Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

"Alan" wrote in message

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Lime. Can you get it through the cracks? I'd also be concerned that it
will attract mice or rats or other nasty feeders.

In article ,
"Alan" wrote:

Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried about
disease.

Decomposing naturally means, maggots will invade and then eventually
hatch into flies. You will be inundated with both.

Roland

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to go to buy
lime?


"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. ..

"Alan" wrote in message

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Lime. Can you get it through the cracks? I'd also be concerned that it
will attract mice or rats or other nasty feeders.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to go to
buy lime?


Any garden supply should have it as it is used on lawns.

Thanks.

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
.. .

"Alan" wrote in message
...
I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to go to
buy lime?


Any garden supply should have it as it is used on lawns.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

Pop a couple of decking boards up, reach down and pull that sucker out. Get
him quick while he still has rigormortis. Once he bloats, you risk pulling
a limb off or popping him open and releasing thousands of maggots.

Good luck.

Problem is the way the deck was constructed, I can't pop up any boards and
get to him. Stupid design, but my only option is to either dismantle a huge
section of deck or cut into it.

Alan


"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:Rj7re.44844$_o.32911@attbi_s71...

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

Pop a couple of decking boards up, reach down and pull that sucker out.
Get him quick while he still has rigormortis. Once he bloats, you risk
pulling a limb off or popping him open and releasing thousands of maggots.

Good luck.

"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to go to
buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the lemons.....

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:
"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to
go to buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the
lemons.....

Man, you sure cover all the news groups. g

Dan..........from ASC!

Dan on 6/13/05 5:31 AM wrote:

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:
"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to
go to buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the
lemons.....

Man, you sure cover all the news groups. g

Dan..........from ASC!



You do too!


--
bmickey9

Enjoy'em yourself or pass'em along.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan



Couple of thougts come to mind.

1. I would assume rigimortis has set in so moving the body as a whole
shouldn't be a problem. Is there a way to get rope around the animal and
drag it out from underneath the deck. I would take a long pole and attach
rope to the end of it which would allow you to hook and drag the animal out.

2. If access is truly an issue from underneath, and it was my deck, (I have
a deck made of IPE using the ipe-clips hidden mounting system so gaining
access under the deck would be a similarly tough problem), I would cut out
one or two (depending on the size of the animal) joist width (16" wide)
section(s) of decking directly above the raccoon so that you can get it out
of there. I would find where the joists are and mark the lines along the
center of the joists. Cut out the section(s) of decking to gain access to
the raccoon. I would use my Fein Multimaster as it has a saw attachment
that allows straight forward cuts with a very thin kerf so that the decking
could easily be screwed back in place using the Trimstar screws. Depending
on how you cut the decking out, you might have to put in a replacement
section of decking. Also, depending on how your deck was built, you could
use nails or regular decking screws.

While it would break the clean look of the deck, I would much rather have
that than the smell, disease, and infestation of rodents and other animals
that will naturally come. This would also allow you to properly treat the
area where the raccoon has been as I am sure it has been there a while.

Remember to seal all access point to the underside of the deck so this
doesn't happen in the future.

Hope these ideas help.

David

P.S. I plan to redesign the way my deck is sealed off when I complete the
steps to make every effort to prevent something like this from happening in
the future... Thanks as it was not something I had put much thought into.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about


How did the racoon get in, then? There's obviously a racoon-sized hole
somewhere. Stick a wire-noose through that hole, and poke/drag it
over to the corpse with a stick and/or hooks down through the cracks.

Failing that, grab a shovel and dig a tunnel.

"bmickey9" wrote in message
...
Dan on 6/13/05 5:31 AM wrote:

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:
"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to
go to buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the
lemons.....

Man, you sure cover all the news groups. g

Dan..........from ASC!



You do too!


--
bmickey9


Getting kinda crowded in here....

Sandy K.

Sandy K. wrote:
"bmickey9" wrote in message
...
Dan on 6/13/05 5:31 AM wrote:

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:
"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to
go to buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the
lemons.....

