Even if you do not own a cat or a dog, it happens that you find droppings in the garden. The question, what does hedgehog droppings look like or is it rat or fox droppings, is justified here.

This is what hedgehog droppings look like

Suspected droppings from a hedgehog are usually the first indication that these mammals are at home in your garden. Experts also refer to hedgehog droppings as droppings. You can recognize such droppings by the following characteristics:

• Glossy color - black to dark brown.
• Long rolled and with tapered ends.
• About 3 to 6 centimeters long.
• About 8 to 12 millimeters wide.
• Sometimes you can see remains of insects, berries, hair or feathers.
• You can find hedgehog droppings mostly on green areas, flower beds, paved paths and on the terrace.
• Widely distributed, as the hedgehog is constantly on the move.
• Depending on the food ingested, the odor can vary in intensity.

Distinguish hedgehog droppings from other excrement

Features	Hedgehog	Rat	Marten	Dormouse
Size	3 - 6 cm long	1 - 2 cm long	8 - 10 cm long	1 - 2 cm long
Form	cylindrical and tapering	tapering spindle shape	pencil thick, twisted tip	bean-shaped
Color	glossy, black to dark brown	dark brown	black to gray	dark brown
Smell	hardly perceptible, no stench	After ammonia	unpleasant odor	weak, not penetrating
Consistency	fixed	soft, sticky	visible food remains	wet through urine

In each case, it is the legacy of a healthy animal.

Indication of the state of health of the hedgehog - the lotus.

Not only a change in consistency, but also a change in color can be a clear indication of the state of health. If the hedgehog is ill, his droppings will not only look different from those described above, but they will smell intense to disgusting. The color changes from black to green or light green. You can also no longer recognize any shape, because it is usually a mushy, slimy mass. In many cases, the hedgehog is also on the move in your garden during the day, which is more than untypical for the nocturnal animal.

The feces can transmit diseases

In no case should you carelessly handle the droppings of a hedgehog. Some serious diseases can be transmitted to humans or pets. You must never forget that a hedgehog is a wild animal. Therefore, the mammal comes into contact with all kinds of pathogens.

• Wild animals are mostly from Parasites and other pathogens.
• The hedgehog does not even have to be sick himself.
• As a rule, hedgehogs are low to moderately infested with pathogens.
• External parasites include hedgehog fleas.
• Internal parasites include worms.
• Transmission from a specific diphtheria agent is also possible.
• Transmission occurs through the feces.
• Possible infection with salmonella or leptospura (bacteria).
• Fungal skin infections (mycoses) are possible.
• Skin and lymph node abscesses, respiratory infections, neurological damage, and cardiac inflammation may occur.

In any case, you should avoid direct contact.

How do you remove hedgehog droppings properly?

Prompt removal of the droppings is important. On a paved surface, this can be done relatively well with cat litter and an appropriate cat litter scoop. Alternatively, you can also use a special droppings tongs. The corresponding area should then be thoroughly treated with vinegar cleaner.  

On a lawn, the task is somewhat more difficult. Here you proceed similarly as with dog excrement and collect the excrement with a glove directly into a bag. Dispose of the bag in the household waste. You should rinse the lawn with plenty of water.

Under no circumstances should the hedgehog lotion be disposed of in the compost. The risk of pathogenic agents spreading in the garden is too great.

Dog eats hedgehog droppings

Your dog has discovered the hedgehog's remains earlier than you. Unfortunately, he also ate it before you could remove it. This is a health hazard for your dog. There are parasites and other pathogens in the hedgehog's droppings. Take your dog to the vet as soon as possible. He will possibly give you a worming agent for your dog.

Hedgehog droppings in winter garden

If you find the remains of a hedgehog in your winter garden, you can assume that it is a hedgehog in distress. The animal was snatched in the middle of its hibernation or woke up too early. It is threatened with starvation. In such a case it is essential for the survival of the animal that you feed it.