Rat Droppings or Hedgehog Droppings ?

No idea Terra - don't think I've ever seen hedgehog droppings.

Thanks for replying Moon grower....
on the internet you can Google various pics of droppings...
... but I'm still not certain...
and, for a particular reason, it is very important I find out.... :o(

They look like hedgehog droppings to me Terra. They are the right size and consistency. They have been talking 'poo' on Springwatch, mainly bird. At one time they were breeding somewhere in our 40 by 50 foot garden and 1/2 grown babies used to run round guests feet at our summer parties. GJ was not a fan of their droppings!!! I used to try and clear up before he got too fussed over it. Incidentally the droppings glisten slightly, hopefully snail shells and vine weevil. I used to sit and listen at dusk. Rustles in the shrubbery and then crunch, crunch, crunch.....another snail less. I think there should be a campaign for the concrete boards at the base of fences to have the odd arch placed along a fence run in urban areas. alas no ones listening.

Hi Dorjac.
Thanks for your thoughts... that's why I thought rats rather than hedgehogs because no easy ways for hedgehogs to get into my garden... ?

I have had hedgehog droppings on my patio, and it really, really pongs.

That's interesting Jonathan...
I've just been out and sniffed those in the photo... Lol. :o)

and not really any smell..... compared with an intruder cat's droppings I cleared up the other day which smelt very strong indeed...

Rat dropping look like mouse droppings just very slightly larger. Black and shiny

hedgehog dropping are black, about 1 1/2 inches long thicker than a pencil but thinner than your pinkie
they can squash themselves quite flat to get under fences etc

Thanks for the further information..

They stopped getting into our garden when the fences on both sides of nextdoor were redone with concrete bottom panels ,flush or below the earth. before that one, side had no fence and thick undergrowth on a derserted property, and our side had space under all the way along. Since then they have not been seen dead in the street, and very few on the road round our way.

hedgehog for definite. rats are all pretty uniform in size and a more tapered drier pellet. They are usually about 1/2" long too. [Used to look after lab rats in my youth!]

Looks like hedgepig poo to me too.
Hedgepigs are excellent climbers.

Thanks everyone for your input... very much appreciated :o)

Quite a hobby you've got there, Terratoonie, hedgepig poo sniffin'. ;-))

Hi Stjohntongue ...
I'm also available for ratpoo sniffin and catpoo sniffin ...
... on receipt of an exorbitant fee. ;o)

:-o)

Have you tried asking your vet ? - he'd know

I would say they are rat droopings, those nasty things got into my aviary last year and killed a lot of my baby birds, they also brought food scraps into my shed too, my shed had lots of there droppings in there, sorry to be the barer of bad news to you 8~((

To me they look like hedgehog droppings, we have got a lot of them in the garden and the hedgehogs to go with them...as far as I know we haven´t got any rats, and asking the people in surrounding gardens they say we have no rats on the estate.

Thanks everyone for your input on this... :o)

This is a question not an answer but thought as on same subject might get an answer. I hav a hedgehog that visits but think I may hav a rat too :-/ can hedgehogs burrow under a gravel board? If I do hav a rat, how do I get rid of rat without harming hedgehog?

Hedgehogs are timid and like to stick to the edges of garden area and patio (a good place to leave food for them) so a good indication of droppings is where they are located in the garden i.e. edge of patio? As well as sunflower seeds, occasional hedgerow small berries, and peanuts they eat lots of beetles. Hedgehog droppings can sometimes be identified by partial beetle carcasses within the droppings. Hedgehogs are on the decline. They are nocturnal but do not hibernate as badgers do. If feeding please do not place out soaked bread or milk. Tip-proof hedgehog dishes are best to feed them on but saucers will do. One with fresh clean water and another with good quality chicken flavour cat food (never fish), and you can add a bowl with a small amount of sunflower hearts (without the black outer husk) and/or a small handful of chopped aflotoxin tested peanuts also if wished. They are also partial to one or two small cubes of fresh banana or one or two fresh blueberries or a handful of juicy sultanas. But not too much fruit and not every night or the thank-you present they leave on your patio will be looser (sorry lol x) They nest in long grass, under hedges and in piles of leaves so take care when garden clearing or lighting bonfires - check first. Hedgehog dropping are not too odourous. Once removed from my patio I just throw over a little hot water to flush the area clean. Check out http://www.hedgehogstreet.org/

Update 2016. I had an email from goodness-knows-who at the end of last year beginning of this, about making a small hole in the bottom of your fence so that hedgehogs could get in and enjoy clearing your slug problem. I'm sure if you google "hedgehog hole in fence" it will eventually find it. I could have done it for you, couldn't I ? We've found a lot of droppings at that end of the garden recently, guess they are all waking up and going walkabout ! Enjoy !