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poo on lawn
Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads
everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message
... Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea Hedgehog? |
On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 09:34:37 +0100, Judith Lea wrote:
Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! About pencil thick or a bit bigger? relatively straight, not curled up, around 2"-3" long? Look at it closely it'll have bits of broken beetle wing-cases and stuff in it. 100% Hedgehog. -- Tim C. |
In article , Judith Lea
writes Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! How big? Hedgehog poo is tapered. -- Kay "Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river" |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Regards, Emrys Davies. |
In article , Janet Baraclough writes: | | Could well be. Fox pooh is black, tapered to a point at one end | (often with an upward twist) and smaller diameter than you'd expect | from an animal that size. They will often deposit one on top of some | raised object like a stone . You might also notice scuffs on the grass | where they've been loking for worms, or that balls and dog toys have | moved round the garden overnight. If it contains significant amounts of hair or feathers, it is fox. I find it tricky to tell fox scat that does not from hedgehog, and should be interested to hear of a reliable way of doing so. Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
In article , Emrys Davies
writes Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Thank you to everyone who replied - it certainly looks like hedgehog poo. Obviously I have a family of them - how can I move them on as it would be impossible for my grandson to roll anywhere on the lawn. I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? -- Judith Lea |
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , Janet Baraclough writes: Could well be. Fox pooh is black, tapered to a point at one end (often with an upward twist) and smaller diameter than you'd expect from an animal that size. They will often deposit one on top of some raised object like a stone . You might also notice scuffs on the grass where they've been loking for worms, or that balls and dog toys have moved round the garden overnight. If it contains significant amounts of hair or feathers, it is fox. I find it tricky to tell fox scat that does not from hedgehog, and should be interested to hear of a reliable way of doing so. My "Shit Book", aka Bang & Dahlstrom, _Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs_, agrees with Janet, saying fox droppings "are sausage-shaped, usually 8-10 cm long and c. 2 cm across and with a spirally-twisted point at one end." If the dropping is broken up, only one bit has the point. It makes no mention of lawns as a likely site, though it's possible if a fox has a regular path across a particular lawn; in general they leave them on a slight elevation, allowing scent-marking to take better effect. Hedgehog droppings, on the other hand, usually have a point at one end, but there's no mention of a twist. "The size is very variable, but on average each dropping is 3-4 cm long and 8-10 mm thick." "...they can be found distributed at random on, for instance, lawns..." I infer that fox droppings are black only in autumn when they've been eating berries, while hedgehog ones are black all the year round. -- Mike. |
In article , "Mike Lyle" writes: | | My "Shit Book", aka Bang & Dahlstrom, _Collins Guide to Animal Tracks | and Signs_, agrees with Janet, saying fox droppings "are | sausage-shaped, usually 8-10 cm long and c. 2 cm across and with a | spirally-twisted point at one end." If the dropping is broken up, | only one bit has the point. It makes no mention of lawns as a likely | site, though it's possible if a fox has a regular path across a | particular lawn; in general they leave them on a slight elevation, | allowing scent-marking to take better effect. Hedgehog droppings, on | the other hand, usually have a point at one end, but there's no | mention of a twist. "The size is very variable, but on average each | dropping is 3-4 cm long and 8-10 mm thick." "...they can be found | distributed at random on, for instance, lawns..." I infer that fox | droppings are black only in autumn when they've been eating berries, | while hedgehog ones are black all the year round. The spiral twisting is not invariable, because it is caused by there being a lot of hair and feathers in it, and they are often (perhaps usually) black, anyway. My difficulty is in telling a small fox dropping from a large hedgehog one. I see quite a lot of ones that are 5-7 cm long and c. 1.5 cm thick, so you can see why I have the difficulty! Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
Nick Maclaren wrote:
