Dead Animal Removal in Commerce, GA

A dead animal in your Commerce walls or crawlspace

Most dead-animal calls in Commerce start the same way: a smell that wasn't there a day or two ago and keeps getting worse. It may be strongest in one room, near a floor vent, or along one wall. A few days later, flies start showing up at a window. In an older raised house, the animal is often in the crawlspace under the floor, where opossums, rats and other animals go when they're sick or poisoned. It can also be inside a wall or in the attic.

There's no trick to finding it. Our crew says it comes down to using your nose and watching for flies. If nothing is done, the smell typically runs its course in about 14 days, but those two weeks can be hard to live with, especially in summer. A pro can find and remove the animal and clean the area. One thing to know up front: most wildlife companies don't repair drywall, so if a wall has to be opened, ask whether patching is included before the work starts.

Under the floor of a raised house

In Commerce, a lot of dead-animal calls trace back to the crawlspace. A mill house on brick piers has an open space underneath, and if the skirting has gaps, animals go in and out. A sick or injured opossum, a poisoned rat, or a young animal that lost its mother can end up dying down there. The smell rises through the floor and heating vents. Reaching it means crawling under the house, which is a job most homeowners would rather hand off.

Why rat poison often leads to this

Rat poison doesn't make rodents die out in the open. They usually crawl back to where they nest, which is often inside a wall, in the attic or under the floor, and die there. That's one of the most common reasons for a sudden dead-animal smell. It's also why our crew recommends sealing the house and trapping the rodents instead of using bait.

How long the smell lasts

The smell usually shows up a day or two after the animal dies and gets stronger over the next several days. If nothing is done, it typically lasts about 14 days start to finish. Hot weather makes it worse, and the smell can travel through ductwork into other rooms. Air fresheners only cover it up for a little while. Removing the animal is the only thing that stops it.

Finding it and getting it out

The pro follows the smell from room to room and looks for where flies are gathering. In the crawlspace or attic, the animal can often be reached without cutting anything. Inside a wall it's harder, and sometimes a small opening has to be made. Pros try to avoid cutting wherever they can. Most wildlife companies do not do drywall repair, so ask before the work starts whether patching the opening is included or whether you'll need someone else for that.

Cleaning up after removal

Once the animal is out, the pro removes any soaked insulation or material right around it and treats the area with a cleaner that breaks down the odor. Flies and maggots are dealt with at the same time. That gets rid of the source of the smell instead of masking it. In a crawlspace, this usually means bagging up the animal and anything it was lying on and treating the ground where it was.

Find out how it got in

A dead animal inside the house almost always means there's an opening a live animal is using. On an older Commerce home that's often a gap in the crawlspace skirting, an unscreened ground vent, a gable vent with torn screening, or the joint where an addition meets the original roof. Ask the pro to point out the entry. Sealing it with metal is what keeps you from having another one.