Unidentified owl pellet contents

[moineau]

I was looking at an owl pellet I found on a walk this morning and found some large claws in it. They remind me most closely of retractable cat claws in shape but are smaller than those you would find on a domestic cat. They are 10mm long and are grey in colour. Any idea what they could be?

[Wild-Woman]

Hi moineau and welcome.

Any chance of a shot of the pellet contents. The claws sound a bit bird like.

[faz]

hi moineau welcome to WAB

a photo would help us ID the pellet and contents

[nightshade]

Can you manage a photo and what area of the country are you in. Most small mammals do not have such large claws

[The Woodman]

Perhaps the "claws" are rodent teeth, detached from the skull and lower madible? These don't usually become detached in pellets though.

Of course, there's no reason why they aren't small claws!

[thunder]

Originally Posted by moineau

I was looking at an owl pellet I found on a walk this morning and found some large claws in it. They remind me most closely of retractable cat claws in shape but are smaller than those you would find on a domestic cat. They are 10mm long and are grey in colour. Any idea what they could be?

Surely a domestic cat doesn't have claws 10mm long?

henrya

[FUDGEY]

Originally Posted by The Woodman

Perhaps the "claws" are rodent teeth, detached from the skull and lower madible? These don't usually become detached in pellets though.

Of course, there's no reason why they aren't small claws!

Exactly what I was thinking. Id put my money on that Woodman.

[yukonite]

what did the skull look like?
this is a field vole found in a pellet of a short-eared owl

[RKB]

Unless moineau has done the schoolboy error of dissecting a fox dropping instead, and they're rabbit claws?!

[The Woodman]

Good point, RKB.