Mouse or roach droppings?

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
We have found these tiny droppings twice but only in one kitchen cabinet. The droppings are tiny compared to any mouse pills that I've ever seen. Yet they don't look like roach scat either.
We've never seen a roach or a mouse in the last month this has happened. I think this cabinet was built in place and the house is early 60's. I stuck a knife in an inside corner crack and it went all the way in and behind the adjacent window molding.

I just caulked all the inside cracks and hope that helps. Here is a picture of the droppings if anyone had an idea. Thanks
 

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Artfuldodger

Senior Member
They look bigger in the picture but I'm thinking mouse. Most are 1/16" long and a few are 1/8". I guess I'm use to 1/4" rat droppings that are tubular.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Oh, forgot to add, they only eat saltines. Maybe the sleeve is easier to get in than the other bagged foods. The sleeve of saltines was not in a box. Roach spray did keep them out for a week or two.
 

Dbender

Senior Member
Looks like roach to me. Prob trickling down from on top of cabinet or attic, or window sill. If everything is caulked tight now you prob won't see any more.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Looks like roach to me. Prob trickling down from on top of cabinet or attic.

In the past, the few time we have had roaches, they were quite visible. You open a cabinet and see one or turn on the kitchen light and see one.

No way to trickle down by design, and the critter was actively eating saltines in the cabinet. Whatever it is, is very elusive. He may have ate, pooped and went back in the crack and behind the window molding.

I know that in older houses, the sheetrock wasn't sealed against the window casing. The inside molding would cover the crack. This cabinet butts directly up against this inside window molding. So not even any sheetrock on that side of the window.

Thanks for responding. I initially did think it was roaches but I've never seen one or any eggs. My Dad had 20 rental houses so I've seen a lot of roach droppings, eggs, urine, and that awful smell.
 

Dbender

Senior Member
How sure are you the crackers were eaten? Those big roaches (palmetto bugs)dont smell like the little ones. You spray the inside of that cabinet with some demon (permethrin)you'll know if you have any roaches or not. I just blew the pic up better. 100% positive not a mouse.
 

fireman32

"Useless Billy" Fire Chief.
Looks like roach to me as well. Get you one of them aerosol bombs and stick in the cabinet that’ll kill them, but won’t keep them gone. If it’s German roaches (water bugs) a standard spray won’t kill them, gonna need gel bait.
I’d think you’d hear a mouse eating saltines.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
Looks like roach to me as well. Get you one of them aerosol bombs and stick in the cabinet that’ll kill them, but won’t keep them gone. If it’s German roaches (water bugs) a standard spray won’t kill them, gonna need gel bait.
I’d think you’d hear a mouse eating saltines.
I may try the gel.

I couldn't hear a bear eating saltines, lol. I do think a mouse would eat more things in the cabinet. I've seen them bite their way into a Cheese Puff canister.
 

Dbender

Senior Member
The gel has never worked for me. Boric acid and sugar dissolved in water will kill them better. I part boric acid 2 parts sugar. Yours are not the small german ones though. Trust me a liitle permethrin (demon)will solve your problem. Good luck.
 

Dbender

Senior Member
Sadly, due to nasty tenants I've become somewhat of a bug/roach expert. I've had so many crammed in the controls of an electric stove they'd short out and cause the appliance to turn off and on by itself. Same thing with the ac thermostat. You can smell them from the carport at some houses.
 

Artfuldodger

Senior Member
I've never seen a German roach in our house. We have had a few cockroaches over the years. Especially when we had a Hot Tub on the deck. That thing being warm and damp was a cockroach magnet. I may pick up some Harris Roach tablets which are the same as the homade boric acid globs.

I've bee wanting to buy some of that demon as well to spray the outside perimeter of the house.
 

wvdawg

Moderator
Staff member
Mouse droppings are smooth and may have an occasional hair stuck in them. Roach droppings have striations (ridges) in them because roaches try to squeeze out the water. Why don't you put a sticky (glue) board in there and see if you catch one?
 
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