How to ID who’s been creeping around your home or backyard

Norway Rat Droppings

• Brown

• Blunt at both ends

• Large — around 13–19 mm long

• Often found in clusters

• Often found at ground level, near burrows, under decks or sheds

If you’re seeing bigger, capsule-shaped droppings around foundations or garden beds, you’re likely dealing with Norway rats.

A note for NZ trappers: In New Zealand, wētā droppings are often mistaken for rat droppings. They’re similar in colour and shape, dark and pellet-like, which can easily lead to confusion. Here’s how to tell them apart: Wētā droppings often have distinct ridges running along them, giving them a striped or jelly-bean-like appearance. Wētā droppings may have a slightly sweet, vanilla-like smell, unlike rat droppings which smell like urine.

Ship Rat Droppings

• Dark brown to black

• Sharper, tapered at both ends

• Smaller than Norway rats — around 6–13 mm long

• Often found in clusters

• Common in roof spaces, ceilings, trees or elevated areas

If you hear scratching above your head and find smaller pointed droppings, ship rats are your likely culprit.

Mouse Droppings

• Small and black

• Pointed at both ends

• About 3–7 mm long (roughly rice-sized)

• Scattered randomly

• Found along skirting boards, in cupboards, drawers or pantries

Because mice have small home ranges, droppings usually appear close to where they’re nesting.

Other Common Culprits

Possum droppings

• Large (2–3 cm long)

• Rough, cylindrical, slightly tapered

• Found under trees or in roof cavities

Hedgehog poo

• 2–5 cm long

• Dark, often black

• May contain visible insect parts

• Usually found in gardens

Pro Tip

Fresh, moist droppings = active pest.

Dry, crumbly droppings = older activity.

If it’s fresh, it’s time to act.

Still unsure who’s moved in? Check out our other articles:

• What type of rodent has moved in with you?

• Know Your Predators: Nibble Edition

Because the better you identify the pest, the faster you outsmart it.