I HAVE AN ANIMAL IN MY WALL!!!

S

sblordita

Cathlete
So, I don't post often, but I am freaked out right now and am calling out for help!

Starting late this evening, SO and I started hearing noises out of the wall. At first, we thought it was a leak from the upstairs neighbors, since these apartments are crappy, and well, it's happened before. But after an hour or two we realized that it was something live in there moving around. Then it started scratching and we were watching the outlets shake a bit.

Now, here it is, 2:30 in the morning, and I'm listening to this thing struggle to get out, move around, bang itself against the walls, scratch at the walls. Whatever it is, it's not mouse-size. It's big. It's like listening to a dog trying to get through a door. It's freaking me out like nobody's business! There's a combination of pure creepiness and sorrow that I"m listening to something die.

I'm going to maintenance tomorrow, but I'm not sure they're going to do anything. So far, they've shown complete lack of concern for anything that's happened in this place (absolutely no laws protecting renters in this ridiculous state x( ). I'm really scared that I'm going to have to listen to this creature die for days and then deal with a rotting corpse in my wall.

I've been dealing with the most disgusting bug issue for the last year in this place, the fact that the building is falling apart and nobody cares, upstairs neighbors that drop lit cigarettes and spit onto our porch, appliances that don't work, and we're paying ridiculously high rent!! For this amount of money we should be living in luxury!! We have been looking for other places to live to no avail. Prices are just sky-high and I have no car, so location near a bus line is very important. I'd been working very hard at making my peace with the fact that I'm stuck here when this happened and I want to run screaming for the hills!

To make matters worse, by bus, I'm over an hour away from my school. Because of this, I can't even keep my own dogs, because I can't make it home during the day to take care of them. This whole situation has me so incredibly depressed and angry. Of course, with the weird things running around in this place, I wouldn't want my poor babies in here :(.

Sorry, I really just needed to vent. I've never had to deal with this, and it's disgusting! Thanks for listening. I'm going to go not sleep now.


;( ;( ;(
 
Maybe you should call the fire dept.?? I think they take care of things like this.

Good luck, and I hope you can save the animal!!


Carolyn
 
I'm so sorry this happened to you. It's creepy and sad. We've had it happen. The animals (ours was a squirrel) fall down in behind the drywall between the studs from being above in the attic.

There isn't anything you can do other than tear your drywall out. We didn't hear ours in there while alive, but it became very obvious when it died in there. :(

I hope someone was able to help you.
 
Oh dear...what a yucky situation. I wish you the best and anxiously await your update.
Angela
 
I'm dying to know what was in your wall! I've heard that raccoons sometimes get into attics or basements. Please let us know!!!

Good Luck!
Mary
 
Hey guys,

Well, I didn't call the fire department. I called the emergency maintenance number, and they said they couldn't do anything. Unless it's an emergency to us, they won't rip out the drywall, and we're not allowed to let anybody else do so either. They say the same thing they always say, we'll send somebody over to take a look sometime in the next few days...

I was up listening to the poor thing until 7 this morning, and I think it must have died, or come very close. I don't hear anything anymore. Now I'm terrified of what I'm going to be smelling. There is no way they're going to break through the wall for that. We have leak damage in more than one room that they haven't fixed for over 8 months, so they won't bother here. If I'm inconvenienced, oh well.

Thanks for letting me vent about it. It was just a ridiculously long night, and I didn't know what to do.

Sara

ETA: I'm going to the office today to talk to somebody else about it also. I'm not taking one guy's sleepy word for it.
 
This happened to us in our first house, and I hate to say it, but it was ... a mouse. Sounded like a much larger animal, but no, just a little mighty mouse. My husband set a live trap in the attic with peanut butter in it and we caught it. It was just one. You might want to check under your bathroom sink cabinets and kitchen sink cabinet to see if you see any droppings. Sometimes they find their way to the holes around the pipes. My exterminator cousin told me to put steel wool around all of those openings, and I did and after we caught the one we never had any other problems. Knock on wood!! Good luck!!
 
