Are these rabbit pellets???

[DaveC426913]

There are piles of these all around my house!

They are much smaller than I would expect. The size of a BB. Maybe 5mm.

But sooo many!!

 

[Astronuc]

It looks like rabbit droppings, similar to what I find in my backyard. I don't usually see such a large pile though. It could be several rabbits. Each pile looks like a day's worth of rabbit droppings.

https://kapristofarms.com/bunny-poop-vs-deer-poop-understanding-the-differences/

Usually the color is dark, but that depends on the forage/diet. I have seen lighter brown on occasion.

We see Eastern Cottontails in our yard, and we have found nests with babies (kits).

We also find bear, fox, raccoon and possibly coyote scat on occasion. Deer often leave piles in our yard. The deer scat is similar to that of rabbits, but perhaps more oval or ellipsoidal, although I have watched deer drop round pellets. I have to collect it so the dog doesn't eat it.

 

[DaveC426913]

Each pile looks like a day's worth of rabbit droppings.

 

[Astronuc]

Or more than one bunny.

 

[berkeman]

There are piles of these all around my house!

Do you have any muddy spots in your back yard that you can check for critter tracks? If not, you could clear a couple spots in what look like paths that the critters may be taking and add a little water to soften the dirt patch up...

 

[sbrothy]

Rabbits, and I think rodents in general, re-eat their droppings to fully utilize all the nutrients:

"Easily digestible food is processed in the gastrointestinal tract and expelled as regular feces. To get nutrients out of hard digestible fiber, rabbits ferment fiber in the cecum (part of the gastrointestinal tract) and then expel the contents as cecotropes , which are reingested (cecotrophy or refection). The cecotropes are then absorbed in the small intestine to use the nutrients. Soft cecotropes are usually consumed during periods of rest in underground burrows."

---- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cecotrope

Sorry for the Wiki link. It's common knowledge so finding a serious paper on the subject should be quite easy.

EDIT: One would think this would turn children off owning a rabbit!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Oh yes those are rabbit droppings. They are all over my backyard too lol.

 

[DaveC426913]

Do you have any muddy spots in your back yard that you can check for critter tracks? If not, you could clear a couple spots in what look like paths that the critters may be taking and add a little water to soften the dirt patch up...

Oh, we definitely have bunnies. See them all the time.

I am just astonished at the size of the pile. Astronuc says that's one day of droppings?

 

[sbrothy]

Incidentally, I just read about some scatterbrained idiot from the 1950s importing 4 rabbits into Australia to have something to shoot at from his porch; with obvious effects. They tried importing foxes. Bad idea. And needless to say: cats love Australia!

Luckily they found a disease which only attacked rabbits and killed 99.7% or thereabouts. That solved the problem for a while. Now the 0.3% resistent little buggers are starting again. I can relate to why they are so strict with importing flora and fauna in airports.

 

[sbrothy]

Oh, we definitely have bunnies. See them all the time.

I am just astonished at the size of the pile. Astronuc says that's one day of droppings?

Haha. They're an industrious little bunch of critters!

 

[Janus]

Definitely look like rabbit pellets. We raised a few rabbits when I was in High school, and they look very familiar. If you have a garden or flower patch, they make excellent fertilizer.

 

[pinball1970]

There are piles of these all around my house!

They are much smaller than I would expect. The size of a BB. Maybe 5mm.

But sooo many!!

View attachment 369892


View attachment 369893

Looks like they all get together to do their business in one go. A designated area!

 

[Rive]

Rabbits, and I think rodents in general, re-eat their droppings to fully utilize all the nutrients:

Those droppings are special kind (not the common everydayhour ones), and you won't find them (unless you keep rabbits on grated floor). You see - rabbits eats those and don't leave them around...

They are much smaller than I would expect. The size of a BB. Maybe 5mm.

But sooo many!!

... suspicious. Too small and too many, and both the color and the shape is borderline... I would say this is at least not the same rabbit we have here (in mid-Europe).

 

[sbrothy]

Those droppings are special kind (not the common everydayhour ones), and you won't find them (unless you keep rabbits on grated floor). You see - rabbits eats those and don't leave them around...
[...]

You're right, I realized on reading the article. (The clue was, in fact, in my very quote):

[...] Soft cecotropes are usually consumed during periods of rest in underground burrows. [...]

EDIT "my very quote"? Does that make sense? You know what I mean.

 

[DaveC426913]

More pics, with scale. 1/4", egg-shaped.

They look like hundreds of cocoa puffs.

This pile is six inches away and is a distinctly different colour. Dark, coffee brown, instead of ilght brown. So presumably at last two critters.

 

[pinball1970]

More pics, with scale. 1/4", egg-shaped.

They look like hundreds of cocoa puffs.

View attachment 370612

This pile is six inches away and is a distinctly different colour. Dark, coffee brown, instead of ilght brown. So presumably at last two critters.
View attachment 370613

Gloves a smart move.

https://iere.org/what-diseases-do-wild-rabbits-carry/

• Tularemia (Rabbit Fever): A bacterial infection that can affect both animals and humans. Transmission can occur through tick bites, contact with infected animals, or even inhaling contaminated dust.
• Myxomatosis: A highly contagious viral disease primarily affecting rabbits. It’s spread by insects and direct contact, often resulting in severe swelling and lesions.
• Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease (RHD): A calicivirus that causes rapid and often fatal internal bleeding in rabbits. It is highly contagious and spreads quickly.
• Ringworm: A fungal infection that can cause skin lesions in rabbits and can be transmitted to humans and other animals.
• Ticks and Fleas: Wild rabbits can carry various external parasites, including ticks and fleas, which can transmit diseases like Lyme disease and plague.
• Encephalitozoon cuniculi (E. cuniculi): A microscopic parasite that can affect the brain and kidneys of rabbits, and potentially other mammals

 

[DaveC426913]

Gloves a smart move.

Not smart. Lucky. I just happened to be wearing gloves. It wouldn't have occurred to me to be concerned about contact.