Ho hum, another dead squirrel in the attic - why didn't the homeowner trap first?

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I commonly extract dead animal carcasses from homes and property. The very animals that commonly invade houses die inside houses, and when they do, they create a very unpleasant odor as the carcass decays. The successful removal of deceased wildlife definitely requires experience and knowledge of building architecture and animal behavior. I've cut and pried open every nook and cranny imaginable to locate and remove rotting critter bodies. I am the best - I always find the animal, deodorize and decontaminate the area, and seal up the hole I've cut open. If you want to learn more, please read my How To Get Rid of Dead Animals page.

Dead Squirrel In The Attic - As unwelcome as rodents might be for any homeowner, I somehow could never appreciate the idea of poisoning them. As an animal lover, it seems heartless to kill them so brutally. This is precisely what happened in this particular incident as well, where the house residents found out about a squirrel existing in their attic and scattered rat poison around the place to get rid of it. This is what I guessed after looking at the carcass that had literally become a placemat, lying flat against the insulation.

Squirrels are quite smart when it comes to distinguishing between poison and actual food, so it did come to me as a surprise to see this one fall for it. One of the biggest disadvantages of poisoning animals inside the house is that you cannot predict where they will end up breathing their last, which is exactly what happened here too. Not only did the squirrel feed on the poison, it died somewhere in the attic. Consequently, once its dead body started to decompose, it spread a horrible smell that spread to other corners of the house as well. And this is when I got an urgent call from the homeowners.

On reaching the site, I started with my usual routine of locating the dead animal and disposing its body off in a sealable bag. While doing the cleaning up, I did make sure that I let the homeowners know their mistake of throwing around rat poison and not trapping the squirrel, which would have been a better way to handle the problem. After sealing the carcass, I deodorized the entire attic and made sure it was left smelling fresh. To avoid such problems in future, I found out the possible entry points for the squirrel and made sure that they were repaired.

AAAnimal Control is a privately owned wildlife removal and pest control business, located in Orlando Florida. I deal strictly with wild animals including ones that have died inside houses. I am not an extermination company, but a critter removal and control specialist. The above photos are some of the many that I've taken in the field over my years of work. Please email me if you have any questions about the above photographs, or any questions about wildlife problems or dead animal removal issues.