Dead Opossum Under Mobile Home

04.13.2004 - I was very proud of this dead animal removal. The homeowners had called out a different company first, but they could not find it. They actually called two other companies, but the one guy was too fat to even get under the house, where the animal clearly was. Granted, the access hole was very small. I squirmed my way through the hole and started to crawl around. I had very little room because of the very large ductwork lining the area. I basically had to navigate my way through a maze of pipes and ducts, with no light, a bad smell, giant deadly spiders (maybe an exaggeration), and it was not easy.

I crawled for a very long time in search of the smell, but I could not find it despite all of my best efforts. I was also having a great deal of trouble narrowing down the odor. Normally I can follow my nose, but not in this case. I noticed that the home had a vapor barrier separating the floorboards. This is common in mobile homes. I began to suspect that the animal may have crawled up inside the vapor barrier and died inside there. In this case, I knew that it would be very difficult!

Oftentimes I can track flies and they can lead me to the carcass. However, in this case, I reasoned that perhaps the flies might have been able to pinpoint the area with the dead animal and laid eggs there. I restarted my search, this time looking up at the vapor barrier for such a clue. Sure enough, I found the clue - fly eggs on the vapor barrier. I cut open this section, and sure enough, found the jackpot - a dead opossum. Dead animal removals are either ten minute jobs or two hour jobs. This was a two hour job, but I was very pleased with myself for getting the job done. The grateful homeowners gave me a $10 tip!

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Mobile homes are particularly susceptible to infestations. Opossums just love crawling under structures.

Dead opossums in your home can be dangerous to you and your family's health. Dead opossums are usually full of parasites such as fleas, mites, or ticks that can carry and transmit disease.

Wildlife species like skunks, groundhogs, and rats can easily dig under underpinning. Once they have created an opening, then opossums will show up under the trailer. Even if another creature has not opened up an entrance, opossums have opposable thumbs and are pretty strong. They don't have much of a problem exploiting poorly fitted underpinning underneath mobile homes.

Opossums are nocturnal and by the time they are noticed, they may have caused considerable damage not to mention, they will have left behind a lot of mess. Opossums create a large amount of excrement. Plus, their waste attracts other predators and the scent will attract other opossums.

We haven't even discussed the effects of the dead opossum itself. Dead opossums have the most pungent, terrible odor which will plague your mobile home and be difficult to remove. The decomposing body will invite flies, raccoons, rats, flesh-eating ants, maggots, worms, and other critters.

Mobile homes have a heavy layer of fabric that covers the subflooring. This fabric has a layer of insulation on top of it that protects the pipes under the trailer from freezing. Wildlife can rip and damage the fabric. The fabric will still function as an insulator and be attached to the support poles but it's open, insulated, and warm. A perfect hammock to attract opossums looking for shelter and warmth.

Often several opossums will invade the undersides of your mobile home. It can be extremely difficult to locate a dead opossum under a mobile home as the flies and maggots will be everywhere and the smell spread out. That's where a professional can help you locate the exact spot and not rip up all your flooring. It's important to call a professional wildlife removal expert to ensure that the opossum is removed safely and all traces of contamination and waste have been cleaned and sterilized.