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Is rodent feces dangerous to touch or breathe?



Rodent Droppings
Once a rodent, such as a mouse or a rat invades your home, it will cause a big damage to your home and it will put your health at risk. But, how do rodents put people’s health at risk? Well, they put people’s health at risk because they leave their dangerous feces in the places where people live.

You should also know that rodent droppings are the most dangerous wild animal droppings. Rodent droppings are more dangerous that the droppings of squirrels, opossums, and bats because they carry a number of dangerous diseases spread by inhaling their particles and touching them. This is why you should know how to recognize rodent droppings.

Rodent Droppings Appearance
Mice droppings are black or brown in color. Their size is 1/8 to 1/4 inch and they look like seeds or pellets. Mice droppings are commonly tapered at one end. When it comes to rats and their droppings, we can say that these rodents deposit their poop at a higher rate than other rodents. A rat’s poop is dark in color and it is soft when fresh. However, after a few days, a rat’s poop will harden and its color will change. Rat poop, in general, is up to 3/4 inch in length. Rat poop is usually long and it is in the shape of a spindle.

Should You Handle Rodent Feces Yourself?
You should never handle rodent feces yourself! You can, however, handle it if that is absolutely necessary and if you can’t reach professionals to do that for you. However, keep in mind that you should wear special safety equipment, such as leather gloves and gas masks while getting rid of rodent feces.

You should wear safety equipment while getting rid of rodent feces because the poop of these animals contains various dangerous diseases that are airborne. It is a must to wear OSHA-approved respirator and leather gloves while getting rid of rat or mice poop in your attic or home. You should be especially careful when handling dried rodent poop because dried rodent poop spreads rodent diseases faster than soft rodent poop.

Diseases Spread by Rodent Droppings
There are a number of dangerous bacteria and particles in rodent droppings that cause some serious diseases, such as:

• Salmonellosis
• Typhoid
• Typhoid Fever
• Rat-bite Fever
• Hantavirus
• Toxoplasmosis
• Arenavirus

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