Dead animal removal suggestions

U

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Yesterday we were “lucky” enough to have what I believe was a squirrel get into our attic and somehow find a small hole that leads to the thin plasterboard wall between the kitchen and the library.

I think it’s still there - inside the walol space - but now very weak as I heard some very light scratching last night but as of sitting in the library this morning I’ve heard diddly squat.

So I’m guessing the bugger’s now died on us - great. So now it’ll decompose and start smelling. Marvelous.

So, anyone got any experience on this? I think I know where the bloody thing is, but I’m not sure so I’m not exactly looking forward to cutting multiple holes in the wall behind heavy bookshelves just the find it’s rotting fetid carcass.
 

tobefirst

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If you're planning on doing the removal yourself, you can get a cheap(ish) endoscope camera – there are even ones that connect to your phone and are app-enabled – that you could stick into a small hole drilled in the wall to make sure you've found the squirrel. The cost could possibly save you enough time/aggravation of fixing/patching multiple plasterboard sections.
 

DT

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Yikes, yeah, there's only two main options: get it out or let it die/rot/dry up.

Getting it out can be tricky, @tobefirst has a great suggestion - in fact, it's one of the reasons I got it (well, specifically for checking out a dryer vent but it did wind up with a dead bird in it...)

I picked up this one several months ago:


Currently at $69 plus a $20 discount!

So if you can accurately locate it, you might be able to extract and patch without a ton of hassle.

If it's small, and dies, and quickly dries up, maybe an air purifier and a vacation ...
 

Chew Toy McCoy

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Sprinkle the wall with holy water. If it starts boiling and smoking it's not a squirrel. At that point you won't need to cut open the wall but I'd argue you have a much bigger problem.
 

Eric

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As gross as it sounds, the easiest thing is to let it dry up. It will smell for a few days, but it will dissipate.
I had a rat die under my car under the oil pan (where it was not hot) and it was the most foul smelling thing I ever experienced. We had to take it to the mechanic to take it apart and remove it. Not sure what your experience will be but I'm guessing the smell become intolerable, even through a wall.

On the flip side here, it's sounds like it died a slow death and that's sad for any creature but there probably wasn't much you could do. :confused:
 

Herdfan

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I had a rat die under my car under the oil pan (where it was not hot) and it was the most foul smelling thing I ever experienced. We had to take it to the mechanic to take it apart and remove it. Not sure what your experience will be but I'm guessing the smell become intolerable, even through a wall.

On the flip side here, it's sounds like it died a slow death and that's sad for any creature but there probably wasn't much you could do. :confused:

It's not great, but not horrible.

We have one place at the bottom of the stairs that somehow critters, guessing mice, fall down into and can't get out. Happens every couple of years. Cats alert us before we can smell it. Usually lasts about a week. Like walking through a #driveby. It would be worse if it was someplace we did more than walk by for sure. A squirrel is bigger, so may take a bit more time.
 

Thomas Veil

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Yesterday we were “lucky” enough to have what I believe was a squirrel get into our attic and somehow find a small hole that leads to the thin plasterboard wall between the kitchen and the library.

I think it’s still there - inside the walol space - but now very weak as I heard some very light scratching last night but as of sitting in the library this morning I’ve heard diddly squat.

So I’m guessing the bugger’s now died on us - great. So now it’ll decompose and start smelling. Marvelous.

So, anyone got any experience on this? I think I know where the bloody thing is, but I’m not sure so I’m not exactly looking forward to cutting multiple holes in the wall behind heavy bookshelves just the find it’s rotting fetid carcass.

Are you sure it's not alive in a closed-off bedroom somewhere? 😁
 

ronntaylor

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When I worked at Barnes & Noble years ago we had mice that died in wall. It was the worst smell I can ever remember smelling -- well at least till I managed a restaurant and was around for the cleaning of the grease trap. We had maintenance cut open the wall and extract the mice at once. The CS office was closed for a day and a half for the extraction, repairs to the wall, and airing out of the office.
 
U

User.191

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I spoke to an animal control specialist who said given everything I'd described that he thought it was a mouse.

Given the plaster walls he suggested that, not knowing where it was (if it was indeed still between the walls and also dead) it would be a destructive exercise to locate it and, given its probable size, to let dead mice lie.

If it was just one mouse then he thought the smell would be minimal but if it did become apparent and untreatable, then he'd certainly help out with extraction.
We've not heard a peep all day so....
 

DT

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I spoke to an animal control specialist who said given everything I'd described that he thought it was a mouse.

I hope it's this SOB ...


Mickey_Mouse.png
 

Huntn

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I spoke to an animal control specialist who said given everything I'd described that he thought it was a mouse.

Given the plaster walls he suggested that, not knowing where it was (if it was indeed still between the walls and also dead) it would be a destructive exercise to locate it and, given its probable size, to let dead mice lie.

If it was just one mouse then he thought the smell would be minimal but if it did become apparent and untreatable, then he'd certainly help out with extraction.
We've not heard a peep all day so....
Wait it out. Mice can make a lot of noise in the walls. Tearing up a wall is not worth it and if it is a mouse, you might not even notice a smell.
 
U

User.45

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Yesterday we were “lucky” enough to have what I believe was a squirrel get into our attic and somehow find a small hole that leads to the thin plasterboard wall between the kitchen and the library.

I think it’s still there - inside the walol space - but now very weak as I heard some very light scratching last night but as of sitting in the library this morning I’ve heard diddly squat.

So I’m guessing the bugger’s now died on us - great. So now it’ll decompose and start smelling. Marvelous.

So, anyone got any experience on this? I think I know where the bloody thing is, but I’m not sure so I’m not exactly looking forward to cutting multiple holes in the wall behind heavy bookshelves just the find it’s rotting fetid carcass.
Intermediate solution is to get some smell absorbing material into the plaster wall so it doesn't stunk up the place while drying out.
 
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