What do you do if you find a dead animal on your property?
If an animal dies in the walls or attics of homes or in residential yards, problems arise which may be difficult to handle without the help of professionally trained wildlife removal experts.
Commonly found animals include squirrels, raccoons, stray cats or dogs, mice, rats, opossums, and skunks. Homeowners risk unpleasant odors and stains, disease, contamination, and further pest infestation when dead animal bodies are left unattended in homes or yards.
How do you know if there is a dead animal in your home?
Typically an animal does not die in plain sight. The surest sign there is a dead animal is the putrid stench caused by decomposition.
Fluids drain out and leech into nearby materials, causing foul stains which spread and grow as the animal's body continues to rot.
How long does a dead animal stink?
The smell could last anywhere from a few days to a few month. It depends on the size of the animal and environmental conditions for the carcass to dry out.
These signs may cause concern and unpleasant circumstances for humans and attract other insect or animal pests which feed on carcasses.
How to find a dead animal in your house?
Squirrels, raccoons, bats, mice, and rats often make their homes within a house. Whatever areas the animals frequented during their lives are where the dead animal carcass can be found.
Typical locations to look for an animal carcass
- Walls
- Attics
- Under floorboards
- Under porches
- Crawlspaces
- Yards
- Floating in Pools
If you set traps to catch wildlife pests, check them frequently. Toxic baits increase the chances of the animals dying and decaying in hidden or unreachable places.
Problems & Disease
How do I get rid of the dead animal smell?
Critter Control Wildlife Technicians use a pet-safe odor eliminator made of natural organisms and enzymes that consume decaying organic odor-causing matter, eliminating the source of the odor. If we can’t remove the source, we use aerosols, oxidizing agents, foggers and disinfectants with germicides to cover the smell, until nature completes this task for you.
Can dead animal make me sick?
The dead animal smell cannot make you sick, but your sense of smell often alerts you to potential danger. If it smells bad, it is bad for you.
Certain insects and animals such as flies, beetles, worms, crows, and vultures feast off animal carcasses. Fly larvae hatch and grow among corpses, and beetles and worms eat the leftovers. Many such creatures are considered nuisances or pests by humans, and their presence in the home can cause additional problems.
Humans who come into close contact with dead animals may contact the diseases or parasites once harbored by the animals. When left unattended, the carcass may contaminate soil or water sources with harmful diseases like cryptosporidium and bayliscaris.
Undisposed bodies may also be harmful to pets such as dogs and cats, who can contract parasites and diseases just as easily.
Wildlife Pest Prevention
The best way to prevent dead animals in homes or yards is to keep the critter out. They seek entrance through cracks and holes in exterior walls of the home or through unsecured vents, windows, chimneys, or doorways.
Exclusion services include:
- Sealing all cracks with caulk
- Replacing broken windows & door screens
- Adding mesh wire to chimney openings
- Buying tightly fitted lids for trash bins
- Removing debris from yards
- Trimming tree branches so nothing hangs over roofs
- Cleaning clutter from basement and attics
If wildlife have entered your home previously, that entry point exists until you fix it.
Who to call for dead animal removal?
Most local animal control departments will not enter your home or property to remove a dead animal.
Dead animals leave a horrendous smell, and the carcass can lead to health hazards, insect infestations, stains and lingering odors. Upon discovering a dead animal in the home or yard, individuals should refrain from handling the carcass.
To prevent the spread of diseases and parasites, residents should contact Critter Control wildlife removal experts, who are trained to safely dispose of dead animals. Removing animal carcasses will also remove the dangers and possible pest infestations which accompany them.
Call to Schedule Dead Animal Removal Service
Call 1-800-Critter
Get them out.
Keep them out.®
Experience wildlife or pest issue? We can help! Complete this form and your local Critter Control® office will contact you to assist.
Customer Reviews
It has been very effective at reducing the number of mice, lizard, and snake sightings. During one visit Edgar removed a rattlesnake he came across. We may see a snake maybe two to three times during the spring and summer months, but it has been far less than before.
Serivces:
Wildlife & Rodent Control in San Diego
Full service. Excellent job of extracting raccoon, cleaning all animal waste, sanitizing, and spraying anti-parasitic substance. They closed all potential ports of entry, though the work did not match the vinyl, and it looks kind of tacky. They added blown insulation, which added a lot to the cost. They provide a one year warranty against animal intrusion, with an option to extend the warranty at the end of each one- year period. They were willing to work with me one the price. I will probably extend my warranty, and will definitely use them it the future.
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Chattanooga
I was really impressed by these guys. Got a call within a few hours of making an inquiry. Had a rep out to inspect the situation by the end of the week, and when they laid out the timeline they kept if not exceeded listed times.
Rob, Travis, and Jim were all professional, polite, and courteous and after months of hearing squirrels in my ceiling they are gone and the repair to my flashing looks excellent. Can't recommend these guys enough.
Jeff was incredibly professional and helpful. I'll use them again and would recommend them to anyone.
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Detroit, MI
Critter Control did a great job of evaluating our house for sites of entry after we found bats and a squirrel in our attic. They completed their work promptly and professionally.
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Seattle, WA
We heard some noise from the corner of our house. Concerned that it could be inside we called for an inspection. Jessy arrived as scheduled and conducted a complete inspection of our home. Based on a recording we made he determined we had a tree frog on our roof. I was pleased that we didn’t have any rodent in our house. And his inspection could a few spots I can tighten up around my house. I am very happy with the outcome.
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New Hampshire
We have a vacation home in
Western Mass and haven’t been there much during the pandemic as we live and work in Atlanta, GA. On our most recent visit we noticed that we had some rodent intrusion as well as some un-welcomed wildlife who decided to make our vacation home their home.
We contacted Critter Control and Mr. Cahoon was quick to set up an appointment as we wouldn’t be in town very long. He came out and assessed our issues. He informed us of our options to both eradicate and control future intrusions. Keeping in mind that wildlife is wildlife! He quickly got to work eradicating the rodents and wildlife from our home and addressing the intrusion issues. We feel much better leaving our vacation home for periods at a time knowing that Mr. Cahoon and Critter Control did their job and did it right! Thanks again!
We bought an old cabin last spring , it was used for years as a summer vacation cabin, therefore maintenance wasn’t a priority. After our project to remodel started, we found evidence of
mice droppings.
We immediately called Critter Control and they came and gave us a reasonable estimate to remove all remnants and insulation. They sanitized and replaced with new insulation and sealing up points of entry .
Seeing their professional work made us feel confident and secure that the problem was solved ! Everyone we worked with continued to show professional and respectful work. Highly recommend this company! We continue to use critter control monthly to be sure we are mice and bug free!
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