Man, you sure cover all the news groups. g

Dan..........from ASC!



You do too!


--
bmickey9


Getting kinda crowded in here....

Sandy K.

Anyone have a cigar?? ;-)

Dan

Alan wrote:

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Suggestion #1: Call your county animal control gang. They should
either come on and solve your problem OR give you instructions for
a DIY solution.

Suggestion #2: Call a pest removal service.

Dick

"Dan" wrote in message
news:qlire.3590$1q5.2158@trnddc02...
Sandy K. wrote:
"bmickey9" wrote in message
...
Dan on 6/13/05 5:31 AM wrote:

Dr. Hardcrab wrote:
"Alan" wrote

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to
go to buy lime?

In the produce section of your local grocer. Usually next to the
lemons.....

Man, you sure cover all the news groups. g

Dan..........from ASC!



You do too!


--
bmickey9


Getting kinda crowded in here....

Sandy K.

Anyone have a cigar?? ;-)

in my Grey Poupon voice

"Butt of course!!!"

;-]

The Other Dan

"I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in
a location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart."

Pics?

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
. ..


Lime.

The mafia (which does not really exist) swears by lime.

How did the damned thing get in there? Here's an idea: Get thee to a fishing
tackle shop. Get a spool of the heaviest monofilament line they've got, and
either a very heavy lure with large treble hooks, or have them help you rig
treble hooks with an inline trolling sinker. Start fishing.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Problem is the way the deck was constructed, I can't pop up any boards and
get to him. Stupid design, but my only option is to either dismantle a
huge section of deck or cut into it.

Alan


"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:Rj7re.44844$_o.32911@attbi_s71...

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or
powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

Pop a couple of decking boards up, reach down and pull that sucker out.
Get him quick while he still has rigormortis. Once he bloats, you risk
pulling a limb off or popping him open and releasing thousands of
maggots.

Good luck.

Does it know where you live? Call around to some real hardware stores and
see if one of them has a snow rake. That's a shovel sort of an affair with
VERY long aluminum snap-together poles. Rig up something with a snare, or
some large fish hooks.

Weren't you ever a girl scout???

I had something dead under my decking.
It must have been a possum. It stunk
pretty bad. I happened to have several
large quart bottles of Listerine. I dumped
them were it seemed to smell worst and
where the dogs thought it was. Smelled
like a
dentist's office for several days and
then it went away.

Doug Kanter wrote:
Does it know where you live? Call around to some real hardware stores and
see if one of them has a snow rake. That's a shovel sort of an affair with
VERY long aluminum snap-together poles. Rig up something with a snare, or
some large fish hooks.

Weren't you ever a girl scout???

Sounds like opening up the deck is not an option.

Start with the lime and after that has had a day or two to work, dump some
dirt or sand on the whole mess to bury it and then forget about it. Seal up
any access so that it can't happen again.

Option 2: get it real wet and go on vacation for 3 weeks.


"Alan" wrote in message
...
Problem is the way the deck was constructed, I can't pop up any boards and
get to him. Stupid design, but my only option is to either dismantle a
huge section of deck or cut into it.

Alan


"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:Rj7re.44844$_o.32911@attbi_s71...

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or
powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

Pop a couple of decking boards up, reach down and pull that sucker out.
Get him quick while he still has rigormortis. Once he bloats, you risk
pulling a limb off or popping him open and releasing thousands of
maggots.

Good luck.

"Art Todesco" wrote in message
. ..
I had something dead under my decking.
It must have been a possum. It stunk
pretty bad. I happened to have several
large quart bottles of Listerine. I dumped
them were it seemed to smell worst and
where the dogs thought it was. Smelled
like a
dentist's office for several days and
then it went away.


yick. G

You wouldn't really want to kill the bacteria if you intended to let it rot.

Lovely topic.....

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan



I have a question. Did you poison the raccoon and it died in its home? I
have a family of raccoons living under my deck, was thinking about
poisoning, but worried they will die under the deck. Interesting dilemma.

