Telling the difference between roach and mouse droppings can be difficult because both have a dark or brown shade. They are also cylindrical or pellet-shaped. Close observation is needed if you want to tell the difference.
Mouse droppings are 3-6.5mm long with pointed edges. Sometimes, those can be left in a straight line while the mouse is foraging. Roach stools are 0.5-1.2mm long with blunt brinks. Those are often dropped in their nests. This is the easiest way to differentiate the two.
Mice have a habit of defecating as they move. This is why their droppings can be found in their absence. Roaches tend to poop as they rest during the day. Their stools pile up inside the nesting areas, and this can be used to identify their hiding spots.
Mouse vs. roach droppings
Generally, roach poop is smaller in length when compared to mouse droppings. Mice are likely to have diarrhea if they eat contaminated food, while there are slim chances that a roach can have loose-watery stools. However, both are likely to stain their habitats.
1. Size
The size of an adult mouse dropping is 6.5mm long, while those from mature cockroaches are about 1-1.2mm. Width measurements may vary depending on what they feed on and their size. I.e., the poop size increases as they grow.
Lack of food in their habitats also affects their poop size. A well-fed adult roach or mouse will have large droppings as compared to a starved one. Those that are poorly fed will also have less solid poop that is sticky, unlike the healthy ones that well feed.
2. Shape
The adult roach poop is barrel-shaped, and the edges appear to be rough. They do not have pointed ends like those from a mouse. The edges look like they are blunt with irregular markings as you move towards the end.
Mice droppings have a sharp appearance at the edge. Closer observation will reveal that they are pointed and not blunt, like those of an adult cockroach. They have no wrinkles and can be described to be even.
3. Location
Roach poop is often found in areas where they live and rest during the day. When sprayed with strong toxic insecticides, dying roaches may poop in the process. This is caused by the strong chemical effects, which cause drastic changes in their bodies. Â
Mice will poop near their hiding areas, but the difference between their waste and those from a roach is the dampness. The fact that mice can urinate while roaches cannot make their poop more watery. Male mice urinate more than females, and this habit can determine their stool appearance.
When there is limited food in the house, cockroaches can eat mice poop, while mice and rats can feed on roaches. Those two can therefore thrive under one roof, and an infestation of one is likely to attract the other. They can depend on each other for survival, but this doesn’t mean that they can hide in the same place.
4. Smell
Cockroach droppings have an acrimonious smell that gets stronger if you move closer. This fades with time as the poop continues to dry up. Mouse poop has a strong damp, alkaline smell. This is usually compared to the ammonia scent found in sweat. Â
Mice poop can be traced around their nesting areas, and those are always surrounded by urine. Mice are dirty, and their habitats likely have a bad odor with droppings everywhere.
Unlike mice, roaches can’t urinate, and their poop does not have a strong odor like mice poop. For example, if roaches infest a microwave, you will only get a strong foul odor if the machine is turned on for a long time and the droppings are heated.
5. Color
Adult roaches have droppings that are darker and pipe-like shaped. The young ones have light stools that look like dark brown sand particles. Those are always scatted all over their nesting areas. Grown cockroaches execrate more as compared to their little ones.
A mature mouse poop will have a dull shade that is between dark brown and black. Feces from a baby mouse are light brown, and they are tiny. Those may sometimes look like dark brown little grains. They poop more often as compared to adults, and it is an easy way to find out if mice are reproducing in an area.
Fresh droppings from both roaches and mice are brownish and shiny. As time goes by, they dry due to aeration. They become rough in appearance depending on where they were dropped.
6. Quantities
In terms of quantity, a fully developed mouse can produce up to 1 gram of droppings. Depending on what they eat, the pellet-like poop excreted in a day can be counted between 40-80 pieces. The amount of stools they produce is also influenced by their weight and the type of food consumed.
Cockroach poop will accumulate over time since they do not often defecate like rats. Roaches fart severally in a day more than they poop. Finding their stools all over the house is also difficult since they rarely poop while foraging as mice do.
Dangers of roach and mice poop
Stools from both roaches and mice are unhygienic and should be cleaned as soon as possible. To clean mice and roach droppings, start by vacuuming the area. Then use warm soapy water to remove the poop stains left behind.
Roach poop is even more dangerous because they produce a scent that can attract more cockroaches. This will convince them that the area is safe to nest in, and they will settle and infest your home in large numbers.
Those feces contain lots of germs and bacterial infections and should never be handled with bare hands. Both mouse and roach droppings can also trigger allergic reactions, and they should never be left in a house for long.
If left to dry, the particles can easily mix in the air, and inhaling those can be a potential hazard. Mouse pee may be mixed with their droppings, thus giving them a damp ammonia scent. This can irritate your nose, and it is advisable not to sleep in the same room without cleaning.