How long does it take for a dead mouse to smell?

[Mouseinmyhouse6]

Behind our washing machine started to smell horrible about a week ago. I thought it was a backed up pipe and cleaned all around it, and all sorts. Today, when I decided to battle the stink thoroughly and once and for all, I pulled the machine out (had been putting that off as I’m not that strong! 😂) and found a dead mouse under there, it looked sort of newly-ish dead ie: not decomposed.

We had mice eight months ago and blocked all the holes and thought they had completely gone as, since then, we hadn’t found any more poo, seen any more mice (they weren’t shy last time!) and so I naively assumed... mice gone.

But if it had been dead under there for months on end, surely we would have been able to smell it sooner than in the last week?

For context, the washing machine is in a specially built hall cupboard, that is sealed off with no way for mice to get in the walls. I found the little mouse dead in a little plastic dish that was under there, right in the corner and tucked away.

Have I got mice again? Or could it possibly have been there all this time dead and not stinking?!

(Also the sight of it broke my heart - poor little blighter. But... don’t want them back!)

Could be the first (of many more) or the first to be caught of many more, but the cold weather has maybe encouraged them to come indoors.

That’s my fear ariela! Naively hoping it’s been under there for months...

About 3 days for small to start (depending on how warm it is) and about 7-10 days to fully decompose (depending on size).

Sorry OP, it's a new mouse!

Ahhh I thought so 😭😭

The good news is that once it has decomposed, it then stops smelling at all! You've just got to get through the cycle!

No maggots is a plus, in my experience.

I think they can start to smell really quickly (based on a very limited experience on my cat’s victims). The time of year and heating will make a difference.

Depends on the time of year. Also one of my DCats left one on the sofa for me to find this morning, perfectly camouflaged with the cushions so I sat on it

Urgh I can’t bear to deal with mice again! Better get the expanding foam out again...

It will be new if it doesn't look decomposed.

We had a pretty severe rat problem when some brickwork outside was damaged they found their way in.

We tried everything ourselves but eventually the only thing that worked was bringing in a pest controller who identified all entry points, found nests, and found everywhere in the house they were accessing. He managed to get rid of them all and ensured they couldn't return.

Once they took the bait it took about 3-4 days for the awful smells to start, it was like severely rotten veg. They must have been dying after taking the bait one after another over the course of a few days because the smell lasted about 2 weeks. It truly was awful.

That wasn't even the end of it, the rotting bodies started producing maggots and flies from larvae. We had hundreds of huge flies all over the house for about a week. Buzzing constantly.

Honestly it was the most horrendous house problem we have ever had and I can't explain how grateful I still am to the pest controller for sorting it.

If you don't think it's a one off and there's a possibility of an infestation brewing I would get a professional opinion.

2 days in my experience if my snakes refuse a rat. If they don't eat it day 1 by day 3 it stinks the house out.

What type of bait was used? The professional stuff dehydrates them and they can look 'whole' for a while.

I’m not sure what the bait was, we got the pest control guys in and he put some stuff down that looked a bit like seeds - I don’t know if that would be the dehydrating stuff?

Thanks everyone - agree that this is the worst house problem we’ve encountered so far - grateful they’re not rats and that I was able to find the dead one and not have to live with the smell. What happened to you sounds hideous, muffin!

(The poison was put down - and has remained down under the kitchen units - almost a year ago now when we first spotted them. We finally got rid of them in March - or so we thought - when we blocked up the holes.)

@Mouseinmyhouse6

I’m not sure what the bait was, we got the pest control guys in and he put some stuff down that looked a bit like seeds - I don’t know if that would be the dehydrating stuff?

Thanks everyone - agree that this is the worst house problem we’ve encountered so far - grateful they’re not rats and that I was able to find the dead one and not have to live with the smell. What happened to you sounds hideous, muffin!

It was truly awful it still makes me shudder now.

We could hear them running up and down the walls and between the floorboards day and night.

There was a gap in the kitchen plinths abs we could see their tails disappear through it when we walked in.

It was awful like a full on invasion, I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

@Mouseinmyhouse6

I’m not sure what the bait was, we got the pest control guys in and he put some stuff down that looked a bit like seeds - I don’t know if that would be the dehydrating stuff?

Thanks everyone - agree that this is the worst house problem we’ve encountered so far - grateful they’re not rats and that I was able to find the dead one and not have to live with the smell. What happened to you sounds hideous, muffin!

It was a blue/green seedy type poison we had put down.

About three days.

My cat brings them in alive, cruelly plays and tortures them, and they crawl behind the washing machine to die.

Just a few days based on the one who got away from the cat and into the fridge mechanism . Definitely sounds like yours was recently deceased OP. But perhaps you don't have a full on invasion and it was just one lonely Mickey living out his days until all the food ran out

Ive got mice in my loft. Would never have known as I put the scratching noise down to birds on the roof but one made its way down the cavity wall and I caught it on my cctv. Ive got 2 humane traps and have so far caught 11, released them miles away from home so definitely different mice. All holes have been sealed now but I can still hear scratches in the loft, hoping its just 1 trapped.