Roof rats..... died inside my wall....

At my place of work,,, there are apparently roof rats and they would set off our alarm at night... we think their roof rats. Apparently they only come out in dead silence at night... My boss slept over night one time and reported they were climbing all over the place... He swore one had a peg leg of sorts, it'd just make a weird clanking noise when it walked around... and one was constantly howling... creepy...

Anyway, we got tired of them...Turns out false alarms get costly...

So we tried mouse trapping them but they didn't mess with em' - so we got some Raid pellets and they gobbled them up.... Problem is.... they just bloated up, huddled togeather in their last moments and died inside one of our walls. thank god they died way in the back of the store away from our display room...

Its been a month plus and it still smells.... but still.... Does a dead animal propose a menace to our health in any way? Aren't there particles floating around. At least I have my air purifier.

I personally would have cut a hole in the wall the day they died and had some hazmat haul them away with some big chop sticks but my boss is ignorant as hell and says we will just wait for the stink to go away...... "marvelous"

Just need some input on how harmful this could be to our health in the long run.........

Yup! any input would be awesome

Thanks.

reply to post by WaffleBear


Any dead animal or groups of dead animals pose a threat when they decompose especially to people that are already sensitive with allergies to mold...

reply to post by WaffleBear


Why did you delete your OP. I was doing research for you....

Des

reply to post by Destinyone


re-posted

Thanks

Originally posted by chrismarco
reply to post by WaffleBear

 

Any dead animal or groups of dead animals pose a threat when they decompose especially to people that are already sensitive with allergies to mold...

It does seem I'm having some sort of allergic reaction. Then again I've always had sinus problems 365

Some simple advice for the future. I used to work maintenance for my local zoo. We had an exterminator who came once a week to take care of the animal and insect problems that are inherent in a zoo situation. To catch rats what he did was to place traps where the rats were known to travel. They usually have paths that they use frequently. He would place unset traps on their paths and bait them with peanut butter every day for a week. Then on Friday night he would bait the traps and set them.

The rats having gotten used to the free meal, would assume that they were getting another free one. On Saturday morning all the traps would be full.

Now that said, the rats caught were not the older ones who had been around for a while. They were too cautious to accept the free meal and therefore survived to breed more young ones. They were also the ones that would not go to the bait boxes with the rat poision . So depending on whether the rats you describe are older or younger anything you try may or may not work.

Originally posted by WaffleBear
reply to post by Destinyone

 

re-posted

Thanks

Cool...here's the first article that was most concise on the decomposition and odors... More info at link

Home > Archive > Technical Articles > Dead Animal Odors
Preventing and Eliminating Odors from Dead Rodents (and Other Animals)


Scientifically, it's a combination of sulfur dioxide, methane, benzene derivatives and long chain hydrocarbons produced as various body parts decompose. But to those familiar with the stench of dead bodies, it's simply the smell of death. Like all smells, it is hard to describe. But unless you're a real vulture, you'll find the smell disgusting and sickening.

Finding the Source of the Smell

To locate a dead animal in a wall void, use your nose. Flies in the room may lead you right to the spot (some technicians have been known to release flies to find a carcass). You may see maggots migrating away from the carcass. Or, with a larger animal, you might find a damp spot or a stain on the wall or ceiling.
Technician injecting odor neutralizer into wall void
If the animal can't be removed, apply a deodorizer or other product into wall void
Graphic from CDC

The best solution is to remove the carcass. But if you think you've found the dead animal and it can't be removed, drill a hole through the wall one foot above the floor and pour or inject a disinfectant, odor neutralizer, or masking solution. Do the same for the voids on either side. Using a multidirectional spray tip will give you better coverage inside the void. Be sure to plug the injection holes afterwards. If you can, seal off any cracks that are allowing the odor to escape from the void. Then, use a fan to draw fresh air into the treated area, forcing the old air out. Place the fan to blow air out of the window or vent that it is placed in and to draw in fresh air from another window or vent across the room. www.techletter.com...

ETA: from a site of a professional dead animal remover...

The most common dead animal that I remove is roof rats. They are very common in Orlando's homes and buildings, and they rarely live longer than a year, so they commonly die inside of buildings. Just one rat can stink up a whole house. Dead rats smell awful. One of the reasons I do so many dead rat removals is because people often poison rats in an attempt to solve a rat problem. This is not a good idea. The rats will often die inside the attic or walls of the house - they don't go outside near water to die, that's a myth. If a rat dies down in a wall, I have to find it and cut a hole in the wall to remove it. It's not an easy job, but I always find it, cut only one hole, and fix the hole I've cut.www.orlandorats.com...

