Do you find good-sized holes in the grass, or damage to your fruit and vegetables, but don’t see anything that might be causing it? If you think you have an animal pest but are not sure what it is, the UC IPM Wildlife Pest Identification Tool can help! This e-tool lets you narrow down potential vertebrate pests using signs such as typical damage, tracks, and droppings (scat). For each of the possible pests, you’ll find additional identification and biology information along with links to management options.
Focusing on 21 common animal pests, it’s easy to use. Simply select the signs (damage, tracks, or droppings) that you see. The tool filters out the possible pests based on the signs you choose. More photos appear on each pest page to help confirm their identity. Once the pest is confirmed, you can read more about how to prevent and manage this pest.
If you’re not sure if mice, rats, rabbits, gophers, or a host of other animal pests are causing you problems, give the handy tool a try!