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Dead Animal in the Wall - What to Do

Step 1: Go to the room with the strongest odor. If you can't find it, close as many doors as possible to stop airflow, so you can narrow it down to one room.
Step 2: Sniff the walls. Put your nose right on the drywall, and move around, sniffing like a dog.
Step 3: When you suddenly notice a change in odor, when it suddenly becomes putrid, you know you hit the spot.
Step 4: Use a keyhole saw and drywall saw to cut a hole open.
Step 5: Remove the dead carcass. Wear gloves. Put it in a plastic bag. Scoop away all remnants.
Step 6: Spray a deodorizing and cleaning agent in the wall.
Step 7: Patch the drywall shut with the original cutout and spackle.

How to Get Rid of Dead Animals in the Walls - There are many reasons why a dead animal ends up in the wall of your home. Most of these reasons involve human error. If you put out poison to control a rodent issue, you will usually end up with one or two poisoned mice, rats or squirrels somewhere in the wall. To locate a dead animal in the wall you will have to determine where the animal ended up when it died. Animals nearing death will seek out a source of water or heat. This can provide you a clue as to where the animal may have been travelling. Sometimes you know right where an animal was most active. If it has passed away, the chances are good that it passed away in the area it commonly frequented. Air currents within the home can also hint as to where the animal carcass is. Hot air rises and cold air sinks. Use this scientific fact to determine if the body is low or high in the wall. Once the general area is determined you can open up the section of wall and removed the body.

Go back to the main Dead Animal Removal page for more information about what to do if you have dead animals in your walls. Do you hear scratching sounds in the walls? Is there a dead dead animal stuck in the wall cavity creating a smell or odor? Or maybe a nest of baby dead animal in the wall. Can they cause damage, and how do you get dead animal out of the wall?