page.

Facts About Squirrel Droppings - Although you may not see rodents in your home one sure fire way to know that you have a pest problem is by finding squirrel droppings. Squirrel droppings can be confused with mouse droppings in that they are small but where mice droppings are about the size of rice, squirrel droppings are more the size of a small bean, about a quarter inch long. They do tend to be a bit darker in color and the places where you will find them will be different. When you have mice problems you will find the droppings in places where you store food like pantries. Squirrel droppings on the other hand will mostly be close to the entrance and exit the squirrel uses to get into your home, and possible hiding places.When you do find squirrel droppings you should clean them right away to avoid the spread of disease and if at all possible hire a professional to help you find and get rid of the squirrel. The cleaning part can be done with a rag or paper towels and some specialty cleaner or bleach. It is always recommended that you do not come into contact with the droppings so you should use rubber gloves while cleaning them. Also work at getting rid of the squirrel problem by placing traps throughout the location.

What Eats Away Squirrel Feces - If you've had squirrels living in your attic, or if you are moving into a new home there is a chance that you will find rodent feces in it which you will need to clean. There are special enzyme-based sprays that can dissolve these feces, basically by breaking down any organic matter, such as squirrel droppings, urine, etc. There are also ways to clean the spots whether it is on carpet or wood and that will leave no trace of the fecal matter. The first thing you want to make sure that you do is to wear rubber gloves so that you do not have direct contact with them.If you are trying to get feces off carpet then vacuum and scrape the area. Then place warm paper towels on top of it and leave it there for a few minutes. The paper towels will absorb the remaining traces. Lift the paper towel from the center of the spot upwards while still wearing gloves and use carpet cleaner to finish the job. On solid floors such as wood the process is much easier. Pick up the solid feces while wearing your gloves and mop the area. Wood floors are more resistant than carpet use a 1/3 bleach and 2/3 water to kill the germs.

Customer email about squirrel poo:

Hi, David! Thanks for writing the most erudite, credible, and detailed information on this site. Working my way through dozens of useless ones last night, I was thrilled to stumble onto your writing and photos. Yesterday I discovered insulation all over my front yard and there were small animal droppings in the insulation. Based on your photographs, I am almost certain that the droppings were made by a squirrel. I was able to make out a small hole where the front stone wall of my house met the soffit under the roof. It looks like it/they ate out the mortar. It would be terribly difficult to attach an exit trap to that small a hole in that location. For various reasons that seemed well-thought out at the time, I closed up the hole. But after reading your site, I realize there's obviously a mother squirrel up there, so I put out a big hav-a-heart trap and something ate the bait. I was going to follow your advice and leave them all there until they're grown, but I just read another post somewhere about the terrible smell of their "bodily excretions" all over my wood floors, insulation, boxes, etc.

David, I throw myself and my future onto your experience, insight, and genius. You're the squirrel guru, I'll follow your advice without complaint, whatever it is. Which would be worse: the expense (I'm broke, unemployed, cancer, divorced, old - sounds attractive, no?) of cutting many holes in the walls and potentially damaging all the soft giant a/c piping by the trapper or the squirrels and the trapper fee, vs. the smell of squirrel pee and poop in the insulation, wood, etc.?? Thank you so, so much for being there! Yours sincerely, Jayne

My response: You certainly don't have to cut holes in any walls. You can wait until the young are old enough to move on their own, then set a one-way exclusion door on the entry/exit hole. You can definitely wait for them to grow up - the odor is almost nothing. There's no way anyone, you included, would ever notice any scent, unless one of the squirrels died, in which case you'd notice a strong odor.

Photographs of Squirrel Poop - Images of Feces and Droppings (2024)

FAQs

What does a squirrel feces look like? ›

Both squirrel, and rat feces are dark brown or black. However, there is a slight difference between the feces of the two pests in shape. Rat droppings are spindle-shaped. Squirrel feces may also be spindle-shaped or they may appear clumped, depending primarily on the moisture content of their food source.

