Rodents – Carcass Removal and Prevention

Rodents are often very destructive, causing damage in your house by eating and chewing through everything they manage to come across. One thing that enhances the problem is the fact that rodents are able to fit in almost any part of your house. Therefore, it is critical that you find a way to control their presence. It is also inevitable that if they continue to live in your house, one of them will die, and you do not want to be stuck with the unpleasant job of finding and removing a dead rodent.

rat caught in snap trap atop fence

Finding a Dead Rodent

Rats and mice will not just walk anywhere in your house, as most prefer to stay out of sight. However, there are certain areas you should be searching, including:

  • The attic
  • The basement
  • Walls

These are the most common parts of a house that rodents will frequent.

Taking Precautions Around a Dead Rodent

When you find a dead rat or mouse, there are certain precautions you need to take seriously.

  • Do not touch the rodent with your bare hands.
  • Do not smell the dead rodent directly.
  • Do not come into contact with any of the droppings around the body of the rodent.
  • Clean the area immediately after removing the rodent.

Touching the animal makes you vulnerable to any diseases it might be carrying. In addition, bacteria from the decomposition process could present an immediate threat to your health. The same happens when you smell the odor directly from the dead carcass.

two rats lying on the ground

Rodent Prevention

Once you have successfully removed the dead rodent, take steps to ensure the incident does not happen again. Note the place where you found the carcass, and work to make the area unattractive to future rodents.

The Attic 

If you found the dead rodent in the attic, ask yourself, “How did it get in?” Look around for small openings a rodent may be able to fit into. Seal up the holes to prevent further access. You may also want to set up traps to catch the remaining rodents.

The Basement

Animals in your basement are usually there to seek shelter. To keep this from happening, look for possible rodent entrances and seal them up.

Walls

If you found the dead animal in a wall, it probably got trapped and died there while finding food. Note that having an animal dead in the wall presents a huge risk to your health and that of your family members. Bacteria from the decomposition of the animal could easily be spread from the wall to you and your family.

Conclusion

Finding a dead rodent is tricky, especially when dealing with small animals such as mice or rats, which could take days or weeks to find. If you cannot locate the animal, hire a professional to take care of the problem. They will also advise you on future courses of action.

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