Dead rodent in the wall. What to do?

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Parson

Parson

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Joined
Jun 10, 2009
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798
Location
Houston, Texas
I live in the inner city and we have serious rodent issues although the neighborhood is very high rent (most homes nearby are in the 350k-1M range). I have pet-resistant rat bait boxes all around my property and they're emptied out every two weeks. I think I'm the only home owner in a one mile radius doing anything about the rodent issues.

Last night, I thought we had a leak in our natural gas piping under the house last night and planned on calling a plumber this morning... but this morning it smells like a rat has died in the exterior wall of my home and there's no easy access... there's 1 inch shiplap behind the drywall, and no guarantee I will cut into the right spot... in fact, I'm positive I would be cutting into multiple spots.

How long before the carcass stops reeking? The weather's cooled off here now and it's not in the 90's any longer, which may prolong the smell, or will it?

Trapping rats just doesn't work in my neck of the woods. They're too smart and I've never gotten one that way and I have tried with numerous traps outside along my fence line, so I must poison them (unless you have a much better solution for me!). This is the first time one has crawled into my home to die.
 
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Takes about five days in Wisconsin. (Temp and humidity may make a diff)

Scented candles next to the wall help a little--staying out late and leaving early help even more.
 
We had a rat (or nest of them, depending on who you talk to) in a stairwell wall at work. It started getting ripe as last spring approached. They ended up tearing out the whole interior side of the wall, cleaning out the mess and sealing the wall with plastic before replacing the sheetrock. That may be what you're up against. :frown:
 
drill small, easy to patch holes in the wall to find the correct cavity. then once you find the correct spot, make the hole bigger.

if possible drill the small holes behind any base board, you want have to match paint then.
 
Usually the poison dries them up from the inside unless they get to water. It is said they can drink the poison out of their system. Id say week to 10 days of funk.
 
I have a trick that works with mice. You might try it. I take a vegatble oil bottle about 1/2 of the way full, put it in the runway of the varmit, take off the lid, build steps out of brick to the top of the bottle. The mice will climb up the bricks and fall into the oil and drown. AND they keep doing it! ( you would think that after the first couple they would get the hint and avoid ha!)

When the bottle is full, screw on the lid and throw away no muss no fuss and no smell. If they are under the oil they don't stink.

I use this in the garage, wouldn't want to use in the house though, it might attract them. Jim
 
You go to any farm supply store and get some fly dust. Then you get a bowl of water, pour in the fly dust and EVERYTHING that drinks that water dies within 5 foot of the bowl. Be sure and get none of the dust on YOU, wear a mask and take a shower as well as wash your clothes immediately after you make the death dish. Put the dish in a place where neighborhood dogs and cats won't get to it as well...it'll take down a 100 lb dog in seconds. So if you have rats in your ceiling, put the bowl in the center of the ceiling and the rats will never make it to a wall cavity to fall down in and die, because they'll be dead within a few feet of the bowl.

To get rid of odors real fast, go to odorexit.com . That stuff is a miracle.
 
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