What do ground squirrel droppings look like? ›

Ground squirrel feces are solid, brown to black in color, and more than one-half inch in length. Their shape is tubular and rounded at the ends. Since ground squirrels burrow rather than live in trees, their feces also don't have woody fibers like the waste left by tree squirrels.

What does old squirrel poop look like? ›

If you see these types droppings in your attic or yard, they were made by a squirrel. SQUIRREL POOP DESCRIPTION: Oblong pellets, usually about 3/8 inch long and 1/8 inch in diameter, rounded tips and slightly bulging in the center. with some size variance. Fresh ones are dark brown, but they get lighter with age.

How can you tell rat poop from squirrel poop? ›

Squirrel poop is rounded at the edges, but rat poop is tapered at both edges. Thus, it's easy to look at the shape of the feces to determine the differences between animals. Lastly, rat poop is primarily dark brown or black. Although squirrel poop is also brown, it's usually lighter owing to their diet.

What does GREY squirrel droppings look like? ›

They do look quite alike as they both are smooth and dark brown in color with the difference being in that the squirrel ones are slightly bigger. Squirrel droppings size is around 9mm. cylindrical and with rounded edges. The diameter is about 8 mm.

What does rodent feces look like? ›

How to Tell if You Have Rodents. Rodent droppings are a good indicator of the pest in your house. Rat droppings are shiny black and 1/2 - 3/4 of an inch long, whereas mice droppings are small and smooth with pointed ends. Chew marks are another telltale sign to distinguish your rodent.

Where do squirrels defecate? ›

Both pests' poop is dark brown and smooth, but squirrels leave larger, barrel-shaped pellets behind while rats produce small, oblong-shaped droppings with tapered ends. Squirrel feces often appear under trees, around bird feeders, and inside crawl spaces in homes or businesses.

What does possum droppings look like? ›

Opossum droppings average 1–2" in length, are smooth on the sides, and may be covered in white or yellowish mold growth. Fresh opossum droppings are brown in color. A unique characteristic of opossum fecal matter is that it tends to curl as the animal excretes the waste.

What can be mistaken for mouse droppings? ›

co*ckroach droppings are typically 2/8 of an inch and black. This causes them to sometimes be mistaken for mouse droppings.

How do you get rid of squirrel droppings? ›

First, clean up any urine and droppings
  1. Wear rubber, latex, or vinyl gloves when cleaning urine and droppings.
  2. Spray the urine and droppings with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water and let soak 5 minutes. ...
  3. Use a paper towel to pick up the urine and droppings, and dispose of the waste in the garbage.

What is the difference between squirrel and mouse poop? ›

Mouse droppings are approximately the size of a grain of rice, dark and pointed at both ends. Norway rat droppings are about 3/4" with blunt ends. Flying squirrel droppings are usually round, dark in color and unorganized. Squirrel droppings are 3/8 inch long with rounded edges and scattered about.

What can keep squirrels away? ›

Squirrels have a strong sense of smell, which they use food sources and shelter. You can repel squirrels using scents they hate such as, capsaicin, white vinegar, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, cinnamon, predator urine, garlic, dryer sheets, Irish Spring Soap, and rosemary.

How do you tell if you have rats or squirrels? ›

Appearance: Squirrel vs Rat​

All squirrel species have thick, bushy tails, whereas rat tails are scaly, thin, and hairless. The bodies of rats are long and tube-shaped, and their snouts are blunt. Rats also have relatively small, hairless ears and their fur can be brown, gray, black, or even white in color.

How big are squirrel droppings? ›

Squirrel droppings gauge about 1/8 inch in size and also 3/8 inches long. Because squirrels have a limited diet regimen, the poop often tends to be a constant colour, typically black, brownish or red although the colour comes to be lighter with age.

What does a raccoons poop look like? ›

Raccoon droppings are cylindrical in shape, have rounded or broken ends, and are typically dark in color, though coloration varies depending on what the animal has recently eaten. Raccoon scat is likely to contain berries, as they are a favorite food source.

What do fox droppings look like? ›

Foxes produce dog-like droppings that are usually pointy at one end and full of fur, feathers, tiny bones, seeds and berries. In rural areas, fox poo is quite dark, but in urban areas, where foxes eat human food waste, it can be lighter. Fresh droppings have a distinctively musky or 'foxy' smell.

