How to Remove Squirrels:
What Does squirrel Poop Look Like?

Your local Animal Control &
Wildlife Removal Company

squirrel Feces Identification Guide

Hi my name is Brendan Mangnitz, I have been in the Nuisance Wildlife Removal industry now for nearly 6 years since I graduated from College at UF with a background in Entomology and Wildlife Biology. I have seen and controlled just about any wildlife issue you may think of. I have dealt with squirrels in apartments complex, squirrel removal from your everyday household, squirrels in the attic, squirrels digging up yards, squirrels in pools, squirrels stuck in chimneys, and the list goes on and on. I have used several different control and removal methods for squirrels and that’s what I want to share with you guys on our website here at http://animalcontrol-experts.com.

squirrel poop is blackish in color

Some of the biggest questions customers ask me in the field are: What kind of feces is this? How can I tell what kind of animal left these droppings in my attic? How do I know whether or not this poop is indeed squirrel feces and not rat poop or raccoon poop or opossum poop? There a lot of distinguishing factors when it comes to determining squirrel poop, as you can tell from the pictures on this page.

How big are squirrel droppings? Squirrel poop is about the size of a staple and about 1-3 cm in length; squirrel feces or squirrel poop will look a lot like a black seed. Squirrel poop or squirrel feces is generally black. If the squirrel poop is very dry and brittle chances are that the squirrel poop is not fresh. If the squirrel droppings are very soft and mushy then chances are it is very fresh. If you look at the droppings in the attic or around your house and you see a white tip at the end of the dropping that is most likely a reptile dropping. But if you see the squirrel droppings that look like seeds, a little oval, and there is no white at the end of it then you are more than likely dealing with squirrels and rats.

example of squirrel poop

If you were trying to identify squirrel poop or trying to figure out how you can tell if you do indeed have squirrels in the attic (based on the poop that's on the insulation), you're going to look for the following distinguishing factors. Generally squirrel poop is about the size of a seed; it is about a half inch long and about 1-3 cm thick. Depending on the size and the age of the squirrel that is in your attic. Squirrels also leave a lot of poop behind. I have been in attics that were completely covered. Squirrel breeding cycles are very fast and the population can grow. So if you see a lot of feces in the attic or even just a little bit of squirrel poop, you want to make sure you get on it very, very fast. Most of the time when you have squirrels in the attic, it's going to be a female that is pregnant and about to have her babies. Like I said earlier, the biggest giveaway with how to tell if it is squirrel poop is going to be the size and color. Take a look at these pictures and they will help you identify which type of squirrel you have in your attic or in the house.

this is squirrel poop

Regardless of what animal the poop belongs to, you want to make sure that you DO NOT touch feces you find in your attic. You should call a professional for wild animal poop removal. If you do decide to remove the poop you find in your attic, without the assistance of a professional wildlife control team, you definitely want to make sure you have a respirator on because squirrel feces contains several different types of bacteria and insects that can harm you and potentially lead to death. One horrible health issue that stems directly from squirrel poop is roundworm. Roundworm, if ingested, leads to a variety of symptoms and can become fatal. Squirrel roundworm can become ingested by simply breathing it in if you are around squirrel feces. If you do not treat the roundworm that you ingest from squirrel poop, you can eventually die. There are also other bacterias affiliated with squirrel poop such as histoplasmosis and hantavirus, which are both diseases that can lead to severe respiratory issues.

Whenever rats, opossums and squirrels poop, they will defecate wherever they're walking. There is no rhyme or reason why squirrels will only poop in certain areas collectively. The squirrel feces will be all throughout the attic, in the insulation, under the insulation, everywhere! That is why you will need to sanitize the entire attic to eliminate any of the bacteria.

what does squirrel poop look like

Another frequent question that customers call me and ask me is what does squirrel poop smell like? To be honest with you, it smells exactly how it sounds…terrible. Feces from squirrels have a very strong poop odor mixed in with urine, so the feces will start to smell like ammonia as well as rotting feces. Flies, larvae and other parasites will gather around the squirrel poop in your attic, so you want to make sure you're extremely careful. Remember that diseases can easily and instantly become ingested or inhaled from simple proximity with squirrel roundworm. Eggs can also be found in feces and urine from squirrels, which can also be inhaled. Larvae that is inside this parasite will start to affect the central nervous system of a human, causing diarrhea, dehydration and can lead to further health issues. For this reason, you should hire professional squirrel trappers and professional squirrel removal companies when dealing with squirrels in the attic. A professional squirrel company like 24/7 Wildlife Control uses proper respiratory safety equipment and hazmat suits, to protect the working technicians during squirrel feces removal. Professionals will remove the entirety of squirrel poop and squirrel urine in the attic safely to ensure the environment is clean and sanitized and prevent any inhalation of hazardous diseases. Once squirrel poop is removed by a professional wildlife control company, your squirrel trapper will sanitize the attic and all of the areas where the squirrel poop was in order to guarantee the safety of our customers clients and family.

rat poop vs squirrel poop

Squirrel droppings around your property, home, lawn or attic need to be removed immediately. Squirrel poop does smell! Squirrels are wild animals that live outside. Squirrels also tend to defecate in residential pools, as well as lakes, rivers and ponds. If you find squirrel poop in any of these places or around your house or attic, stay away from it and make sure your dogs, cats and kids don't touch it, eat it or play with it. You do not want your children or pets to ingest any of the harmful bacteria and diseases that are affiliated with squirrel poop or squirrel urine. Excrement found in your attic commonly belongs to squirrels. If you think you may have an issue with a squirrel infestation in your attic, please inspect the images on the left to confirm that what you have found indeed belongs to squirrels. You'll be able to get a good idea of what species the found feces belongs to. There are a lot of features of squirrel poop that makes it different than other animal feces, so please pay a lot of attention to these. These squirrel feces pictures will help you when trying to identify whether or not you are dealing with squirrels in your attic or squirrels pooping on your lawn.

If you think you are having an issue with squirrel poop and want to get an expert opinion, give me a call! My name is Brendan Mangnitz with 24/7 Wildlife Control and I am always available to help identify what kind of feces you have found and would be happy to send one of our technicians out to assist you.