Help! I think there's a dead mouse somewhere in our furnace ducts...?

Question

Every time the heat kicks on you can smell a "dead" odor coming from the vents. I know we have mice because I've seen them. Any suggestions? I'm not very mechanical.

Answer 1

I'm sorry, I'm not very mechanical either, but it's possible a heating company could help you. If you want to catch the remaining mice, I've had great success with this trap in my house:

http://veganstore.com/index.html?stocknumber=266

It’s also available for $2 cheaper here (although I prefer to buy it from the other place since I’m not a big fan of PETA):

https://www.petacatalog.org/prodinfo.asp?number=HP200

I've caught over ten mice with it so far and it can be used over and over indefinitely. Or, you can try making the free homemade humane trap described here:

http://www.helpinganimals.com/wildlife_livingWithMice.asp

If you do live trap mice, please be sure to check the traps several times a day and release the mice promptly, approximately a mile away from your home. It is much more cruel to allow a mouse in a live trap to slowly starve to death than to kill it quickly with a snap trap. When you release the mice, do it in an area with some sheltering bushes or plants.

The absolute cruelest traps are glue traps. Mice have been known to gnaw off their own limbs and tear off their skin in an effort to escape, as they starve or dehydrate to death or suffocate in the glue. It can take three to five days for them to die. Poison isn't any better, as the mice die slowly and painfully from internal bleeding. It can take up to a week for them to die, and then they smell as they rot (as you have discovered).

It doesn't take much extra effort to be kind. You will feel better and so will the mice! Good luck!

Answer 2

Had the same thing happen, so I started taking down one section after another untill I found the dead mouse. This duct work is insulated with fiberglass and it's a nasty job. If you are like you say not very mechanical you had better call a furnace repair man.

Answer 3

Prosey is heading in the right route right here. you want to absolutely seem into the area for yet another or yet another nest. Lay traps too. To eliminate the smell, head to the puppy shop and get some activated charcoal. placed it in tubs around the area. it is going to neutralize the smell in some hours. Activated charcoal is what they use in morgues and crime scenes. ( no longer the brickets for the grill). You don;t favor alot of the charcoal a million/4 Cup in 2 bins will remedy the concern. Having the ducts wiped clean is an rather good flow. also examine your filter out.

Answer 4

do you have warranty on your heater? you could always call them and have them come check it out if not you can call somebody who fixes ducts n things findem through the yellowpages and call them up, but make sure they dont charge you for something else!

Answer 5

okay, well, there is fire in the furnace, right? well if you are lucky, it will go into the fire. but if it doesn't and it is making you sick, you can call a pro.