What does squirrel and chipmunk poop look like? ›

Chipmunk poop or squirrel droppings? Like other rodent feces, squirrel droppings are small, dark, and long. It looks very similar to chipmunk droppings but tends to lighten in color over time.

What's the difference between rat and squirrel droppings? ›

Rat and squirrel droppings are the same in size and shape. The only difference is the location you may find them in. Rats use their excrements to mark their territory, so the faeces are always scattered. In contrast, squirrels usually defecate in the same spot.

What rodent leaves round droppings? ›

Squirrels and mouses leave roughly similar droppings, about 3/8 inches in length while rodents are slightly larger at 3/4 inches. Typically, droppings from these pests have a cylindrical pellet like shape with rounded tips.

What do pack rat droppings look like? ›

Rat droppings are cylindrical and about half an inch long, sometimes up to one inch, says Ian Williams, board-certified entomologist and technical services manager at pest-control firm Rollins, Inc. in Atlanta. They're often found in groups. Fresh rat poop looks dark and shiny, while older rat poop is gray and dustier.

What does squirrel pee look like? ›

The squirrel urine ranged in color from medium yellow to very dark brown. Again, diet, hydration, and health could be determining factors.

How do you identify an animal by its poop? ›

Factors to Identify

The appearance of the droppings varies depending on the time of year. In winter, coyote droppings tend to be darker in color with more fur and bone fragments mixed in due to the animals they've eaten. Because of the fur content, the droppings can have a twisted or rope-like appearance.

What does coyotes poop look like? ›

Coyote droppings resemble a knotted rope with multiple pieces. They're big and tubular. Coyote droppings are usually 3/4 to 1-1/2 inches in diameter and 3 to 5 inches long. Male coyote poo is larger than female coyote poo, measuring 6 to 12 inches in length depending on the coyote's size.

What do skunk feces look like? ›

Skunk droppings look similar to those of a cat and are typically found in lawns and gardens. The waste is tubular, has blunt ends, and usually measures about a quarter to half an inch in diameter and one to two inches long. Skunk poop generally contains bits of undigested insects, berry seeds, fur, or feathers.

What do snakes poop look like? ›

How to Identify Snake Feces. When snakes excrete waste, it is actually a mixture of feces and urine that looks white and is more of a liquid than a solid, much like bird droppings. The pests' waste may contain bones, hair, scales, and other indigestible materials leftover from meals.

Do dryer sheets deter mice? ›

Dryer sheets don't deter mice. Baited traps won't solve a mouse problem, either.

What looks like mice poop but isn t? ›

Roach Poop

Even though the previous pest poops we've covered have all belonged to furry critters, co*ckroach droppings can often be mistaken for poop of larger pests such as mice.

Where do mice hide during the day? ›

House mice prefer living in cool, dark places during the day. The most common areas they like to hide are in between walls, pantries, cupboards, sofas, old boxes, and other similar areas wherein they would not be disturbed inside your home.

Are squirrel droppings toxic? ›

The most common diseases found in squirrel droppings are salmonella and leptospirosis. Salmonella can cause typhoid fever, food poisoning, gastroenteritis, enteric fever, and more; and leptospirosis is a bacterial infection that can cause vomiting, fever, aches, headaches, and stomach pains.

Can dogs get sick from squirrel poop? ›

However, sometimes the now deceased squirrel might be carrying diseases or parasites your pet can catch. In most cases, squirrel parasites (fleas and ticks) and squirrel droppings are potentially more harmful to your pet than the actual squirrel.

How do I keep squirrels from pooping on my patio? ›

Stopping Squirrels From Pooping In Yard

Squirrels cannot withstand the smell of white pepper, cayenne pepper, and chili powder. Sprinkling these substances near their usual poop sites should keep them at bay. What is this? Squirrels also dislike the smell of garlic and black pepper, which could work to your advantage.

