Rat Poop vs Mouse Poop

Finding rodent poop in your home is a distressing and annoying find. It can be confusing at first what rodent has left the pellets behind and a lot of people need help identifying rat poop vs mouse poop as they are very similar.

There are some telltale differences however. As much as you don’t want to get up close to the offending items, it’s important to try and identify what animal left the feces. This helps you decide what you are going to do next, and what you are up against.

Here is a look at rat poop vs mouse poop and the differences between the two that will help you identify the feces.

Rat Poop vs Mouse Poop

Size of Mice Droppings

Even if you have not actually seen the rodent leaving the droppings, the size is a good indication of which rodent and how big it is. Mice droppings are approximately 6mm in length, and have small points on each end.

What Color are Mice Droppings?

Mice droppings are a shade of brown. It depends how old the droppings are as to the tone of the color. The older they are the lighter in color they will be, with fresh poop being almost black in color.

How Much Does a Mouse Poop in One Day?

Mice are prolific pooping machines. It can be shocking to find hundreds of poop pellets somewhere in your home, but this is easily achieved by a handful of mice spending a few hours in the area.

An adult mouse will produce up to 70 droppings each day. They tend to poop more when they are nervous and feeding as they will be while in your home, so this can cause even more pellets to be littered over your floor.

Is Mouse Poop Dangerous?

Yes it is. There are various diseases that can be transferred through mouse feces. You should always wear protective clothing, and clean and disinfect the area fully.

Size of Rat Droppings

The size of the poop gives an insight into the size of the culprit. Adult rats leave droppings as long as 19mm. These are easily spotted and are easy to identify as rat droppings.

What Color are Rat Droppings

Rat poo are very dark when fresh, almost black in color. They are also moist when fresh. The older the feces the harder and lighter in color they will be. If the poop is several days old it will be grayish/white and start to break down.

How Much Does a Rat Poop in One Day?

Rat’s poop a little less often than mice, but they still produce around 40-50 pellets a day. This is a huge amount and makes it easy to spot evidence that you have rats in your home, if you do.

Is Rat Poop Dangerous?

Yes, all rodent feces is potentially very dangerous. They carry a lot of diseases and should never be handled without gloves. You should also wear a face mask and not breathe in the fumes from the feces.