deer and rabbit droppings

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offroadmick

Forager
Feb 16, 2011
224
0
Essex
Looks like you need to take a ruler and some hand cleanser out with you!!! :D

Rabbit droppings: Small Round, slightly squashed pellets (they look like coco pops!) of finely chewed plant material. Dark brown, tan or black depending on food.

Red Deer:
20 – 25mm long and 13 – 18mm wide.
Acorn shaped, often pointed at one end
and rounded or a hollow at the other.
Black in colour. Can be deposited in
groups or as a ‘string’ if the Deer is
moving. Summer droppings are usually
clumped together.
Most are short and spherical in shape, usually pointed at one end. They are usually
black in colour and shiny when fresh, turning a dark brown/black over time.

Roe Deer:
18mm long, 14mm wide.
Shiny black, cylindrical pellets. Pointed at
one end. It is normal for Deer to
defecate whilst walking and droppings
can be found along Deer tracks.

Reeve’s Muntjac Deer:
10 - 13mm x 5 - 11mm. Black, rounded
or cylindrical. Sometimes pointed at
one or both ends. Usually scatter when
hit the ground.

Fallow Deer:
15 - 16mm long and 8 - 12mm
wide. Black, shiny, cylindrical pellets
One end pointed the other
indented. Deposited in piles.
 

slowworm

Full Member
May 8, 2008
1,979
930
Devon
I've been wondering about this as well. I have a good memory of rabbit droppings, having kept them fro several years, but I don't know much about deer. So, I've been taking a few photos, one I'll post up.

Thanks for the details Mick, but with regard to sizes I assume young deer will produce smaller droppings?

AFAIK we have roe and red deer about as well as rabbits. This picture was taken yesterday, the pellets are quite small about 5-10mm - the oak leaf is a small one. I assume it's a young Roe deer as the droppings are black, shiny and some are pointy - can anyone give a positive id?

droppings2.jpg
 

treadlightly

Full Member
Jan 29, 2007
2,692
3
65
Powys
I was in the woods today trying to work out how you tell the difference between rabbit and muntjac droppings. having read this thread I now realise it's very difficult. Any advice anyone?
 

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