In article , "Mike Lyle" writes: My "Shit Book", aka Bang & Dahlstrom, _Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs_, agrees with Janet, saying fox droppings "are sausage-shaped, usually 8-10 cm long and c. 2 cm across and with a spirally-twisted point at one end." If the dropping is broken up, only one bit has the point. It makes no mention of lawns as a likely site, though it's possible if a fox has a regular path across a particular lawn; in general they leave them on a slight elevation, allowing scent-marking to take better effect. Hedgehog droppings, on the other hand, usually have a point at one end, but there's no mention of a twist. "The size is very variable, but on average each dropping is 3-4 cm long and 8-10 mm thick." "...they can be found distributed at random on, for instance, lawns..." I infer that fox droppings are black only in autumn when they've been eating berries, while hedgehog ones are black all the year round. The spiral twisting is not invariable, because it is caused by there being a lot of hair and feathers in it, and they are often (perhaps usually) black, anyway. My difficulty is in telling a small fox dropping from a large hedgehog one. I see quite a lot of ones that are 5-7 cm long and c. 1.5 cm thick, so you can see why I have the difficulty! Hmm. I suppose in those cases one can only fall back on probability based on location, unless the culprit's caught in the act of committing a public nuisance. (Lowering the tone, I think of an incident in Robert Graves's _Goodbye to All That_. A soldier was up before the CO for "committing a nuisance" on the parade ground -- and who among us hasn't briefly wanted to do that at one time or another? -- and pleaded in defence having been caught short; the RSM broke in, saying, "I hexamined the nuisance, sir, and it was done with a heffort!") -- Mike. |
Judith Lea muttered:
In article , Emrys Davies writes Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Thank you to everyone who replied - it certainly looks like hedgehog poo. Obviously I have a family of them - how can I move them on as it would be impossible for my grandson to roll anywhere on the lawn. I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? Oh dear... I knew modern parents were mimsy about the great outdoors and their children, but I'd have thought a grandparent would have a greater sense of proportion on these matters. Hedgehogs eat slugs and snails and all manner of other larvae and insects, they are very good news in a garden and should be encouraged. |
"Judith Lea" wrote:
I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? -- Judith Lea http://tinyurl.com/8c7ar Regards, Emrys Davies. |
On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 08:41:21 +0000 (UTC), "Mike" wrote:
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea Hedgehog? I've had similar stools before, and I know there was a hedgehog in the garden. MM |
"Emrys Davies" wrote in message ... "Judith Lea" wrote: I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? -- Judith Lea http://tinyurl.com/8c7ar Regards, Emrys Davies. I have also started to get similar unwanted gifts being left on my lawn. I know there have been foxes seen in our street although I have never seen one, so I am assuming these are from foxes. So the question is how do I discourage foxes) or whatever animal it is) from dong this on my lawn? Gavin |
"Mike Lyle" wrote in message ... Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , "Mike Lyle" writes: My "Shit Book", aka Bang & Dahlstrom, _Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs_, agrees with Janet, saying fox droppings "are sausage-shaped, usually 8-10 cm long and c. 2 cm across and with a spirally-twisted point at one end." If the dropping is broken up, only one bit has the point. It makes no mention of lawns as a likely site, though it's possible if a fox has a regular path across a particular lawn; in general they leave them on a slight elevation, allowing scent-marking to take better effect. Hedgehog droppings, on the other hand, usually have a point at one end, but there's no mention of a twist. "The size is very variable, but on average each dropping is 3-4 cm long and 8-10 mm thick." "...they can be found distributed at random on, for instance, lawns..." I infer that fox droppings are black only in autumn when they've been eating berries, while hedgehog ones are black all the year round. The spiral twisting is not invariable, because it is caused by there being a lot of hair and feathers in it, and they are often (perhaps usually) black, anyway. My difficulty is in telling a small fox dropping from a large hedgehog one. I see quite a lot of ones that are 5-7 cm long and c. 1.5 cm thick, so you can see why I have the difficulty! Hmm. I suppose in those cases one can only fall back on probability based on location, unless the culprit's caught in