Are suspicious traces of feces giving you a headache? Combined with nocturnal rumbling in the attic, excrement is a typical indication of dormouse. This guide helps with identification and explains how you can recognize dormouse droppings by their appearance. Practical instructions describe how to properly remove the residue.
How do you recognize dormouse droppings?
Dormouse droppings are 1-2 cm long, bean-shaped and dark brown to black in color. The feces are odorless and have an uneven, scaly surface. Although not seriously dangerous, dormice feces pose a food and household hygiene risk.
- Dormouse feces are 1-2 cm long, bean-shaped, dark brown to black. Feces and urine are odorless.
- The appearance of dormouse droppings which is characterized by an uneven, scaled surface.
- Feces from dormouse animals are not seriously dangerous, but represent a hygiene risk for food and household.
Identifying dormouse droppings – identifying features
You can recognize dormouse droppings by their appearance. In particular, size, color and shape provide important information as to whether it is the remains of one or more sleeping mice. The last doubts are cleared up by further evidence, such as the surface quality of the excrement or the location where it was found. The following table summarizes which identifying features you can use to identify dormouse feces:
| Appearance | Locations | other features | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 1-2 cm long | Attic | odorless |
| color | dark brown to black | Roller shutter box | scattered filing |
| Shape | oblong-bean-shaped | Nestbox | |
| Surface | uneven, scaled | Tree Cave | |
| Garden house niche |
Solution with this appearance is usually the only indication you will see of a dormouse. The funny gray furry animals are a maximum of 30 centimeters tall, nocturnal and very shy. Their preferred habitat is deciduous forests because beechnuts, seeds and nuts are their favorite food and they prefer to live in tree hollows. The depressing housing shortage forces the cute sleeping mice to look for a place to stay in houses and barns. For this reason, feces found with the described appearance can increasingly be dormouse solution.
Excursus
dormouse – record-breaking sleepyheads
dormouse have earned their name
Birds outsmart the lack of food and cold with an epically long hibernation. Dormouse retreat for up to nine months into a cozy cave that is barely larger than the sleepyheads themselves. From late summer onwards, preparations for the record-breaking rest break are in full swing. Anything that makes you fat is eaten. Preferably calorie bombs, such as beechnuts and nuts. At the same time, each bird digs a hole up to 100 centimeters deep and pads it softly. With twice its body weight, the dormouse moves into its winter quarters in mid-September and rolls up into a ball shape. Until early summer, the body's functions run on a low flame with a body temperature of 3 to 5 degrees and 5 heartbeats per minute.
Differences to marten droppings and rat droppings
Fortunately, dormice are not house trained, because the nighttime disturbers can also be other intruders, such as stone martens. Excrement is one of the few clues for unequivocal identification and the resulting measures. Any discovery of feces in the house is actually worrying, because in the worst case scenario it is dangerous rat feces. So that you can rule out the presence of martens and rats in the house, please read the following detailed descriptions of marten droppings and rat droppings with information on the differences to dormouse droppings:
Marten droppings
Martens are nocturnal, shy and just as good climbers as dormice. Because suitable hiding places are in short supply in meticulously tidy gardens, martens also like to move into buildings and make themselves unpopular with the human residents with their nocturnal noise. In contrast to sleeping mice, stone martens are significantly larger with a head and torso length of 50 centimeters. This fact is reflected in the size of the feces as an important distinguishing feature. These characteristics characterize marten droppings:
- Size: 8-10 cm long, 1-2 cm thick
- Color: light to medium brown or dark gray
- Shape: sausage-like, twisted tip
- Surface: crumbly, visible food residue
Unlike dormouse droppings, marten droppings give off a repulsive smell. Furthermore, stone martens prefer to defecate in the same place, which can be seen in so-called latrines. In contrast, dormice drop their excrement wherever they happen to be.
Rat poop
Rat droppings are banana shaped and when fresh they are soft and shiny
The unsavory task of identifying feces found in the house is primarily intended to rule out rat infestation. Rats are dreaded pests and can carry more than 100 diseases. Wherever the monsters nest, there is a risk of a rat plague within a short period of time as a result of an explosive proliferation. For this reason, you should be familiar with the following identifying features of rat droppings:
- Size: 0.5-2cm long, 0.5-1cm thick
- Color: dark brown to black
- Shape: banana-shaped
- Surface: smooth, shiny, soft
If there is an acrid smell of ammonia in the house, there is little doubt that you are dealing with dangerous rats and not harmless dormice.
