Squirrel Poop Identification – Health Risks, Diseases & Dangers of Squirrel Feces

squirrel-poop

Squirrels are unique animals in that they eat their own poop for nutrients. Therefore, they only poop at night and in isolation, since they do not want anyone to know about the position of their food. In fact, squirrels are so good at hiding their poop that it gave birth to a myth that they do not poop at all.

Urban Dictionary describes it as ‘something which does not exist. As the waste travels down the large intestine, it comes to its end where magic causes it to disappear.’ As much as the latter statement can be laughed off, the reality is that most of us have not seen, stepped on or smelled any squirrel poop.

This makes finding and knowing about squirrel poop extremely rare for the general public. However, squirrels do poop and we are going to discuss about it in this article.

Squirrel Feces Identification

  • Squirrel poop is usually very small in size (approximately 5 millimeters).
  • It is elongated in shape and has rounded edges, giving it the appearance of a raisin.
  • The poop is red or brown in color and does not vary, since the diet of the squirrels is quite consistent. The poop gets lighter in shade with the age of the squirrel.
  • Squirrel poop can easily be confused with rat poop, if a person does not know the difference between them. Squirrel poop is generally larger in size and found near the edges of the room/house, while rat poop is usually smaller in size and found randomly.
Video showing differences between squirrel poop and rat poop

Why Is Squirrel Poop So Hard To Find?

As aforementioned, the fact that squirrels poop in isolation plays an important part in its lack of appearance. They usually dump in hard to reach places like a hole in the tree or an attic (if it is in house).

Another major factor is that squirrels are mobile animals and rarely stay at one position. They are able to relieve themselves while on the run, which scatters their droppings and prevents any substantial accumulation of poop to alert us.

Lastly, the color of the squirrel poop makes it a very effective camouflage in the soil and will ensure that it is never spotted.

If you have in fact spotted squirrel poop before, consider yourself as lucky as spotting the lottery ticket correctly.

What Can You Learn From Squirrel Poop?

Squirrel poop can give you certain information regarding the infestation in your house, if you come across it, such as:

The amount of poop reflect on the severity of the infestation. More poop is a sign of many squirrels in the house.

The age of poop is also a sign of the infestation. If the poop looks fresh and soft, then chances are that the squirrel is still in the house and you should search for it. You can block the squirrel’s exits by covering any holes or passage ways and then trap the squirrel once it shows up.

If the poop is old and dry, then the squirrel is probably not in that area any more, but you should search for any opening, through which the squirrel can enter the area again, and close it.

How To Get Rid Of The Poop And The Urine?

If your house has been the victim of a squirrel infestation, you are going to find yourself in a very bothersome situation. Squirrels are notorious for causing severe damage to household items and furniture, which can prove very expensive.

There are two steps in getting rid of a squirrel infestation, unlike other pests, and these include:

  1. Getting rid of the squirrels.
  2. Getting rid of the poop and the urine.

Remember that you cannot successfully get rid of the squirrel droppings unless you completely banish squirrels from your house. Once you have managed to exterminate the infestation completely from your home and have taken action to prevent any squirrels from coming again, you can start paying heed to the second step mentioned above. You may utilize the services of a professional pest cleaner for the removal of the infestation and the poop or may do it yourself, but beware that it can be a very strenuous and tiring process.

Upon investigation, you would have probably discovered that there is a large amount of squirrel poop and urine in hard-to-reach places of the house. Since the squirrels scatter their poop and urinate as they run around, they create a mess in the whole area. If you thought that was wicked and unpleasant, squirrel urine is considered to contain pheromones. These pheromones act like natural signals for other squirrels and attract them to the sources. Therefore, you should double-check that there is no way any squirrels can enter your property. In extreme cases, you may have to completely dismantle and reinstall your loft insulation to make sure that there are no remains of the squirrel droppings in the area.

Note: Please take precautions while cleaning the squirrel pool and urine. You should wear protective attire, including gloves and a mask, to withstand any smell and avoid direct contact with the waste.

Potential Threats From Squirrel Waste For Humans

It is common sense to understand that like any other organism’s waste, the squirrel’s waste can also contain dangerous microbes and diseases. These can possibly be detrimental for the health of humans, especially the very young and aged ones. However in most cases, if you dispose the waste in a hygienic and organized way, you are safe from any of these threats.

The diseases that can affect you include: salmonella infection, typhus, tularemia, leptospirosis, rabies (although more evidence is required and the researchers are not on the same page regarding the transition of rabies via squirrels.) and other zoonotic diseases. If they effect, most diseases will cause flu, diarrhea and vomiting but disease like leptospirosis can cause respiratory problems and even death.

Unlike the diseases which are rarely a problem for most humans, squirrels are transmitters of pests. These pests include fleas and ticks. Even when the squirrel infestation has been successful exterminated, there can be chances of having ticks or fleas in your home. These pests require a totally different extermination process to remove them and are generally very hard to kill independently.

How To Remove Squirrel Waste

After the removal of squirrels from your property, you need to make sure that there are no remains of the infestation. Otherwise, other squirrels will naturally be attracted towards your house and will try to come inside.

Moreover, you should also get rid of any pests which might take the shape of an infestation. The cleaning involves getting rid of the waste itself and any smell of it. If you are thinking about going with the removal manually, you are in for a long and hard job as the feces are everywhere and in a large quantity: basically small pieces scattered all over the premise.It is much better to use a vacuum to remove the squirrel poop. You should use a filter vacuum in this process. This will allow you to complete the job at a faster rate and also not come in any contact with the poop itself, making the process more hygienic overall.

If the infestation is very severe, home vacuum may not work efficiently and you may require an industrial vaccum cleaner instead. However, instead of buying a new industrial vacuum, you can just call upon professional exterminators, who will make a spotless finish and charge much less than the cost of a new machine.

Squirrels Are Not Always Cute – Keep Them Out of Your Home Before the Problem Grows Worse

Everybody whose house has ever been affected by a squirrel infestation will be exceptionally acquainted with squirrel poop, and the scope of various issues that can be brought on by this little and generally harmless looking waste. There are an array of various sicknesses and conditions that squirrels are known to transmit as mentioned above, and a large portion of the most problematic ailments that are found in the squirrel populace are transmitted through poop and waste.

In the event that you are considering to get rid of a squirrel infestation, or you are wanting to go up into a loft since you think there might be squirrels present, it is essential that you have a solid plan of actions regarding the different circumstances that might occur.

To know more about squirrels, their behavior and methods of getting rid of them, you can visit the relevant section on our website by clicking here.

Further Squirrel Dropping Resources

  1. Where’s your garden water from? – University of Connecticut (states that there is still debate about whether squirrel poop can transfer salmonella to humans).
  2. Ultimate Guide to Animal Droppings – NeverPest.com (goes over identifying many different animal and insect droppings. Feces is often the only clue critters leave us about their presence, so learning to accurately identify scat is useful).
  3. How to Identify the Wildlife Species Responsible for Damage in Your Yard – University of Florida
Published
Categorized as Squirrels

By David Jackson

I enjoy learning about new pest control strategies and sharing what I learn at NeverPest.com. I aim to create a reliable resource for people dealing with all sorts of pest issues.

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