the act of committing a public nuisance. (Lowering the tone, I think of an incident in Robert Graves's _Goodbye to All That_. A soldier was up before the CO for "committing a nuisance" on the parade ground -- and who among us hasn't briefly wanted to do that at one time or another? -- and pleaded in defence having been caught short; the RSM broke in, saying, "I hexamined the nuisance, sir, and it was done with a heffort!") :-)) Re the difference between small fox and big hedgehog poo; if it's fresh try the sniff test. Very smelly - fox. not-so-smelly, hedgehog. If its old, break it down and look for fur and feather - fox. A bit extreme? Needs must, when the devil drives. ;-) -- ned http://www.bugsandweeds.co.uk last update 16.04.2005 |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea hmm, black poo would indicate something which eats other animals. The blood makes the poo black. Could be hedgehog? |
"gavin" wrote in message
... "Emrys Davies" wrote in message ... "Judith Lea" wrote: I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? -- Judith Lea http://tinyurl.com/8c7ar Regards, Emrys Davies. I have also started to get similar unwanted gifts being left on my lawn. I know there have been foxes seen in our street although I have never seen one, so I am assuming these are from foxes. So the question is how do I discourage foxes) or whatever animal it is) from dong this on my lawn? Gavin I don't think that you will be able to stop foxes from using your garden. They are very determined and soon get used to whatever you use to discourage them. Many years ago I dunked used teabags in an expensive liquid (about £8 a tin, I think) which I was assured would dispel foxes, and placed them around young heathers which they were digging up. I watched through my bedroom window and saw the foxes approach cautiously and after a short while they started playing games with the teabags. Hedgehogs are to be encouraged and if it were not for their tiny and inoffensive droppings you would not know that they had visited you. I have been feeding them for many many years, but none have turned up so far this season. Do not give them milk or fish based food. Regards, Emrys Davies. |
On Thu, 21 Apr 2005 19:29:04 +0100, Magwitch wrote:
Judith Lea muttered: In article , Emrys Davies writes Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Thank you to everyone who replied - it certainly looks like hedgehog poo. Obviously I have a family of them - how can I move them on as it would be impossible for my grandson to roll anywhere on the lawn. I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? Oh dear... I knew modern parents were mimsy about the great outdoors and their children, but I'd have thought a grandparent would have a greater sense of proportion on these matters. Hedgehogs eat slugs and snails and all manner of other larvae and insects, they are very good news in a garden and should be encouraged. What kind of prat would presume a garden is clean just because they cant see any poop? |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... In article , Emrys Davies writes Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Thank you to everyone who replied - it certainly looks like hedgehog poo. Obviously I have a family of them - how can I move them on as it would be impossible for my grandson to roll anywhere on the lawn. I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? Why on earth would you want to move them on? They are good for the garden. Rake the lawn with a lawn rake to clear them up. There are very terrotirial so even if you managed to catch them and take them elsewhere they would probably come back again. They eat all kinds of garden nasties, like slugs, snails, beetles etc and are worth encouraging. |
"w.g.s.hamm" wrote in message ... "Judith Lea" wrote in message ... Can you help identify black poo, tapering at one end, loads and loads everywhere on the lawn, could this be fox - although it would seem to be from an animal with a small bottom!! -- Judith Lea hmm, black poo would indicate something which eats other animals. The blood makes the poo black. Could be hedgehog? "Our" hedgehog appeared earlier today for the first time this year as I was cutting the grass - evidence on the grass of poo as described above. The hog itself appeared this evening, scoffing the grub the cat had left. They enjoy the leftover nuts beneath the various bird feeders. I like them. Chris S |
"gavin" wrote in message ... I have also started to get similar unwanted gifts being left on my lawn. I know there have been foxes seen in our street although I have never seen one, so I am assuming these are from foxes. So the question is how do I discourage foxes) or whatever animal it is) from dong this on my lawn? Build a water closet in the shrubbery and speak to them nicely. -- Brian Henry Fielding: "All Nature wears one universal grin" |
