Colorado, private property
Dead Animal in an Attic or Garage
Squirrels, raccoons, mice and bats get into attics and garages, and some die there. If the animal is lying in the attic space, on or in the insulation, or on a garage shelf or floor, it can usually be reached without cutting anything.
Before you pay anyone. If it is a bat, or anyone touched the animal, call your local health department before anything is thrown away. For dead mice, do not sweep or vacuum: Colorado's health department warns against it because of hantavirus, which deer mice carry.
What this covers
- An animal on or in the insulation within reach of the attic hatch
- An animal in a garage, on shelving, behind stored items or in an unfinished garage ceiling space
Where the limit is
An animal sealed inside a finished wall or a finished ceiling below the attic. Operators do not open drywall or plaster to reach it.
Operators work where an animal can be reached without cutting into a finished wall, ceiling or floor: open ground, a crawl space hatch, removable lattice or skirting, an attic access, a garage. They do not open drywall, plaster or other finished surfaces.
This page promises no arrival time. Calls route by ZIP where an operator covers the address, and whether anyone is available for yours, and what it would cost, is settled on the call.
How a call goes
- Describe the attic access: a hatch, pull-down stairs, or none.
- Say what you think it is and whether you have seen it or only smelled it.
- Say whether a bat is involved or anyone touched the animal.
- Where an operator covers the address, the visit and the price are agreed on the call.
Questions about this situation
How should dead mice be cleaned up in Colorado?
Without sweeping or vacuuming. Colorado's health department names deer mice as the main hantavirus carrier in the state. The CDC cleanup steps it points to are to open doors and windows for 30 minutes first, wear rubber or plastic gloves, spray the mouse and the area with disinfectant or a bleach solution, let it soak, and double-bag it.
Can an animal in the attic be removed without cutting the ceiling?
Usually, when it is lying in the attic space within reach of the hatch. If it died inside a sealed wall or ceiling cavity, operators do not open finished surfaces.
Not sure this is the right page? Who removes a dead animal in Colorado works through the public and private split, and the locations page sets out what the larger cities publish.