Animal Stuck in Wall? Who to Call for Safe Removal

Hearing scratching, squeaking, or thumping sounds from behind your drywall is unsettling. Discovering an unpleasant odor often confirms the worst: an animal is trapped or has possibly died within your walls. This situation requires prompt action, but finding the right help can be confusing. If you have an Animal Stuck In Wall Who To Call is the critical question, and this guide provides the answers you need for a safe and effective resolution. Walls offer surprisingly attractive, quiet, dark spaces for certain animals, while others might simply fall into the cavity from attics or crawl spaces.

Common wildlife like squirrels, rats, and raccoons often get trapped in wall voids.

Identifying the Intruder and the Problem

Before deciding who to call, try to gather some information. Listen carefully to the sounds – are they frantic scratching, gnawing, squeaking, or buzzing? Note the time of day the sounds are most active; nocturnal sounds might suggest raccoons, opossums, or rats, while daytime activity could point to squirrels. Pinpointing the location of the sound within the wall is also helpful. Sometimes, the only sign is a growing, foul odor, indicating a deceased animal. Common culprits include rats, mice, squirrels, raccoons (especially babies), and sometimes birds or bats. Knowing the potential type of animal and location helps professionals assess the situation more quickly.

DIY Attempts vs. Calling Professionals

While some minor pest issues might seem manageable, dealing with an animal trapped inside a wall often requires expertise. Consider these points before attempting a DIY removal:

• Safety Risks: Trapped animals can be scared and aggressive, posing a risk of bites or scratches. There’s also the danger of zoonotic diseases.
• Damage: Incorrect removal attempts can cause further damage to your home, including wiring, insulation, or plumbing. Cutting into drywall requires care.
• Effectiveness: Professionals have the tools (like inspection cameras, specialized traps, exclusion devices) and knowledge to locate and remove animals efficiently and humanely.
• Legality: Some wildlife species are protected, and specific removal methods may be regulated.
• Dead Animals: Removing a carcass, especially if decomposition has begun, is an unpleasant and potentially hazardous task best left to trained individuals.

You should strongly consider calling for professional help if you are unsure of the species, suspect a larger or potentially aggressive animal (like a raccoon), hear sounds of babies (requiring specific handling), cannot easily access the area, or are dealing with a deceased animal.

Animal Stuck in Wall: Who to Call

When facing an animal trapped in your wall, several types of services might come to mind. Here’s who to contact and what they typically handle:

1. Wildlife Removal Services

• Who they are: These are specialized companies focused on humanely removing nuisance wildlife from properties. They handle animals like raccoons, squirrels, opossums, bats, birds, and snakes.
• What they do: They inspect to identify the animal and entry points, perform the removal (often using exclusion techniques or traps), handle carcass removal, clean and sanitize affected areas, and perform repairs and preventative measures (exclusion work) to stop future intrusions.
• When to call: This is generally the best option for most wild animals (excluding common household pests like mice/rats) trapped in walls, attics, or crawl spaces. They have the specific expertise and equipment for these situations.

2. Pest Control Companies

• Who they are: These companies primarily focus on insects (ants, termites, roaches) and common vertebrate pests like rats and mice.
• What they do: They are experts at rodent identification, trapping, baiting (use caution with poison, as discussed below), and exclusion for these specific pests. Some larger companies may have wildlife divisions, but their primary expertise often lies with smaller pests.
• When to call: Ideal if you are certain the problem involves rats or mice. If unsure, or if you suspect larger wildlife, a dedicated wildlife removal service may be better equipped.

3. Local Animal Control

• Who they are: Typically a government or non-profit agency focused on public safety, domestic animal issues (stray dogs/cats), rabies control, and enforcing local animal ordinances.
• What they do: Their response to wildlife in homes varies greatly by location. Many do not handle wildlife removal from inside private residences unless there’s an immediate public safety threat (e.g., a potentially rabid animal in living spaces). They usually don’t perform repairs or prevention.
• When to call: Contact them to understand local regulations or if a dangerous animal poses an immediate threat in accessible areas. However, for an animal inside a wall, they will likely refer you to a private wildlife removal service.

The Professional Removal Process

When you call a wildlife removal service, they typically follow these steps:

1. Inspection: Thoroughly assess the situation to identify the animal, locate entry points, and determine the extent of the problem.
2. Removal: Employ the safest and most effective method, which might involve setting traps near entry points, using one-way doors, or sometimes needing to cut a small access hole in the drywall for direct removal (especially for trapped or deceased animals).
3. Exclusion: Seal all identified entry points securely to prevent animals from re-entering the wall cavity or other parts of your home.
4. Cleanup & Sanitation: Remove nesting materials, droppings, and sanitize the area to eliminate odors and potential health hazards.
5. Repair: Fix any damage caused by the animal, including gnawed wires, damaged insulation, or the access point created for removal.

Wildlife professional carefully removing a raccoon stuck inside a wall through cut drywall.

Important Considerations from the Original Scenario

While professional help is often best, understanding the context helps:

• Entry Points: Identifying how animals got in (often near ground level for rodents, or from the attic for others) is crucial for prevention, a key part of professional service.
• Trapping (Rodents): For confirmed rats or mice, professionals often use snap traps placed strategically along travel routes, sometimes identified by greasy rub marks on surfaces.
• Poison Risks: Using poison is highly discouraged, especially for animals in walls. The animal may die in an inaccessible location, leading to a severe odor problem and attracting other pests like flies and beetles. Professionals prioritize removal over poisoning for wall voids.
• Dead Animal Removal: If the animal dies in the wall, the smell is the primary indicator. Removal often requires cutting into the drywall near the source of the odor. Professionals wear protective gear and dispose of the carcass properly.

Dark stain on drywall signaling a decomposing animal carcass hidden within the wall.

Conclusion: Take Action Promptly and Safely

Discovering an animal trapped within your walls can be alarming, causing noise, odors, and potential damage. While the instinct might be to solve it yourself, the safest and most effective solution often involves professional help. Understanding the roles of wildlife removal services, pest control companies, and animal control helps you make the right call. For most situations involving wildlife stuck in walls, contacting a reputable, licensed wildlife removal service is the recommended course of action. They possess the expertise, tools, and knowledge of regulations to handle the situation humanely, efficiently, and prevent future occurrences, ultimately resolving your “Animal Stuck In Wall Who To Call” dilemma. Don’t delay – addressing the problem quickly minimizes risks and damage to your home.