"w.g.s.hamm" wrote in message ... Why on earth would you want to move them on? They are good for the garden. Rake the lawn with a lawn rake to clear them up. That might break up the bits. Picking 'em up with plastic bags or gloves as dog owners are supposed to do, and disposing of them elsewhere (in bin or borders) would be better. -- Brian "Anyway, if you have been, thanks for listening." |
"ned" wrote in message ... "Mike Lyle" wrote in message ... Nick Maclaren wrote: In article , "Mike Lyle" writes: My "Shit Book", aka Bang & Dahlstrom, _Collins Guide to Animal Tracks and Signs_, agrees with Janet, saying fox droppings "are sausage-shaped, usually 8-10 cm long and c. 2 cm across and with a spirally-twisted point at one end." If the dropping is broken up, only one bit has the point. It makes no mention of lawns as a likely site, though it's possible if a fox has a regular path across a particular lawn; in general they leave them on a slight elevation, allowing scent-marking to take better effect. Hedgehog droppings, on the other hand, usually have a point at one end, but there's no mention of a twist. "The size is very variable, but on average each dropping is 3-4 cm long and 8-10 mm thick." "...they can be found distributed at random on, for instance, lawns..." I infer that fox droppings are black only in autumn when they've been eating berries, while hedgehog ones are black all the year round. The spiral twisting is not invariable, because it is caused by there being a lot of hair and feathers in it, and they are often (perhaps usually) black, anyway. My difficulty is in telling a small fox dropping from a large hedgehog one. I see quite a lot of ones that are 5-7 cm long and c. 1.5 cm thick, so you can see why I have the difficulty! Hmm. I suppose in those cases one can only fall back on probability based on location, unless the culprit's caught in the act of committing a public nuisance. (Lowering the tone, I think of an incident in Robert Graves's _Goodbye to All That_. A soldier was up before the CO for "committing a nuisance" on the parade ground -- and who among us hasn't briefly wanted to do that at one time or another? -- and pleaded in defence having been caught short; the RSM broke in, saying, "I hexamined the nuisance, sir, and it was done with a heffort!") :-)) Re the difference between small fox and big hedgehog poo; if it's fresh try the sniff test. Very smelly - fox. not-so-smelly, hedgehog. If its old, break it down and look for fur and feather - fox. A bit extreme? Needs must, when the devil drives. ;-) But why bother? Why is it important for a gardener to identify the probable source? |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... In article , Emrys Davies writes Judith, This image (site) will tell you whether or not it is a hedgehog. http://www.wildlife-gardening.co.uk/extra%20info.htm Thank you to everyone who replied - it certainly looks like hedgehog poo. Obviously I have a family of them - how can I move them on as it would be impossible for my grandson to roll anywhere on the lawn. I'm afraid that, according to the SNH people who are killing the Uist hedgehogs, it would be cruel and inhumane to move them on, since, if put in a new location with an existing hedgehog population, either they or the existing hedgehogs would probably starve, whereas if put in a new location without an existing hedgehog population, that location must be unsuitable for hedgehogs (which is why there's none there) so they'd die anyway. The humane solution, as practised in the Uists, is to live trap the hedgehogs, and then administer a lethal injection. |
"Brian Watson" wrote in message ... "gavin" wrote in message ... I have also started to get similar unwanted gifts being left on my lawn. I know there have been foxes seen in our street although I have never seen one, so I am assuming these are from foxes. So the question is how do I discourage foxes) or whatever animal it is) from dong this on my lawn? Build a water closet in the shrubbery and speak to them nicely. -- Brian Henry Fielding: "All Nature wears one universal grin" LOL! |
"Emrys Davies" wrote in message ... "gavin" wrote in message ... "Emrys Davies" wrote in message ... "Judith Lea" wrote: I can't find a picture of fox poo to check - does anyone have a link? -- Judith Lea http://tinyurl.com/8c7ar Regards, Emrys Davies. I have also started to get similar unwanted gifts being left on my lawn. I know there have been foxes seen in our street although I have never seen one, so I am assuming these are from foxes. So the question is how do I discourage foxes) or whatever animal it is) from dong this on my lawn? Gavin I don't think that you will be able to stop foxes from using your garden. They are very determined and soon get used to whatever you use to discourage them. Many years ago I dunked used teabags in an