In article , says...
I have a question. Did you poison the raccoon and it died in its home? I
have a family of raccoons living under my deck, was thinking about
poisoning, but worried they will die under the deck. Interesting dilemma.



Animals have a tendency to head home when sick, so more of a chance of
dying where they are living.
--
Lar

to email....get rid of the BUGS

Lime ? Lime ?

Pouring garden lime(stone) [calcium carbonate] on the dead critter would do
nothing.
After all, you can spread it right onto your lawn and no harm is done. It is
simply used to adjust the soil pH.

Thats LIME.

Now, if you want to dissolve a body (ala SOPRANOS), its LYE that you want
to use, not Lime.
LYE is what they used to make soap in the old days.. This is Sodium
Hydroxide
It WILL dissolve fat and body material (and clogs in your drain, and metal
pipes!)


Guido

I can get powder down there probably. Where does one tyically to go to
buy lime?
Any garden supply should have it as it is used on lawns.

"Rudy" wrote:

Lime ? Lime ?

Pouring garden lime(stone) [calcium carbonate] on the dead critter would do
nothing.
After all, you can spread it right onto your lawn and no harm is done. It is
simply used to adjust the soil pH.

On the lawn you use it in moderation. On a dead critter you would
use lots more. It will definately help eliminate odors of rotting
things. I've used it where a gray-water pipe outlet has gone sour.
We used to use it in the outhouse to tone things down a bit.

For the lawn- a translucent coating that can hardly be seen. For
killing odors-- a solid coating, maybe 1/4" thick should calm things
down for a bit.


Thats LIME.

Now, if you want to dissolve a body (ala SOPRANOS), its LYE that you want
to use, not Lime.
LYE is what they used to make soap in the old days.. This is Sodium
Hydroxide
It WILL dissolve fat and body material (and clogs in your drain, and metal
pipes!)

That might work-- but i'll bet lime is cheaper and it is certainly
easier to get ahold of in quantity.

Jim

I presume that the deck is at or near ground level.

Can you stick something stiff down between the boards and move it to a place
where you can reach it?
Piano wire is very stiff in the larger sizes. Even a piece of lattice or one
of those driveway reflector posts.

Now that I'v had my say, I am new to the group searching for an answer to my
sod delema.
I'll continue my search.

Thanks.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

"Frank Rosenbaum" wrote in message
...
I presume that the deck is at or near ground level.

Can you stick something stiff down between the boards and move it to a
place where you can reach it?
Piano wire is very stiff in the larger sizes. Even a piece of lattice or
one of those driveway reflector posts.

Now that I'v had my say, I am new to the group searching for an answer to
my sod delema.
I'll continue my search.

Thanks.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan




Taking up a couple of deck boards (especially if they are screwed down) is
not difficult.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

I have a tool that is handy for such tasks. I took the 10' fiberglass
pole from a bicycle flag, removed the flag, and hose clamped a hook made
of some brass rod (approx 1/8") to the end. Allows me to reach into
lots of places.

--
Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321 6507
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky Owner:Chinook-L
Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst Owner:Sibernet-L

Drive around town until you find a guy standing on the street asking for
money. Tell him to get in, you have a job for him to do. Get him to do it,
then feed him lunch.

"Frank Rosenbaum" wrote in message
...
I presume that the deck is at or near ground level.

Can you stick something stiff down between the boards and move it to a
place where you can reach it?
Piano wire is very stiff in the larger sizes. Even a piece of lattice or
one of those driveway reflector posts.

Now that I'v had my say, I am new to the group searching for an answer to
my sod delema.
I'll continue my search.

Thanks.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

On Tue, 11 Oct 2005 10:50:42 -0400, "Frank Rosenbaum"
wrote:


Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

Personally I don't think it will cause disease. Depressing topic but
someone on the news pointed out that the dead bodies from Katrina
wouldn't cause disease even if they weren't buried quickly.

It is people or animals who die from communicable diseases that are a
health risk. Of course maybe you don't know what killed the raccoon.

