Many people panic when they find animal droppings in their garden. If it is fox droppings, it could be infected with fox tapeworm eggs. However, there is no need to panic. The fox tapeworm rarely poses a danger to humans.
How do I recognize and remove fox droppings in the garden?
Fox droppings are about 3 to 8 cm long, 2 cm thick and tapered to a point, with recognizable food residues such as hair, seeds or insects. To properly remove fox droppings, wear gloves, bury the droppings deep in the soil, or dispose of them in a plastic bag. Pay attention to hygiene and clean your hands and devices.
What does fox poop look like?
Foxes leave urine and feces marks to mark their territory. Therefore, the feces are often on clearly visible and elevated areas such as tufts of grass or stones. They also mark territories where they have found food. The animals do not bury their feces. Therefore, fox droppings are usually not found buried in sandboxes or soils with loose substrate.
Typical characteristics:
- Smell: smells unpleasant
- Color: black to gray
- Shape: sausage-shaped, pointed
Differences from other animal feces
Fox droppings can easily be confused with dog or cat droppings. No food remains such as seeds, pieces of bone or feathers can be seen in the feces of these carnivores. The droppings of badgers and stone martens also look similar to fox droppings, but are usually deposited in a fixed toilet place.
| Size | Shape | Special feature | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fox droppings | 2 cm thick, 3 to 8 cm long | tightened at the end | Food remains visible: seeds, hair, insects |
| Marten droppings | 1 cm thick, 8 to 10 cm long | spiral twisted | intense and unpleasant smell |
| Badger droppings | variable | sausage-shaped and dry or mushy | Feces are placed in burrows |
The appearance of fox droppings varies depending on what it has eaten
Remove fox droppings properly
Foxes normally shy away from people. They are discovering more and more the advantages of gardens, because here the animals find abundant sources of food in garbage cans, on the beds or in the compost. Chickens in the garden also attract foxes. Even in big cities, foxes are a daily sight. If you find fox droppings in the garden on the lawn or patio, you should remove them to be on the safe side.
How to do it right:
- wear gloves when handling fox droppings
- Bury fox droppings deep in the ground
- alternatively, fill in plastic bags, tie and dispose of
- Remove fox droppings from shoes with water
- Clean equipment and wash hands
You should avoid this
Do not leave the droppings lying around in the garden, otherwise pets or small children could come into contact with the droppings. Also avoid using a dustpan to remove the fox droppings. The eggs are extremely robust and can stick to the shovel. This way they get into the bed during later gardening work. Fox droppings should not be disposed of in the compost. The humid and warm environment favors the survival of the eggs, which are distributed on the beds with the mature substrate.
Fox droppings should be removed and not composted
Rabies from fox droppings
The solution from foxes does not pose a risk of infection with rabies. Simply touching the feces, urine or even blood of an animal infected with rabies does not pose a risk of contracting rabies. People can become infected through bites. The pathogens enter the body through skin injuries and mucous membranes.
Fox tapeworm
Fox tapeworm disease in humans is called alveolar echinococcosis. It is an insidious disease with an incubation period of five to 15 years. While illness was considered a death sentence in the 1970s, many sufferers can now live with the parasite through medication. In a few cases the disease can be completely cured.
Excursus
Interesting research object
The larvae of the fox tapeworm form, at least potentially, immortal tissue. Once they have established themselves in the organism, they can no longer be destroyed. Their growth can be kept in check with medication. But when these are stopped, the tumor-like blisters continue to grow. The adult tapeworms are equally robust. They are considered masters of regeneration because a parasite can reproduce itself from even the smallest fragments. These properties make the fox tapeworm interesting objects for research.
Profile
This parasite is only a few millimeters long and consists of five limbs. Its head has suction cups that the tapeworm can use to attach itself to the intestinal wall. As soon as the end segments are filled with ripe eggs, they are shed and released into the environment in the feces. The eggs are extremely cold-resistant and can last for several months.
An intermediate host receives the eggs. They are usually small rodents such as muskrats or mice. If the tapeworm eggs get into the intestine, larvae hatch after a short time. These pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream and finally into the liver, where they settle and grow. Tumor-like bubbles form that slowly destroy the liver tissue.
The intermediate host becomes increasingly weaker, making it easy prey for predators. When a dog, cat or fox eats an infected mouse, they ingest the tapeworm and the cycle closes.
- Intermediate hosts: in Germany mainly voles
- Mishosts: Humans, various artiodactyls and perissodactyls
- Main hosts: foxes, rarely dogs and cats
What is the risk of infection?
Infections in humans are extremely rare. According to the Robert Koch Institute, only 26 cases were reported in 2016. Two years later there were 34 reports from Germany. It is not yet known how exactly humans become infected with the fox tapeworm. Possible risks include hands contaminated with soil, berries and raw vegetables contaminated with feces, or infected dogs.
These factors influence an infection:
- Number of eggs picked up
- Frequency of contact with infected foxes
- intact immune defense or existing antibodies
Researchers suspect that the immune system is able to defend itself against the eggs to a certain extent. About two percent of the population has antibodies against the parasite. Only when the body's own defenses reach their limits can the larvae spread throughout the organism. It can be assumed that only long-term contact with infected foxes causes illness. According to researchers, the single ingestion of tapeworm eggs is not a proven cause of infection. Therefore, extremely few people actually become ill, even if fox tapeworm eggs have entered the system.
How dangerous is fox droppings?
Fox feces pose a danger, but not every fox carries the tapeworm. In Europe, the fox tapeworm is not widespread but rather in islands. The proportion of infected foxes varies considerably depending on the region. The risk areas extend across southern and southwest Germany. In Bavaria, on average, every third to fourth fox is infected.