expensive liquid (about £8 a tin, I think) which I was assured would dispel foxes, and placed them around young heathers which they were digging up. I watched through my bedroom window and saw the foxes approach cautiously and after a short while they started playing games with the teabags. Hedgehogs are to be encouraged and if it were not for their tiny and inoffensive droppings you would not know that they had visited you. I have been feeding them for many many years, but none have turned up so far this season. Do not give them milk or fish based food. Regards, Emrys Davies. Thanks, Emrys - I guess I'll have to grin and bear it then! I don't think they are hedgehog poos because they seem too big for such a small animal and even if they were I wouldn't do anything to discourage hedgehogs. Actually I haven't seen any round here for quite some time :-( Although last year slugs were not a problem in my garden which might mean that we do have some? Gavin |
On Fri, 22 Apr 2005 09:05:26 +0100, "BAC"
wrote: But why bother? Why is it important for a gardener to identify the probable source? One reason might be that if it is fox stools it suggests that using bonemeal would be a bad idea and keeping chickens would require more protection than normal whereas hedgehogs are only good news. JB |
Chris S wrote:
[...] "Our" hedgehog appeared earlier today for the first time this year as I was cutting the grass - evidence on the grass of poo as described above. The hog itself appeared this evening, scoffing the grub the cat had left. They enjoy the leftover nuts beneath the various bird feeders. I like them. I like them, too: the good they do, the noises they make, their general purposive pottering-aboutness. Which leads me to hesitate for a moment before asking, in a purely Ray Mears spirit, has anybody here actually _eaten_ one? (I see from today's Grauniad p3 that a little Canadian girl once came back to life after being frozen to death: her name is Erika. Which, with a c, is Latin for female hedgehog; maybe it matters more than we thought what we call our children.) -- Mike. |
In article , Magwitch writes
Why oh dear! I didn't ask for your personal viewpoint, I asked for identification of poo to ensure it did not pose a health risk to my grandson. I have now had the poo identified and it is, accordingly to the gamekeeper, fox. Oh dear... I knew modern parents were mimsy about the great outdoors and their children, but I'd have thought a grandparent would have a greater sense of proportion on these matters. Hedgehogs eat slugs and snails and all manner of other larvae and insects, they are very good news in a garden and should be encouraged. -- Judith Lea |
Judith Lea muttered:
In article , Magwitch writes Why oh dear! I didn't ask for your personal viewpoint, I asked for identification of poo to ensure it did not pose a health risk to my grandson. I have now had the poo identified and it is, accordingly to the gamekeeper, fox. Oh dear... I knew modern parents were mimsy about the great outdoors and their children, but I'd have thought a grandparent would have a greater sense of proportion on these matters. Hedgehogs eat slugs and snails and all manner of other larvae and insects, they are very good news in a garden and should be encouraged. I sometimes wonder why people don't consider the _mental_ health risks they impose on children, with their paranoia and hysterical phobias. Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? MRSA is a much more serious threat, and more prevalent in hospitals than back lawns. Like someone said, "rake it up". |
On 22/4/05 11:37, in article , "Magwitch"
wrote: snip I sometimes wonder why people don't consider the _mental_ health risks they impose on children, with their paranoia and hysterical phobias. Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? MRSA is a much more serious threat, and more prevalent in hospitals than back lawns. Like someone said, "rake it up". You're being pretty silly, as well as rather unnecessarily rude in an oblique fashion. Judith has posted here on and off, for years and is not only one of the more intelligent and helpful posters - not to say one of the funniest - she is one of the least hysterical people I know. And I can assure you that she almost certainly knows more than you do about administration in hospitals which may be why she wants to know if something is a potential health hazard. -- Sacha (remove the weeds for email) |
In article , Magwitch writes
You are obviously not listening - I did not know what kind of poo it was, it could well have been from the feral cats and posing a very real threat to children and adults. As for raking it up, your garden is obviously much smaller than mine, I don't have the time to rake a few acres. Now, unless you can actually give some advice on identifying animal poo, don't bother making uninformed comments. I sometimes wonder why people don't consider the _mental_ health risks they impose on children, with their paranoia and hysterical phobias. Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? MRSA is a much more serious threat, and more prevalent in hospitals than back lawns. Like someone said, "rake it up". -- Judith Lea |
