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