Please help identify for me. Thank you!

Dear all,

i would appreciate if someone could give me an idea on what kind of droppings this is. I found it in the car under the bonnet and I’m not sure whether if this is rat/mouse/roaches/other types of droppings. I’ve looked thoroughly around the garage and the car and have only identified this one piece. Over the past and until now there has been no smell nor any signs of rodents etc. Is it to concern? The single piece is dry and around 0.3 cm or 0.1 inch in size, dry and odorless. Greatly appreciate the help as, unfortunately, I am not experienced with this.

 

Welcome to the forums from Europe.

You should put non-US in your bio although I don't think that will make a difference here.
That looks like it's from a mouse.

 

@PJmax
Thank you for the reply. I am new to the forum so I will note this for next time. Would I need to do anything about it? The thing is that with my limited experience, usually there are piles of mouse droppings at once, however, there was only this one piece. Should I be concerned about it?

 

Yep, that's poop. It may look like chocolate but don't eat it.

It's very difficult to identify the culprit from just one dropping. If you search online you can find numerous pictures of similar small poops which could be from cockroaches, mice or other small critter.

 

@Pilot Dane
Thank you for the reply, I appreciate it. Yes I have only found one and that is exactly why I'm wondering. As my limited knowledge suggests that normally they always appear in piles.

 

Finding only one dropping or fecal pellet, etc. is unusual, be it for rodents or insects, so I tend to not be too concerned at this level, however I do understand your concern. Fresh rodent droppings don't turn to dust like that. When fresh they will flatten out, squish a little, etc. When dry, they are dusty. Bat droppings are crumbly even when fresh, though this doesn't look like a bat dropping, and they also occur in small piles or scattered about the attic, shed, etc. Chipmunk droppings are small, like little pellets. They are a possibility here.

Rodent/bat infestations do come with an odor, and you did well to establish that none exists. Another reason why I'm not real concerned yet. You could set a few mouse snap traps baited with various baits just in case one is around on occasion. I always keep several set in our basement, garage in case one gets in. Good monitoring that way; gives peace of mind to me.

Is it possible that a mouse got up in the engine area when you were somewhere else? If so, could be that other droppings, if there were any, could have fallen or blown off. The engine heat would have dried the dropping prematurely, giving it the dusty texture. Hope this helps.

 

@PAbugman
greatly appreciate your reply. Thank you very much. I also wonder if it might simply be blown to it or fell there when the engine bay was left open as the spot is normally covered with layers of plastic and I guess the rodent would have to chew it’s way there, but no signs of any chunks or damaged panels around.