In article , Janet Baraclough writes: | The message | from Magwitch contains these words: | | Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo | per annum, why don't you? | | AFAIK, the statistics for toxocara in humans do not differentiate | between which host the problem came from. | | http://www.provet.co.uk/health/disea...ocaracanis.htm | | gives a 35% to 55% incidence of toxocara in UK foxes. A quick scan indicates that hedgehogs are not a significant carrier of Toxocara species, but foxes, dogs and cats are. | Since foxes are known to be toxocara (and hydatid, and salmonella) hosts | and shed both worms and eggs in their pooh, there is some risk to | children playing on heavily-poohed lawn; ... Salmonella is good for you :-) Seriously, except for the very young, very old and seriously ill, it is not a significant problem. Please don't copy the hysterical tabloids (including some of the medical journals). Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message from Magwitch contains these words: Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? AFAIK, the statistics for toxocara in humans do not differentiate between which host the problem came from. Is it even possible to determine how any given infestation actually occurred, except to differentiate between canis and cati? As the OP has speculated on the presence of both feral cats and foxes, it is pretty safe to assume both t-canis and t-cati will be present in her garden, regardless of the presence of visible poo on the lawn. Fortunately, toxocariasis in humans is very rare, with approximately 2 cases per million people reported per annum. It takes two to three weeks for the faeces to become infectious, anyway, so that's plenty of time to clear up a 'safe' area for the kids to roll around in. If they roll in fox doings once, they'll probably never forget it, the stench is memorable :-) |
In article ,
Janet Baraclough wrote: The message from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words: Salmonella is good for you :-) Seriously, except for the very young, very old and seriously ill, it is not a significant problem. Judith's grandson is very young, that is why I mentioned it. It's still not really worth worrying about, except to avoid giving actual babies food that has been hanging around for ages. There just isn't any way that you can avoid it except by living inside, as it is carried by birds as well as mammals. I don't know what the window of sensitivity is, but I do know that it is very short. I agree that not exposing babies to fox dung is a good idea, but salmonella is NOT what I would be worried about. Please don't copy the hysterical tabloids (including some of the medical journals). I didn't. Please don't put worms in my mouth. Well, I didn't - or no more than you did :-) I was responding to your grouping of toxocara, hydatid and salmonella, which encourages the naive to believe that they are all of comparable severity. Yes, many people believe the tabloids when they refer to the killer bacteria (sic) E. coli :-( Regards, Nick Maclaren. |
"Judith Lea" wrote in message ... In article , Magwitch writes You are obviously not listening - I did not know what kind of poo it was, it could well have been from the feral cats and posing a very real threat to children and adults. OMG yes. In fact because 'outside' is full or nasty germs I wouldn't let anyone out there at all. It is far too dangerous. ;0) As for raking it up, your garden is obviously much smaller than mine, I don't have the time to rake a few acres. You wouldn't need to. Surely the whole few acres isn't *covered* with it? Can't you just scoop or rake the part where the children will be playing? Now, unless you can actually give some advice on identifying animal poo, don't bother making uninformed comments. This is usenet I'm afraid. Everyone is allowed to make whatever comments they feel inclined to. |
"Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message from Magwitch contains these words: Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? AFAIK, the statistics for toxocara in humans do not differentiate between which host the problem came from. http://www.provet.co.uk/health/disea...ocaracanis.htm gives a 35% to 55% incidence of toxocara in UK foxes. Since foxes are known to be toxocara (and hydatid, and salmonella) hosts and shed both worms and eggs in their pooh, there is some risk to children playing on heavily-poohed lawn; just as there is to children playing on grass fouled by dogs. Dog owners can reduce the risk by worming the dog. That option is not available when wild foxes are defecating extensively on a domestic lawn played on by a small child. In light of her more recent post though it now seems that the poo is not just on the lawn but covers several acres of her land. She might need to section off a lawn for her child to roll about on and keep it free of all kinds of things. Perhaps she needs to think about erecting some kind of roof or canopy too as pigeons and other wild birds carry some rather unpleasant diseases too including psittacosis and salmonella and surely they will be pooing on the lawn too. |
