Dead Animal Removal
What do you do if you suspect you might have a dead animal?
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 carcasses 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.
How long does a dead animal stink?
The smell could last anywhere from a few days to a few months, depending on animal size and environmental conditions.
Animal decomposition causes unpleasant circumstances for humans and attract other insects or animal pests.
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 may be found.
Typical locations for an animal carcass
-
Walls
-
Attics
-
Sub-floor
-
Beneath porches
-
Crawlspaces
-
Yards
-
Pools
Toxic baits/poisons increase the chances of the animals dying and decaying in hidden or unreachable places. Poisons should never be used as a solution to fixing a current wildlife issue, within a home.
Problems & Disease
How do I get rid of the dead animal smell?
Critter Control wildlife technicians use a pet-safe odor suppressant made of natural organisms and enzymes that helps consume decaying organic odor-causing matter, eliminating the source of the odor. If we can’t remove the source, we may use aerosols, oxidizing agents, foggers and disinfectants with germicides to help mask the smell, until nature completes this task 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 and decaying 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.
Wildlife Pest Prevention
The best way to prevent dead animals in homes or yards is to keep the critter out in the first place. Preventive measures may include:
-
Sealing gaps & cracks
-
Properly sealing chimneys
-
Use of tightly fitted lids for trash bins
-
Removing debris from yards
-
Trimming tree branches away from home
Who to call for dead animal removal?
Most local animal control departments do not offer dead animal removal services. Some dead animal removal situations are very complex and is not as simple as just removing the body. A trained professional will save you the headache by efficiently removing and remediating the situation. Upon discovering a dead animal in the home or yard, individuals should refrain from handling the carcass and call the professionals at Critter Control.
To prevent the spread of diseases and parasites, residents should contact Critter Control wildlife removal experts, who are trained to safely remove, remediate, and dispose of dead animals.