How To Find And Remove A Dead Opossum

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Whether you have tried to deal with an opossum problem yourself, or the opossum has wandered into your property and died without your involvement, it is important to deal with a dead opossum as soon as possible. An opossum carcass that is decaying will not only emit a foul smell around your property, but that smell is also likely to attract other animals looking to consume the carrion. Finding and removing a dead opossum is not always straightforward, as they can die in difficult locations, but it is a very important thing to do.



Identifying The Location Of The Carcass

The smell will often be the strongest indicator that you will have to the location of the carcass, and try to identify where the smell of the carcass is at its strongest. You will then need to examine the nooks and crannies to try and find where the opossum has died, and this can include wall cavities, ventilation ducts or even in the attic of a property.

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Getting To A Carcass In A Difficult Position

If it isn't easy to get to the carcass, you may need to look at different options to try and get hold of the carcass to remove it, including opening vents and using a grabber to try and pull the carcass to a more easily accessible position. Make sure that you are wearing the right protective clothing and breathing mask when going into confined spaces, but if you do need to cut the drywall in order to get to the carcass, it is usually best to do this carefully and as close to the carcass as you can.

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Bagging The Dead Opossum

Although the opossum may be dead, the fleas and ticks on the body may not be, so while wearing long sleeved clothing and gloves, move the carcass into a thick plastic garbage bag. Once this is completed, tie the bag closed, and then double bag it to ensure that it is sealed. If you will be waiting for some time for the carcass to be removed, consider placing it in a sealed box to prevent the scent from escaping and attracting other animals.

Disposing Of The Carcass

Once it is bagged then the carcass can either be put out with the garbage or it can be incinerated. The one thing to avoid doing with the carcass is burying it, as there may be some wild animals that will detect the smell and open it up, bringing further problems. For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does opossum removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of opossums - my main opossum removal info guide.
Example opossum trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Opossum job blog - learn from great examples of opossum jobs I've done.