On 23/4/05 16:41, in article ,
"w.g.s.hamm" wrote: "Janet Baraclough" wrote in message ... The message from Magwitch contains these words: Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? AFAIK, the statistics for toxocara in humans do not differentiate between which host the problem came from. http://www.provet.co.uk/health/disea...ocaracanis.htm gives a 35% to 55% incidence of toxocara in UK foxes. Since foxes are known to be toxocara (and hydatid, and salmonella) hosts and shed both worms and eggs in their pooh, there is some risk to children playing on heavily-poohed lawn; just as there is to children playing on grass fouled by dogs. Dog owners can reduce the risk by worming the dog. That option is not available when wild foxes are defecating extensively on a domestic lawn played on by a small child. In light of her more recent post though it now seems that the poo is not just on the lawn but covers several acres of her land. She might need to section off a lawn for her child to roll about on and keep it free of all kinds of things. Perhaps she needs to think about erecting some kind of roof or canopy too as pigeons and other wild birds carry some rather unpleasant diseases too including psittacosis and salmonella and surely they will be pooing on the lawn too. What a truly idiotic post with regard to a polite enquiry by a polite person. We can see how carefully you read it when we observe that you refer to her grandchild as her child. I don't think being nutty about animals qualifies you to comment on someone wishing to prevent a child from catching some potentially nasty disease. All it was was an enquiry, not a suggestion that the wildlife of England should be exterminated. Get a grip and a sense of proportion for once. -- Sacha (remove the weeds for email) |
"Emrys Davies" wrote in message ... "gavin" wrote in message Stuff deleted:- I don't think that you will be able to stop foxes from using your garden. They are very determined and soon get used to whatever you use to discourage them. Many years ago I dunked used teabags in an expensive liquid (about £8 a tin, I think) which I was assured would dispel foxes, and placed them around young heathers which they were digging up. I watched through my bedroom window and saw the foxes approach cautiously and after a short while they started playing games with the teabags. Hedgehogs are to be encouraged and if it were not for their tiny and inoffensive droppings you would not know that they had visited you. I have been feeding them for many many years, but none have turned up so far this season. Do not give them milk or fish based food. We used to have regular visits from hedgehogs but have not seen any for some time now. -- alan reply to alan(dot)holmes27(at)virgin(dot)net |
Sacha muttered:
On 22/4/05 11:37, in article , "Magwitch" wrote: snip I sometimes wonder why people don't consider the _mental_ health risks they impose on children, with their paranoia and hysterical phobias. Try Googling and see how many children are hospitalised by hedgehog/fox poo per annum, why don't you? MRSA is a much more serious threat, and more prevalent in hospitals than back lawns. Like someone said, "rake it up". You're being pretty silly, as well as rather unnecessarily rude in an oblique fashion. Judith has posted here on and off, for years and is not only one of the more intelligent and helpful posters - not to say one of the funniest - she is one of the least hysterical people I know. And I can assure you that she almost certainly knows more than you do about administration in hospitals which may be why she wants to know if something is a potential health hazard. I don't think so. For the last 6 years I've worked on antibiotic resistance, only this week a study published that showed that young children exposed to multiple childhood infections have a 50% lower risk of leukaemia, because their immune systems have been 'primed' to cope and are healthy. If well-meaning, but misguided carers try to eliminate *every* instance of what is perfectly ok in a natural habitat, they are storing up problems for their kids. I repeat, give me an example of *one* child whose health has been compromised by hedgehog excreta, please. |
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