How do you know if a squirrel is in your house? ›

Throughout the year, keep your ears open for unusual noises in your home. The two most common types of sounds you'll hear are: Scurrying and scampering. Scratching or chewing (squirrels inside your home will chew on everything from wood beams to drywall and electrical wiring!)

What do flying squirrel droppings look like? ›

Flying squirrel droppings look like little pellets. They are typically brown or black in color and may be moist if fresh. Since flying squirrel droppings are linked to the spread of typhus, which causes headaches, fevers, and rashes, individuals should be very cautious when they find the pests' fecal matter.

What smell do squirrels hate the most? ›

They're said to dislike the scent of coffee grounds and peppermint, or you could make up your own recipe with vinegar, garlic and onions or peppermint oil to spray in the garden. Chilli flakes and pepper might put them off, so try a sprinkling of these.

Do coffee grounds keep squirrels away? ›

As it turns out, squirrels hate coffee grounds! It's the smell they dislike, and for this reason, using coffee grounds (especially those with a strong odor) can be useful for deterring squirrels from your yard.

Does Irish Spring soap keep squirrels away? ›

Squirrels can be one of the trickiest garden pests to deal with. They chomp on flower bulbs and other leaves, dig up your favorite plants, and otherwise love to wreck your garden. Protect it by grating some Irish Spring soap around your plants. Squirrels can't stand the smell of it and will stay away.

Do I have a rat or squirrel in my attic? ›

Behavior and Activity. Squirrels are active during the day, while rats are nocturnal and move around at night. The time of day you hear movement in your attic can indicate which infestation you may have. Both creatures have different mating habits.

Can a squirrel and rat mate? ›

No, squirrels can only mate with other species in the squirrel family. While they are all part of the same family, Squirrels and rats are not related. They are different subspecies that cannot interbreed, it's physically impossible.

Can a rats scratch through a wall? ›

Can Rats Chew Through Walls? Rats are known for their abilities to chew through walls, floors, insulation, wires, piping, and almost everything else found in your house. Rats can inflict significant damage to your home.

What does Bobcat feces look like? ›

Usually, bobcat scat is tubular and black or brown in color. It is easy to mistake for dog droppings. However, wildcat waste will usually contain fur or bones due to the animals' diet. Homeowners may find bobcat poop on the ground near urine spray marks on trees, decks, or outbuildings.

What does Groundhog poop look like? ›

Similar to other rodents, groundhogs have medium-sized, oval-shaped droppings which are usually dark brown or black in color.

What does frog poop look like? ›

The poop of a frog is a cylindrical, brown substance that is often damp or wet and can be found in whole sections or smaller parts. Frog poop that has just been emitted is typically a very dark brown to a black color and appears to have a shiny surface.

How do you get rid of squirrel droppings? ›

First, clean up any urine and droppings
  1. Wear rubber, latex, or vinyl gloves when cleaning urine and droppings.
  2. Spray the urine and droppings with a disinfectant or a mixture of bleach and water and let soak 5 minutes. ...
  3. Use a paper towel to pick up the urine and droppings, and dispose of the waste in the garbage.

What does possum droppings look like? ›

Opossum droppings average 1–2" in length, are smooth on the sides, and may be covered in white or yellowish mold growth. Fresh opossum droppings are brown in color. A unique characteristic of opossum fecal matter is that it tends to curl as the animal excretes the waste.

What does raccoon droppings look like? ›

Raccoon droppings are cylindrical in shape, have rounded or broken ends, and are typically dark in color, though coloration varies depending on what the animal has recently eaten. Raccoon scat is likely to contain berries, as they are a favorite food source.

What attracts squirrels to your house? ›

Food Sources

Squirrels commonly eat nuts, acorns, birdseed, insects, fungi, fruit and vegetables so if you have a bird feeder, nut or fruit tree and vegetable garden, you've probably already attracted squirrels to your property.

What is a good squirrel repellent? ›

Squirrels have a strong sense of smell, which they use food sources and shelter. You can repel squirrels using scents they hate such as, capsaicin, white vinegar, peppermint oil, coffee grounds, cinnamon, predator urine, garlic, dryer sheets, Irish Spring Soap, and rosemary.

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