Nevertheless, you don't have to panic, because there is no apparent connection between the number of infected foxes and the reports of sick people. Even in areas with a high fox density and an infestation rate of 60 percent, no increase in human infections was observed.
Although fox tapeworm disease can cause serious organ damage, there is no need to panic prematurely. Infections are extremely rare.
Risk groups
Anyone who frequently deals with dead foxes belongs to the fox tapeworm risk group
The majority of all illnesses were reported from risk groups. This includes people who regularly handle dead foxes or are frequently exposed to feces. Infection caused by eating wild berries is increasingly being questioned by scientists. The probability is extremely small that fruits growing close to the ground are contaminated with sufficient tapeworm eggs. Foxes do not tend to specifically defecate on forest shrubs with fruit.
Therefore, most people do not fall into the risk group. There is a possible risk of infection for pet owners. Dogs and cats can become carriers of fox tapeworms by eating infected mice. Dogs tend to roll in animal feces. The tapeworm eggs can get onto people's hands via fur.
Increased risk of infection:
- Hunter
- Forester
- Farmers
- Pet Owners
Preventing fox tapeworm infection
If you do not belong to the risk group but cannot completely rule out the risk of infection from pets, you should observe special hygiene measures. Also wash your hands after gardening and do not bring dirty clothes or shoes into the living area.
Fox tapeworm eggs are extremely robust:
- Disinfectants do not kill eggs
- The risk of infection cannot be prevented by soaking in alcohol
- Eggs survive refrigerator and freezer temperatures between +4 and -20 °C
Wash, freeze or dry out
If collected forest fruits or herbs are potentially contaminated, the risk of infection can be reduced but not completely eliminated by thorough washing. Therefore, avoid collecting items that are near fox droppings. To completely rule out infection, food should be cooked, dried or frozen at extreme temperatures.
The eggs don't survive like this:
- freeze at -80 °C for a few days
- heat to at least 60 °C for a few minutes
- Heat for a few hours at 45 °C and a relative humidity of 85%
- dry for a few days at 25 °C and 25% relative humidity
Tip
To protect your beds, you should cover them with nets.
Deworming dogs and cats
The fox tapeworm can lodge in the intestines of dogs. They carry the parasite in a similar way to foxes, while cats appear less suitable as hosts. Fewer tapeworms develop in their intestines and produce smaller quantities of eggs. Nevertheless, they can be considered as a source of infection. Dogs and cats that live outdoors should therefore be wormed every two months.
Wash dogs
Since dogs like to roll in strong-smelling animal feces, the fox tapeworm eggs can stick to the animals' fur. They pose a risk of infection and should be showered thoroughly after a walk.
Drive foxes out of the garden
Foraging brings foxes into the garden
To prevent the problem of potentially infected fox droppings from occurring in your garden, you can take a few measures to keep foxes away. If a fox comes too close to you, you can spray it with water. Since foxes don't like water, they quickly run away.
How to avoid food sources:
- do not leave pet food open
- Cover compost pile
- Clean grill after use
- Store leftover food in tightly lockable garbage cans
Tip
Foxes don't like human voices. If it doesn't bother your neighbors, you can use hissing noises, loud words and stomping noises to scare away nighttime visitors.
Frequently asked questions
What does fox poop smell like?
The droppings of foxes have an intense and unpleasant smell. This is comparable to the smell of feces from similar predators. With the help of an anal gland, the fox can moisten its feces with an individual secretion. Foxes often mark their territory with feces. If necessary, they spread individual droplets of their scent secretion throughout nature.
How can I distinguish between dog poop and fox poop?
Fox droppings consist of sausages about three to eight centimeters in size that are pointed at the end. Dogs' droppings vary in size depending on the breed and can have a variable consistency. Unlike fox poop, there are no residues such as seeds, pieces of bone or hair to be seen in dog poop.
How is fox droppings different from marten droppings?
Marten droppings can easily be confused with fox droppings because they also give off an unpleasant smell. A solution is between eight and ten centimeters long and twisted and pointed at the end. Remains of food can be seen in a similar way to fox droppings.
Martens use fixed places for their remains. Through this behavior, the animal keeps the sleeping place clean. So you will never find marten droppings in different places in the garden. Foxes, on the other hand, often deposit their excrement in various exposed places.
Do I have cat poop or fox poop in the garden?
Foxes like to place their droppings on elevated areas. These can be stones or tufts of grass. This placement serves to mark territory. To support this, foxes add an individual scent to their solution. Cats bury their feces and do not leave them out in the open. They prefer to use surfaces with a loose and sandy substrate such as sandboxes. Such behavior does not occur in foxes.
Can fox tapeworm be transmitted through inhalation?
It is conceivable that eggs can enter the human organism by inhaling dust from dried fox droppings. After all, farmers belong to the risk group. However, the probability of survival of the eggs is reduced in a bone-dry environment. They react sensitively to dehydration and heat.
Where do fox tapeworm eggs survive?
The eggs need a moist microclimate. They are extremely resistant to temperature fluctuations. The eggs survive temperatures down to -80 degrees Celsius without any problems, which is why they cannot be killed by freezing the food in the freezer. The eggs also die at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius. If the humidity is at least 85 percent, 45 degrees Celsius is enough. However, it takes a few hours until the eggs are no longer viable.
In the dry climate in the apartment, tapeworm eggs can survive for a few days. The warmer and drier the air in the room, the faster the eggs die. They can easily survive in compost if no hot rotting takes place.