Talking about excreta is not something that many would enjoy. But the truth remains it is the feces which says a lot about our inner health condition. Aren’t we all familiar with going for tests and leaving samples of wastes in the laboratory when we feel sick? And after much analyzing and examining our discharged waste, the doctor somewhat magically declares whatever is wrong with our health. So, what we eat and digest, then release, has a lot to say.
Why Squirrels
Similarly, in other beings’ cases, their feces will come to the rescue, quite naturally, to gauge something about them. Be it your pet dogs, cats, or the cute little squirrels.
The extraordinary praises we just now showered on our feces were actually to make you understand how with just the squirrel’s stool, you can immediately tell a lot of things about them. You might be wondering why squirrels of all. There are a few reasons.
These are pests known for destroying harvest without letting you know their identity for a long time. Crops in the field, fruits in the trees, plants in the garden, edible and inedible stuff inside the house, nothing is safe from these chowhounds.
Then look at the number of species they have and the fact that every species has a different poop type, they need a separate discussion. Furthermore, if you are nurturing a squirrel, you know how sensitive their feeding, digesting, and discharging process is.
So, you need to know to tell the types further to do something about their infestation to save your trees, gardens, belongings, and fields and also to be able to take care of them the right way.
Things You Need To Know
You will have to learn about a few things to do it the right way. First, there are a varied species of squirrels. And the only thing common among all these species of squirrels is that they are adorable and have a bushy, long tail.
Secondly, every species of squirrel’s poop looks different. We have already mentioned it. Did we tell you poop has a lot to say and could convince you about it? Now you know to what extent, to the extent that you can recognize the entire species with poop. Interesting and fascinating.
Let’s make it very clear; there are baby squirrels, then there are squirrels that are adults. Come to think of it, isn’t it cute yet weird to accept that even they have this adult and baby periods! Anyhow. The baby squirrels poop will be different from the adult ones.
Then there are different species. Let’s get into numbers. There are about 200-300 species of squirrels like flying, red, gray, ground, tree squirrels, and many. All drops distinct poop. If not entirely different, there will be slight something to guess the species.
Therefore, not only will the squirrel poop help you to understand whether your pet squirrel is having issues with its health or digestive system or not, but also will tell you which type of squirrel has trespassed the last few nights and whether you should do the disinfecting or not. So, let’s get into the very basic discussion about squirrel poop.
Squirrel Poop
The being that just invaded could be either a rat or a squirrel or could be anything else. How to know? Your pet squirrel is leaving droppings that look unusual, or is it just how it should look. And it’s you who don’t know what does squirrel poop look like, exactly?
A squirrel poop looks similar to rats’. The difference is in quantity. The squirrels, barring a few, are bigger in size than rats. So quite obviously, their droppings will be of larger quantity too.
Then the shape is different also. Squirrel poops are cylindrical or at most barrel-shaped. Lengthwise it could be minimum three inches approximately or eight inches at maximum.
The smell of the poop will be very different, too, nothing that is regular. It will be like scattered pellets or seeds.
Thus, those who have rats, squirrels, and all other possible animals roaming in the neighborhood can now identify the moment squirrels leave droppings somewhere near your house. Now, perhaps you can specify whether it’s the rat’s or the squirrel’s infestation that you need to deal with.
Moreover, if your pet squirrel is behaving weird and looks sick, check the poop straight. If the poop is not dark brown or black, smooth, firm, clomped, then heads up, something is wrong with its health.
Let us also discuss how the two common species- flying squirrels and red squirrels poop look like and get into more complicated identification.
Flying Squirrel
Flying squirrels are the species that smoothly hover around the trees. They do not literally fly like say a bird or a bat, but they are smooth in gliding the trees. These types are a massive problem when it comes to fruits and nuts.
They have such a voracious appetite that they leave nothing on the trees if somehow infested near your garden. These are going to climb the trees and ruin your year-long hard work. The only way you can know whether the flying squirrels intruded or not is to find its droppings.
Flying Squirrel Poop
Finding the droppings will not be very hard because flying squirrels don’t drop waste just about anywhere. If it has defecated, it has to be under or near a secured, narrow space. Somewhat like a dormer. So, what does flying squirrel poop look like and smell like?
The smell is, as usual, very distinct. Not necessarily sickening to breathe in, but you will know when it’s there. However, unlike the regular species, flying squirrel poop is at most 3-4 inches long.
Scattered yet somewhat in order, it could be jet black or deep brown, almost close to black. And like the common species, the poop will be solid and smooth.
Red Squirrel
Red squirrels are tree squirrels. They effortlessly climb the trees and jump from branches to branches. Moreover, these can swim as well. These are slightly bigger than the flying squirrels.
These, like any other species, are pests and chew everything they find in the vicinity. And as they have great control over the ground, trees, and even water, they could be hard to deal with if somehow infested.
Red Squirrel Poop
It is time to reply to the very similar question as we did above, what does red squirrel poop look like. We wouldn’t have to explain much this time because red squirrel poop is everything that a squirrel poop is. And we have discussed squirrel poop elaborately.
However, there is only one difference that comes to our mind. The red squirrel poop is smooth, but a little drier. So if the squirrel poop you see is dark brown to black, scattered like seeds, has a weird smell, firm, oblong, smooth but a little dry, then you know the species that has infested your area is the red squirrel.
Baby Squirrel
It is nothing unseen or uncommon to find a baby squirrel near the neighborhood, lying down abandoned, struggling to survive without any food, almost dying due to its mother’s absence. So people take squirrels with them and start pampering and taking care of them. But baby squirrels are very difficult to take care of.
Baby squirrels need constant stimulation while feeding them or even when they need to discharge waste. Baby squirrels do not eat much, but eat pretty frequently, even at night.
Many times, people wonder why the squirrel hasn’t defecated yet. They do not have any idea that there is something called milk replacer both in a normal and a concentrated formula to help these animals to survive without their mother.
As the baby squirrel eats a whole different type of food, it’s a given that its poop will look very different than regular. Then, what does baby squirrel poop look like, and how is it different from the adult squirrel poop? Let’s find out.
Baby Squirrel Poop
If you are worried about the weird looking poop of your baby squirrel, relax. Do not stress yourself because baby squirrel poop is nothing like how adult squirrel poops look like. There is no comparison there, neither in the look, quantity, nor the smell. It’s mostly due to eating habits.
Baby squirrels that have not opened their eyes must be fed milk replacer every 2-3 hours. Babies that opened eyes already could be kept unfed a tad bit longer but not for too long. Because it still remains the baby squirrel, not too small like the one-day-old ones but small as it could be only a few days older.
Normal or concentrated formula consuming baby squirrel’s poop will be nothing close to brown, deep brown, let alone black. A light golden or at best darker that is it. Not as firm as the adult squirrels poop due to not eating solid foods but similar to tiny seeds. The only time you need to be concerned about your little squirrel is when its poop is runny, totally pale, and has a bad smell to it.
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It is quite a dilemma, whether to take squirrels as cute little munchkins or pests. But the subject matter in which you do not need to have any dilemma and which can be really useful has to be our discussion of squirrel stool. If it’s a pet, keep a check on its health with all the info we shared, and if a bunch has infested, then get rid of them by identifying them with the same information. We hope it’s a win-win situation for you.