Will post health concerns next...

reply to post by WaffleBear


Paint the walls with a heavy paint that is a sealer. 'May take more than one application. Caulk the bottom of the wall and/or any baseboard at the floor and at the top of the baseboard if the wall has such.

Got some bad news for you OP...

I used to work in a building that had exactly the same problem, they tried the same solution and exactly the same thing happened. They died on top of a heating pipe inside a wall. Our highly intelligent management decided it was better to leave them there (probably because he wasn't based in that building) 3 and a half years later you can still faintly smell them. I'd definitely suggest cutting a hole in the wall and getting rid of them. You will NEVER get rid of that awful smell. That smell sticks to everything...

I actually have a little baby one stuck in my apt.

It's been driving me nuts! I never had a mouse or a rat problem before. I opened my drawer last week and it was right there. It was cute, looked like a hamster and obviously scared of me as I was of it. I screamed of course and ran. I got so freaked out I was in tears lol. Do you have any idea how that will traumatize you!

The rodent guy came out and set sticky traps and is using peanut butter too. This thing though is chewing up my kitchen cabinet at night! That is how it got out I think because there use to be access now it's blocked. I don't want it to die but i don't want it in my house they are not clean. It's a baby who made the wrong turn it seems. The only two ways they could get in are now blocked. I live in an old place and it's gonna happen in a 100 yr old house but now they can't get in.

If this one doesn't die on the sticky pad I'll relocate it to the river a few miles down the road lol.

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
I actually have a little baby one stuck in my apt.

It's been driving me nuts! I never had a mouse or a rat problem before. I opened my drawer last week and it was right there. It was cute, looked like a hamster and obviously scared of me as I was of it. I screamed of course and ran. I got so freaked out I was in tears lol. Do you have any idea how that will traumatize you!

The rodent guy came out and set sticky traps and is using peanut butter too. This thing though is chewing up my kitchen cabinet at night! That is how it got out I think because there use to be access now it's blocked. I don't want it to die but i don't want it in my house they are not clean. It's a baby who made the wrong turn it seems. The only two ways they could get in are now blocked. I live in an old place and it's gonna happen in a 100 yr old house but now they can't get in.

If this one doesn't die on the sticky pad I'll relocate it to the river a few miles down the road lol.

Hey Sweet Pea. Here's a little tip for the future. I use essential oils in the natural products I make. Peppermint oil is a fantastic rodent repellent. For kitchen use, place some on Q-tips, and run along the inside edges of drawers...repeat every 3 weeks. Works like a charm, smells great too.

You can do the same with your bathroom cabinet drawers. Smells nice, no mice....

Des

I found this

5 Reasons Rats Are Way Scarier Than You Think

This just creeped me out a little....I agree with all the points made!

Originally posted by Destinyone

Originally posted by mblahnikluver
I actually have a little baby one stuck in my apt.

It's been driving me nuts! I never had a mouse or a rat problem before. I opened my drawer last week and it was right there. It was cute, looked like a hamster and obviously scared of me as I was of it. I screamed of course and ran. I got so freaked out I was in tears lol. Do you have any idea how that will traumatize you!

The rodent guy came out and set sticky traps and is using peanut butter too. This thing though is chewing up my kitchen cabinet at night! That is how it got out I think because there use to be access now it's blocked. I don't want it to die but i don't want it in my house they are not clean. It's a baby who made the wrong turn it seems. The only two ways they could get in are now blocked. I live in an old place and it's gonna happen in a 100 yr old house but now they can't get in.

If this one doesn't die on the sticky pad I'll relocate it to the river a few miles down the road lol.

Hey Sweet Pea. Here's a little tip for the future. I use essential oils in the natural products I make. Peppermint oil is a fantastic rodent repellent. For kitchen use, place some on Q-tips, and run along the inside edges of drawers...repeat every 3 weeks. Works like a charm, smells great too.

You can do the same with your bathroom cabinet drawers. Smells nice, no mice....

Des

Thanks Destinyone! I have peppermint oil too! I always have oils but I never knew this about peppermint oil. I will have to treat the kitchen and various other places just to be sure. Thank you!

reply to post by mblahnikluver


I live on top of a rural mountain. No matter how much I mouse proof in the winter, those pesky little guys will find a way to get in when it snows. Peppermint oil did the trick for me in keeping them totally out of my kitchen and bathroom. I don't get many, my 3 kitties usually make quick work of them before they get in the house.

Good Luck...

Des

reply to post by Destinyone


Yea I always had cats but not this time. I will in April so I will feel much better if one were to get in somehow again. It wouldn't last long!

Thanks again