Mississippi, private property
A Dead Animal Smell With No Animal in Sight
The smell of a dead animal often arrives before anyone sees it. Finding where it is strongest is the first step, because that usually decides whether the animal can be reached at all.
How do I find a dead animal I can smell but cannot see?
Walk the house and note where the smell is strongest: near a crawl-space door, an attic hatch, a wall, a vent or under a floor. If it is strongest where there is an existing way in, the carcass may be reachable. If it seems to come from inside a sealed wall or ceiling, it is not removed through this site; see the wall-smell article.
Before you call anyone. Not every smell like this comes from an animal. If you smell gas, leave the house and call the gas company. Rule out spoiled food, drains and appliances before assuming a dead animal.
Cases this page is for
- A smell strongest near a crawl-space door or floor vent, where the space can be entered.
- A smell strongest at the attic hatch, where the attic can be crawled.
- A smell under a porch, deck or step, where there is an existing opening.
What falls outside it
Opening walls, ceilings or floors to search. Deodorizing, fogging or any chemical treatment. A promise that the smell will end by a given date. None of these is offered through this site.
Flies gathering at one spot, a stain on a ceiling or a wall, or a sharp change in the smell between rooms can help narrow down the location.
How long an odor lasts depends on the animal's size, the temperature, humidity, airflow and where it lies. No one can promise a date.
From call to removal
- Note where the smell is strongest and how that spot can be reached.
- Call or send the form with what you found and which town you are in.
- Where an independent operator covers your address, it agrees with you whether the spot can be reached, the price and the timing.
- If the carcass can be reached, it is removed and taken for disposal.
About this situation
Can someone find the animal by smell?
Often they can narrow it down, especially in a crawl space or attic. Whether it can be reached depends on access.
What if the smell is inside a wall?
This site does not pass on work that means opening a wall, ceiling or floor. The wall-smell article covers what can be checked first.
How long will the smell last?
It depends on the animal's size, the temperature, humidity, airflow and where it lies. No one can promise a fixed time.
Could the smell be something else?
Yes. Spoiled food, drains, appliances and gas can all produce strong odors. If you smell gas, leave and call the gas company.
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