But soon the bugs and flies will find it and eat it. When they are
done, they'll leave. What part of the country are you in and how
long has it been there?

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

The traditional substance is lime. a powder, white, I think. It's
used iirc when people are afraid of contagion and there are too many
bodies to bury them right away. Maybe I'm thinking of cases when
cattle die. It speeds decomposition iiuc. I think you can buy it at
garden stores, where it is sold to change the pH of soil iirc. Sure,
don't people spread it on lawns for that reason?

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan




Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

Better let him eat the lunch first.

"Tellmeaboutit" wrote in message
news:KkY2f.10021$y_1.7215@edtnps89...
Drive around town until you find a guy standing on the street asking for
money. Tell him to get in, you have a job for him to do. Get him to do
it, then feed him lunch.

"Frank Rosenbaum" wrote in message
...
I presume that the deck is at or near ground level.

Can you stick something stiff down between the boards and move it to a
place where you can reach it?
Piano wire is very stiff in the larger sizes. Even a piece of lattice or
one of those driveway reflector posts.

Now that I'v had my say, I am new to the group searching for an answer to
my sod delema.
I'll continue my search.

Thanks.

"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or
powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

Personally, I would just leave it to decompose. The worst of the stench
should be gone in a couple of weeks.

I wouldn't touch it--it may have died of rabies.


"Rich Greenberg" wrote in message
...
"Alan" wrote in message
...
Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in
a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no
problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

I can see it through the cracks in the deck and can pour liquid or
powder
(maybe) on the carcass.

Any suggestions as to what I can do would be greatly appreciated as I
am
trying to avoid tearing
apart the deck.

Thanks.

Alan

I have a tool that is handy for such tasks. I took the 10' fiberglass
pole from a bicycle flag, removed the flag, and hose clamped a hook made
of some brass rod (approx 1/8") to the end. Allows me to reach into
lots of places.

--
Rich Greenberg Marietta, GA, USA richgr atsign panix.com + 1 770 321
6507
Eastern time. N6LRT I speak for myself & my dogs only. VM'er since
CP-67
Canines:Val, Red & Shasta (RIP),Red, husky
Owner:Chinook-L
Atlanta Siberian Husky Rescue. www.panix.com/~richgr/ Asst
Owner:Sibernet-L

On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:47:55 -0400, mm
wrote:



Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and I am worried
about
disease.

Personally I don't think it will cause disease. Depressing topic but
someone on the news pointed out that the dead bodies from Katrina
wouldn't cause disease even if they weren't buried quickly.

To reply to my own post, it was after the tsunami in the far east that
I heard some scientist on the radio say this. Then I heard someone
repeat it after Katrina, that people killed by other than communicable
disease are not a health hazard (for quite a while?)


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

can you not just remove one or two boards to get to it?
"mm" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 12 Oct 2005 00:47:55 -0400, mm

wrote:



Hi,

Hope someone can help.

I have a dead raccoon trapped under my deck. Problem is
that it is in a
location I can't reach unless I tear the deck apart. I
have no problem
letting it decompose naturally but the stench is bad and
I am worried
about
disease.

Personally I don't think it will cause disease. Depressing
topic but
someone on the news pointed out that the dead bodies from
Katrina
wouldn't cause disease even if they weren't buried quickly.

To reply to my own post, it was after the tsunami in the far
east that
I heard some scientist on the radio say this. Then I heard
someone
repeat it after Katrina, that people killed by other than
communicable
disease are not a health hazard (for quite a while?)


Remove NOPSAM to email me. Please let
me know if you have posted also.

To reply to my own post, it was after the tsunami in the far
east that
I heard some scientist on the radio say this. Then I heard
someone
repeat it after Katrina, that people killed by other than
communicable
disease are not a health hazard (for quite a while?)


No more so than any other rotting carcass, no.
They are, however demoralizing, so it's best to
get them removed from the vicinity of the
emotionally traumatized as quickly as possible.

And the longer you wait, the more gross and
disgusting the process is going to be.