Extracting a dead rodent from HVAC ductwork should be a fairly straightforward effort if it happens to be located near a vent. Just open the vent up, use your gloved hand to reach in and grab it, and then place the body inside of your durable plastic bag. You should be wearing gloves that are disposable.
Removing the animal should be straightforward if it is close to the vents. All you need to do is open the barrier, reach in with your gloved hand, and put the dead body inside a plastic bag. Use disposable gloves that you can put inside the plastic bag to dispose of as well. Seal the bag and throw it right away.
How long has it been? The smell should be gone in about 7-10 days. That's one of the reason traps are better. You know where the body is when you get them.
You'll need to load a trap for each vent. Most do-it-yourself-ers use snap traps baited with peanut butter, meat, or cheese. Place the trap just inside the vent and wait. You should check daily for rodent carcasses and replace the traps every day.
Remove AC vents with a screwdriver and place the mouse trap with either peanut butter or whatever little piece of food you don't mind leaving up there. Use a flashlight to look for mouse or rat droppings. If you see a prevalence of them at a specific duct, leave more traps in that area.
Just open up the closest barrier or vent cover, reach your gloved hand in, grab the carcass, and then place it in your bag. The gloves that you wear should be disposable. You will need to put these in the bag too, along with the dead animal. Seal everything up and then put it in the dumpster or waste bin outside.
As its body starts decomposing, it will emit a rank odor that permeates the entire house. A dead animal in air duct can carry a number of dangerous bacteria and viruses that could end up mixing with the air that's being circulated.
The problem with vents, though, is that they can allow rats to get relatively easy access to your home. Rats can chew through vent covers and walk right into your house if you're not careful.
Animals like squirrels, raccoons, and rodents can find their way into your house and into the ductwork. They can even make a new home in the ducts, which becomes a serious problem for your home. If you think you hear scratching coming from your ductwork, it's incredibly important to call professionals right away.
The smell of a dead rat can be harmful to a person's health due to the toxic gases and microscopic compounds of the dead animal that are constantly being released into the indoor air. Since most homes are not consistently ventilated, the gases permeate into the respiratory tract and can potentially cause illness.
If you can face it, smear the dead rat around the inside of the trap box, or leave the dead animal nearby. Rats are attracted by other dead rats.
Try to narrow it down to the smallest area possible. If you can't physically see the rat within this area, then the rat may be in your walls, under your floor or hidden in a hard to reach place.
If the dead rat smell is contained to a certain area, just placing an open container of baking soda in the area can do wonders. You can also make a solution of baking soda and water to spray in larger areas.
If you can find the dead animal yourself, carefully remove it using gloves. The CDC recommends soaking the carcass in a disinfectant solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts water for five minutes before double-packing it in sealable plastic bags and disposing of it in a garbage can that's emptied regularly.
Is it safe to remove dead rats on my own? Handling dead rats can be hazardous to your health due to the risk of disease transmission. It is highly recommended that you hire a professional dead rat removal service like PGH Pest Prevention to ensure safe and effective removal.
FAQs on Dead Animal Smell Coming from Air Vents
The best way to get rid of a dead rat smell is to locate the carcass and properly dispose of it. Then clean the area with an odor-neutralizing product to help eliminate the odor.
Make sure to remove all of the vent covers.
If the infestation is small, you may be able to use mouse traps around each vent opening to solve your problem. Once you've set your traps, check daily for rodent carcasses and replace the traps every day.
Turn off the AC. Then open up the part that has the infestation. Vacuum up the debris, as the rats or mice will vacate as soon as you open up the case. Then use a garden sprayer to wash the coils and let the waste water drain.
To locate the critter, start by following your nose to find where the smell is the strongest. First, try to identify in which room the smell is the most potent. The dead mouse (or animal) may be in your ductwork, near the location of your furnace fan or return air, or under the house, even in your attic or basement.
Signs of a dead animal in your air ducts
Unusual Odors: Noticing a strong, rotten smell coming from your vents that seems to get worse overtime? It could be a sign of a deceased animal.
Unscrew and remove the grates that cover your heat vents. For each vent, bait a snap trap with the fragrances of fetching foods, such as raisins, dates, cheese, chocolate or peanut butter. Place a trap in each air duct. If you can spot any trails of mouse prints or droppings, place the trap directly along those lines.
Get the Dead Animal Out
This could be a long hose attachment on a vacuum cleaner or something as simple as a bent coat hanger—just as long as you can use it to bring the dead mouse carcass within reach. Carefully use a gloved hand to deposit the animal in a plastic bag and immediately remove it from your home.
Unfortunately, rodents can make quite the mess in your air duct system and may even damage important parts and components. If they've chewed their way through some of the ductwork, it's important to have your air ducts repaired or replaced immediately.
A mice exterminator costs $150 to $550 on average, depending on the method, infestation size, and location. A mice inspection alone costs $75 to $125. A mouse exterminator costs $150 to $475 for setting lethal traps. Mice removal costs $300 to $550 for poison bait stations and monitoring.