Call Us: Servicing Over 300 US Locations

Dead Animal In the Attic

This is pretty straightforward - there's a dead animal in the attic, causing a huge odor in the house. The only way to solve the problem is to crawl through the attic and find the carcass and remove it. The problem is that it can be very hard to find. It is likely buried under insulation, or down some nook or cranny. It's possible that the only way to access it is to cut a hole in a ceiling or wall area. This is challenging. You must literally sniff and sniff, back and forth, until you find the thing. Once you remove the dead carcass, you must mop any juices or maggots, and clean and disinfect the area. Only then will the smell go away. Oh, and be sure to find out how the animal got in your attic in the first place, and seal the entry holes shut!

When animals die on your yard or in your attic they can leave an unbearable stench. The body of an animal will start to decay immediately and depending on the temperature, humidity, location and the size of the animal the smell how take a few days to a week or more before you notice it. While a body of a dead animal does not pose a direct threat to your health, it can be a serious threat when you or your pets come into contact with the body. If the animal had a disease, it can be passed to you either through skin or through respiratory means, or the dead animal can attract parasites, insects, fleas, etc. that carry diseases. Needless to say, if you should find a dead animal, please follow these suggestions to get it removed immediately.

There are very strict laws about the removal of carcasses. You should check the laws in your state by looking it up on the fish and game’s site or you can find information on a removal service’s website. However, there are a few general rules.

Never put a carcass near a body of water as it can contaminate the town’s drinking water. A safe distance is at least 100 to 200 feet away

Never burn the body unless you have permission from the department of agriculture in your state. Even then, carcasses are only burned if they have an infectious disease because the ashes can get into the water supply and contaminate it.

You can bury the animal, but it has to be buried at least two feet underground. However, you cannot bury the animal if you live in a flood plains area as the body will come to the surface if there is a good rainstorm. You also cannot bury the body anywhere where it would affect your neighbors.

Do not take the animal to the vet’s office unless it is your own pet and you want to have it cremated. It is not a vet’s job to get rid of dead animals.

The best way to take care of a dead animal is to call a professional to deal with the removal of the carcass and decontamination of the site where the body was found. This is especially important if the dead animal is in a hard to reach place like your attics, walls or under the house. You can call your local animal control office, the humane society or a pest removal service. These professionals have the equipments, the knowledge and the chemicals to safely remove the body and decontaminate the area without compromising anyone’s health. Unfortunately, a professional can remove the body, but can do little for the smell. You will have to wait until it wears out.

Go back to the main Dead Animal Removal page for more information about dangers and signs of dead animal in the attic. How to Get Rid of Dead Animals in the attic - Animals, just like humans, die; this is just a natural part of life. Animals die for many different reasons in an attic, the most common being use of poison, or just old age. Animals oftentimes do not understand the rules of the attic and will wander across it in search of nesting areas. The most dangerous times that animals venture out into the attic is during dusk, dawn and night. It is too difficult to see the animal until you are right on them and then it is too late. This results in all the dead bodies that line the attics of the United States. However, animals can also die of natural causes, diseases and fights with other animals which will sometimes end up with them dead in your yard. Most frustrating is when the animal climbs under your house or ends up in your attic before they die.