I hope you have gotten answers by now, and that some help is on the way! I also think I would think about moving if that is possible. How can they not fix water damage, much less remove a dead animal?
 
Man, what state do you live in where your rental laws don't protect you? That could potentially be a health hazard. That is totally unacceptable that you would have to live in those conditions. I know moving is a pain in the butt but have you considered it? Gosh, good luck to you. I would be totally creeped out too.
 
We've had major problems on all fronts of renting here. There are virtually no laws protecting renters, unless, of course, there is something life-threatening. But that is why I'm going to the office - just in case they will do something. I also have free legal advice available to me at the school, which I will take advantage of if I have to.

And if it does end up being a mouse I'm going laugh. It just made so much noise I wouldn't have been surprised to see a bear!

Thanks guys! I'll let you know what I find out later today.
 
You have peaked my interest. I need to know what animal it was. Sorry it died, that's so sad, especially hearing it struggle.

Janie

4760884_bodyshot_175x233.gif
[/url]

The idea is to die young as late as possible.
 
Well, so far nobody has shown up. I'm leaving soon, but they have permission to enter. They didn't tell me "NO" when I talked to them this morning like the emergency crew, so that is a good sign. But they did seem like they had no idea what they'd do, because they hadn't run into it before. Or acted like they hadn't :).

And I heard the little guy again a bit ago, but he's definitely fading. I feel so horrible. Regardless of what it is. Unless it's a snake (sorry, can't help it :( ). But I'm sure snakes don't have claws!

Oh, and I live in Colorado. If I'm remembering correctly, Colorado and Alaska are the only two states that don't have renter-protecting laws (well, aside from the barest of the bare minimum). I only found that out because I had to visit a lawyer last year over the first place we tried to rent.

We have certainly been trying to find a new place to live, but it's so hard around here to find something even remotely within our budget (and we're not poor! or didn't use to be). And we have one week before we're locked into a new 1-year lease (if we don't sign a 12-month lease our rent goes up by $400/month!! Is that even legal in normal places?) I was planning on going on a month-to-month lease until we found a place, but we just don't have that kind of money).

I will certainly let you guys know when and if I find out what it is. Thanks again for letting me completely freak out!

Sara
 
I don't have time to read all the posts, but you need to report your landlord/property manager to the authorities.

Also, don't let that thing die in your wall!!!! Whatever you do, get it out!!!! Once it dies, you will have a stench of monstrous proportions as it decays...and it will be weeks or even months before it goes away.
 
We also have had mice in our walls. And they are LOUD and sound HUGE, and they gnaw and scratch incessantly all night (they are noctournal).

I was pretty freaked out , to the point of maybe needing sedation, i swear. ...

We called my BFF, our exterminator, who always saves me and comes quickly, because he knows I'm a psych case! LOL!..

He cased the house for every possible place they could get in, and put down traps and poison, and they were "taken care of".

It's a horrible sound and thought, and I really feel for you!!

~Chris
 
It is sounding more and more like it might be mice. And when they do get this thing out, I think I'll hire an exterminator, as well, even if it is at my own expense. There are so many holes and openings in this place that I'm expecting to see anything crawling around.

So if they refuse to do anything, do you guys know exactly who I'd go to? I'll make an appointment with the campus lawyer if that's the case, but should the authorities get involved, too?

You know, before we moved here, we had the most amazing landlords on earth. The place was immaculate to the point that after two years we didn't even have to ask for anything to be done. They were so awesome with maintenance and just overall goodness. It was a joy (and cheap!). Now I have to think about lawyers whenever anything comes up because I can't be sure what's going to happen!

I actually feel like a retard complaining about this stuff when there are so many people who have just lost their homes or have major damage. I know I sound petty. It's just tiring to fight never ending battles. And I can't believe how much it bothered me to listen to that guy all night long! I was irrationally upset. I will get over it, and everything will be fine one way or another.

Thanks again.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top