Is dormouse droppings dangerous?
The shy, peace-loving sleeping mice pose no danger to humans. Unfortunately, this does not apply to their legacies. Dormouse feces in the house primarily represent a hygienic risk for food. The experts at the Federal Environment Agency explicitly draw attention to this. When the rodents scurry around the house at night looking for treats, they drop their droppings everywhere. Contamination of food supplies cannot therefore be ruled out.
Tip
Foot seals reveal the presence of the dormouse in the attic. Sprinkle a thin layer of flour on the bottom. The nocturnal poltergeists are sure to wander in. The track can be recognized by the 10-15 mm long and 10 mm wide forefoot. The hind foot is twice as long at 20-35 mm. Circular soles and forward-pointing toes are characteristic of the footprints of sleeping mice.
Removing dormouse droppings correctly – tips
Gloves and a face mask are a must when removing dormouse droppings
Disposing of rodent droppings requires special precautions. It's not just allergy sufferers who should avoid dust being stirred up and inhaled. The Robert Koch Institute draws attention to this and recommends the following procedure. How to properly remove dormouse droppings:
Material
- Rubber gloves
- Respirator mask
- Broom
- Hand brush, shovel
- Bucket, scrubber, pick-up
- All-purpose cleaner
- optional vinegar, vinegar essence
- garbage bag
Procedure
Before starting cleaning work, please open the windows and ventilate the room for at least 30 minutes. Then tilt all windows so that there is no draft. How to proceed step by step:
- Put on rubber gloves and a respirator mask (€14.00 on Amazon)
- Sweeping up the dumplings with a broom
- Pick up excrement with a hand brush and shovel and throw it in the trash bag
- Fill bucket with hot water and all-purpose cleaner
- Mop the floor, let it dry and clean again
Vinegar is an effective way to prevent re-contamination from dormouse droppings. Moisten the clean floor with vinegar or vinegar essence. Sleeping mice cannot stand the intense smell and will avoid the area in the future. You can achieve a similar deterrent effect with all kinds of essential oils. Frankincense is also said to be very effective in gently and emphatically driving dormouse out of the house.
Offer alternative accommodation
No one has to tolerate dormouse feces in the house. However, responsible homeowners do not just remove the feces and evict them. For shy sleeping mice, the attic or roller shutter box is only an emergency solution because no accommodation can be found in the garden. For this reason, nature-oriented hobby gardeners offer displaced dormouse a suitable alternative accommodation outside. As the experts from the German Nature Conservation Association (NABU) recommend, sleeping mice enthusiastically accept uninhabited nesting boxes as daytime accommodation.
Frequently asked questions
What does dormice droppings look like?
Sdormouse leaves behind 1 to 2 cm small, brown-black, bean-shaped droppings. As a rule, the feces particles lie isolated or all over the floor and do not form piles. An important distinguishing feature from the excrement of other rodents is that dormouse feces and urine do not give off any significant smell.
Is there a way to distinguish dormouse droppings from mouse droppings?
In fact, the appearance does not give any solid indication as to whether it is the droppings of a dormouse or a mouse. Size, color and shape look very similar. The minimal difference in size is useless as an indication because young dormouse leave behind a solution that is just as large as that of adult mice. The only distinguishing feature is the smell. Dormouse feces are odorless. Mouse droppings, on the other hand, spread a pungent, intense smell of urine.
We found dried dormouse droppings in the attic. How can we determine whether the rodents have moved out or are still in the house?
If you only find dried dormouse droppings, you can assume that the rodents have moved out. To be on the safe side, we recommend two methods. Sprinkle a layer of flour at the location. If no footprints are visible after two to three days, the furry squatters have fled. It's quicker with tempting bait, like apple pieces with Nutella. The night owls can't resist this treat and nibble on it the first night.
Are dormouse protected?
Yes, all sleeper species are specially protected wild animals according to the Federal Species Protection Ordinance. These include dormouse, garden dormouse and many other sleepyheads from the animal kingdom. Sleeping mice must not be disturbed, hunted or even killed without good reason. Trade and keeping them in cages are also prohibited. Anyone who sticks to this will make an important contribution to the preservation of these lovable goblins with a strong need for sleep.
Tip
Natural hobby gardeners prudently devote themselves to the first gardening and clean-up work in spring. Hedgehogs could still be hibernating under piles of leaves. In deciduous and mixed hedges the first beetles and insects are rubbing the sleep from their eyes. The garden soil is only dug up after a careful inspection because dormice could be sleeping in small burrows.
