Help! Dead Mouse in the wall!

[OnionPatch]

I heard the mouse in there moving around and thought "We've got to patch the holes in the house!" I realized after hearing it continuously for days in the same spot that the sound was one of a mouse trying to jump out of some where he was stuck. After several days it stopped. A week later and now I smell dead mouse coming from that area!! The worst part is that the smell is in my guest room and I'm having guests for Christmas!!!! What do I do?? Are we going to have to tear the wall open?? Is there anyway to get rid of the odor without doing that? Help!!

[Longhorn]

1. If you can tell pretty closely where the mouse is

I would cut out the Sheetrock (assuming that's what the wall is made of) and remove the mouse, then dump a whole bunch of baking soda on top of where the mouse died. I'd leave it open for as long as possible, then patch it back up. If you're careful about cutting the Sheetrock, you can often use the same piece to fix the hole. They make special patch tape just for repairs. Then even if you don't get it floated and painted before the guests come, it's still better than the dead mouse odor. Cutting and repairing the Sheetrock isn't as bad as it sounds. We've had to do it lots of time fixing the plumbing leaks due to the crappy plumbing job done by The Idiot Who Built Our House. :) My husband is a remodeling contractor so he does such things easily but I've watched and I honestly think I could do it myself. I know it would be easy to find directions online how to do the repair as it's a fairly common one.

Good luck!

[OnionPatch]

2. I have the feeling

that he's not the only dead carcass in there. I heard the same sound in the same spot at least once before. (Must be the crack of no-return.) But I never noticed an odor before. I'm thinking it's because the weather is damp now but usually it's so hot and dry that things just dehydrate before they rot.

I know exactly where that little sucker is. You're right that an unpainted patch in the wall is better than dead mouse smell. Plus, since this happened before, it will probably happen again and maybe I can plug up the hole for any future furry guests. I'll look around on the net and see if I can find instructions for doing this. If not, I'll be posting back again for more advice.

Thanks!

[Kingshakabobo]

3. I hate to say it but I would leave it alone.

The smell will be gone in a couple days.

I would make sure there is poison to get the rest of the critters before they set up a commune in your house. Just make sure it is very very very inaccessible to any pets or children.

[OnionPatch]

5. I am going to wait a week.

If the stink isn't gone by then...I'm going in...

I've been getting similar advice from everyone. Even my dentist, who owns a gorgeous, old, historical home, says to just wait and the smell will go away. Still, knowing there are dried-up, dead mouse bodies in the walls kind of grosses me out a little.

[Kingshakabobo]

8. I had escapee hamsters as a kid and uninvited mice as an adult...........

They shrivel up to nothing.

Poor Misty-Lou...she was a good hamster.....found her ten years later when we got a new furnace.

[OnionPatch]

9. Yeah, these things happen, I guess.

Poor Misty.

I guess I'll have to live with the dead mice in the walls the same way I live with the mites on the eyelashes. :yoiks:

[japple]

4. Incense is your friend. Either stick or cone works great

at keeping the odor at bay. We had that problem once, and had no way of knowing where the deceased was located, so it was just a matter of controlling the odor until it went away. We tried everything, then we tried incense. It worked better than anything. Now, I use it all the time. I esp. like the spruce/cedar or balsam fir. Or some of the cinnamon/citrus frangrances would be nice this time of year. Good luck. Hope it goes away soon.

[Longhorn]

6. How safe is incense?

For example, if I were to light it and forget it, is it as likely to cause a fire as a candle? Are there burners or holders that I could get so that it would burn down into the container if I should forget it?

Thanks! :hi:

[OnionPatch]

10. Yes, there are containers that hold all the ash.

I think most of them would be pretty safe. If you're in doubt, buy the little cones that are about an inch tall and burn them in an ashtray or glass bowl. They're small enough that they even if they tip over they wouldn't fall out of the container.

[Longhorn]

11. Thanks! With five dogs in the house, we could use a little odor control

ourselves! My daughter is visiting from Denver and she uses incense a lot. I think we're going to go shopping Friday. :)

[OnionPatch]

7. Great idea.

I'll be sure to burn some around the area just before the guests arrive. Cedar would be nice.