Mississippi, private property
A Dead Animal in Your Attic in Mississippi
Squirrels and raccoons get into attics through the roofline. When one dies on the attic floor, it can usually be reached from the hatch; a bat should not be touched, and MSDH says a bat that may have touched a person or pet should be tested for rabies. When an animal is sealed inside a ceiling or wall cavity, it is not removed through this site, and the wall-smell article covers what can be checked first.
Can a dead animal be removed from an attic?
If it is on the attic floor or in the insulation and can be reached from the hatch, an independent operator, where one covers your address, can remove it. If it is sealed inside a ceiling or wall cavity, it is not removed through this site; read the wall-smell article for what can be checked first.
Before you call anyone. If you suspect a bat, do not touch it. The Mississippi State Department of Health says not to handle live bats or bats that seem to be dead, and that a bat that may have touched a person or a pet should be tested for rabies. Call 601-576-7725.
Cases this page is for
- A carcass on the attic floor reached from the hatch or pull-down stairs.
- A carcass in loose insulation near the eaves that can be reached by crawling.
- A carcass in an attic over a garage reached from an existing opening.
What falls outside it
Inspecting the attic for how animals got in, sealing entry points, setting traps, removing or replacing insulation, bat removal, and any pesticide, deodorizer or disinfectant work. The Department of Agriculture and Commerce requires businesses that solicit and perform pest control services to hold a company license; this site offers no pest control services.
Tell the operator whether the attic has a floor or only joists and insulation, and whether the hatch is in a closet or a garage ceiling. That decides whether the carcass can be reached.
How long an odor lasts depends on the animal's size, the temperature, humidity, airflow and where it lies. No fixed time applies.
From call to removal
- Call or send the form: where the smell is, how the attic is reached and which town you are in.
- Say what animal you think it is; if it may be a bat, do not touch it, and if it may have touched a person or pet call MSDH at 601-576-7725; a bat is not removed through this site.
- Where an independent operator covers your address, it agrees the price and timing with you.
- The carcass is removed from the attic and taken for disposal.
About this situation
Will someone find out how the animal got in?
Not through this site. Inspecting for entry points and sealing them is exclusion and pest control work, which is a separate trade.
What if it is a bat?
Do not touch it. The Mississippi State Department of Health says not to handle live bats or bats that seem to be dead, and that a bat that may have touched a person or a pet should be tested for rabies. Call MSDH's Office of Epidemiology at 601-576-7725.
The animal is above the ceiling but I cannot see it from the hatch. Can it be reached?
If the attic can be crawled to that spot, often yes. If it is inside a sealed ceiling or wall cavity, it is not removed through this site.
Will the insulation be replaced?
No. Removal through this site covers the carcass only.
By animal
- SquirrelSquirrels nest in attics and eaves and sometimes die there. Mississippi wildlife law classes them as game animals.
- RaccoonRaccoons often die in crawl spaces, attics and under decks. The State Department of Health says not to handle or touch one, alive or dead.
- OpossumOpossums shelter under houses and in attics, and a dead one is usually found by smell. Mississippi classes them as fur-bearing animals.
Whose job is it? Who picks up dead animals Β· Deer carcass and CWD rules Β· How to dispose of a dead animal
By area: Jackson Β· Madison County Β· DeSoto County Β· Gulfport and Biloxi Β· Hattiesburg