Identify
Pest droppings guide
Pepper specks in a cabinet track are usually German roach. Rice-grain pellets in a line along a wall or in a drawer are usually mouse. Dark capsules in a pile on a floor or rafter are usually rat.
The room picks which page to open. Do not measure three animals on one kitchen floor. Typical US ID check, not a species certificate.
Key takeaways
- Cabinet track, fridge gasket, or hinge smear: open roach droppings.
- Rice grains, 1/8 to 1/4 inch, in a line: open mouse droppings.
- Capsules about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in a pile: open rat droppings.
- If rodent, look next for grease trails and chew. If roach, look next for wet film and tight gaps.
- Spray rodent piles wet, wait five minutes, then wipe. Do not sweep them dry.
This page is a sorter. Size tables live on the sibling guides.
Stand in the room
| You are looking at | Open |
|---|---|
| Pepper specks or a smear in a cabinet track, fridge gasket, or hinge | Roach droppings |
| Dark rice grains, about 1/8 to 1/4 inch, in a line along a wall or in a drawer | Mouse droppings |
| Dark capsules about 1/2 to 3/4 inch in a pile on a floor, by a burrow, or on a rafter | Rat droppings |
| Rice grains in one room and capsules in another | Mouse vs rat droppings |
Nebraska puts house-mouse pellets in that rice-grain band, pointed, and they do not collect in piles. Nebraska on rats puts the capsule near 3/4 inch, usually in a latrine pile. German specks smear. Mouse pellets stay dry grains.
Prefer two questions instead of a table? Use the droppings identifier.
Then look for the next clue
Cornell NYS IPM: if it is rodent, the next hunt is more pellets, oily travel marks, and chew, so you can find the hole. If it is cockroach, the next hunt is wet, decaying food film and tight harborage.
Do not run both inspections the same night. The sibling page has the ridge test, the trap size, or the glue-board check.
Sand-like pellets under a tiny hole in trim are often drywood termite frass, not mouse rice. That job is on signs of termites. Heavy attic piles mixed with insulation can be wildlife. See wildlife removal cost.
Wet it, then wipe
CDC: do not vacuum or sweep dry rodent droppings. Gloves on. Spray until wet with a household disinfectant or a fresh bleach mix. Wait five minutes. Wipe with paper towels. Bag them. Wash your hands after the gloves come off.
Photograph next to a coin in the sighting log before you wipe, if you can do it without stirring dust.
Kitchen Germans: cockroach exterminator cost. Mice or rats that come back: rodent exclusion cost. Contact for a referral path. Typical US ranges, not a bid.