How would you dispose of a very dead, waterlogged chipmunk? Updated

[MEmama]

Our options are:

*Toss it over the side fence into a no-man’s land of poison ivy and thick lilacs

*Bury it in the compost pile 

*Take it to the municipal compost drop off along with bags of leaves

*Toss it across the ugly fence into the mean neighbor's yard and let their dog discover it 😈 (j/k we wouldn’t do this but it’s fun to think about)

Anyone have better ideas? 

Edited October 26, 2022 by MEmama

[Innisfree]

I’d go for the no-man’s land, personally. Your compost might work if it gets good and hot, but since I’m not up on chipmunk diseases, I probably wouldn’t choose that option, especially if the compost goes in a vegetable garden. The municipal compost probably has guidelines about what they accept. Definitely not the neighbor’s yard. 😉

[stephanier.1765]

When we had a no-man's land, that's what we would have used. You could bury it but if you have dogs that's won't work.

[catz]

Well my husband would double bag it and put it in our bin on the alley awaiting pick up.  But we have small urban lots.   

[Carrie12345]

When nature is an option, I choose nature.

That once included a groundhog that somehow got in and died under my mother’s couch!!! 😳

[MEmama]

2 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

When nature is an option, I choose nature.

That once included a groundhog that somehow got in and died under my mother’s couch!!! 😳

My parents find scorpions under their furniture sometimes (and occasionally in bed), but a groundhog getting into the house—never mind expiring— is on a whole 'nother  level! 

[Lucy the Valiant]

12 minutes ago, stephanier.1765 said:

When we had a no-man's land, that's what we would have used. You could bury it but if you have dogs that's won't work.

Same. 

DEFINITELY not compost, mine or municipal's.

[MEmama]

8 minutes ago, catz said:

Well my husband would double bag it and put it in our bin on the alley awaiting pick up.  But we have small urban lots.   

Well duh, I didn’t even think of just putting it in the trash. 🤦‍♀️

Our lot is small too and I don’t want it out there rotting before properly freezing, but there are a couple neighborhood outdoor cats who would know how to make use of the body, I’d think—or if not cats, then other various creatures of the night. One of whom might be responsible for disposing of said yard rodent into the pail of rainwater in the first place.

[TravelingChris]

When we had an waterlogged oposum next door in an empty house- it died in their pool- we threw it into no mans land.

[EKS]

Another vote for no man's land.

[happi duck]

Say a few nice words and respectfully toss into no man's land so nature can take its course?

[Pawz4me]

No man's land or the trash.

[Faith-manor]

No man's land. It is good for scavengers. But I have to admit to a little bit of secret support for over the fence of the mean guy. 😁

[fairfarmhand]

Toss it over the fence into the weeds. That's the kind of thing we do out here on the farm. Though we do end up walking it a distance from the house so the dog won't drag it back up.

[marbel]

We'd bag and trash it. But when we had more property and/or a no-man's-land, it would have gone there.  Not compost.

[MEmama]

Ok, DH doesn’t want to wait til trash day, so no man’s land it is. Hopefully we won’t find chipmunk remains scattered about the yard. 🤮

Probably the quickest method of ensuring the scavengers find it is to toss it into the road where the crows will make quick work of consuming it, but that seems pretty gross to do intentionally even though chipmunk and squirrel roadkill is common here. We'll give it to the poison ivy patch as an offer of goodwill instead.

[Elizabeth86]

Last one….I mean first one for sure.

[Terabith]

I vote No Man’s Land. 
 

Definitely don’t use dynamite.  

 

[MEmama]

7 minutes ago, Terabith said:

I vote No Man’s Land. 
 

Definitely don’t use dynamite.  

 

I just…wow. Do I dare ask why you even know about such a video? 🤣

I pinky swear we will not use dynamite or any other explosive method of creating and sending multiple chipmunk parts across the neighborhood🤢 Thanks for the warning!

[Terabith]

33 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I just…wow. Do I dare ask why you even know about such a video? 🤣

I pinky swear we will not use dynamite or any other explosive method of creating and sending multiple chipmunk parts across the neighborhood🤢 Thanks for the warning!

I have a friend who remembered when it happened and looked it up and told me about it years ago.  This seemed an appropriate opportunity to share it with the Hive!

[Lucy the Valiant]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

I vote No Man’s Land. 
 

Definitely don’t use dynamite.  

 

 

 

OK, this is my FIL's *FAVORITE VIDEO OF ALL TIME* and all of our kids are well familiar with it and have to explain when he whips it out to their unsuspecting friends! Hahahaha! I personally like to pretend it doesn't exist. 

[Melissa in Australia]

Dig small hole and bury it. 

Chucking over fence just encourages breding up of blowflies 

[MEmama]

25 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Dig small hole and bury it. 

Chucking over fence just encourages breding up of blowflies 

That assumes land and a lack of tree roots for hole digging. 🤣 Not gonna happen in my teeny root infested yard, I’m afraid.

Idk what a blowfly is but we’re on the cusp of winter here so insects are no longer an issue. Assuming the poor creature isn’t discovered by resident opossums before too long, the carcass will soon be frozen solid until next April. 

[Ausmumof3]

Are you even a homeschool family if your first thought wasn’t dissecting it?

(j/k)

[Melissa in Australia]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

That assumes land and a lack of tree roots for hole digging. 🤣 Not gonna happen in my teeny root infested yard, I’m afraid.

Idk what a blowfly is but we’re on the cusp of winter here so insects are no longer an issue. Assuming the poor creature isn’t discovered by resident opossums before too long, the carcass will soon be frozen solid until next April. 

Blowflys are huge flys about the size of a bumble bee. They don't lay eggs, but live maggots. I am sure they do fly by drop runs of maggots like ww2 bomber planes. They are absolutly discusting.  They breed up very quickly in dead animals and animal droppings. 

 Bush flies will breed up in the same things. They hang around people like a cloud from spring right through to any warm day in winter. They don't bite, but love to try get up your nose and in your eyes. 

[MEmama]

13 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

Blowflys are huge flys about the size of a bumble bee. They don't lay eggs, but live maggots. I am sure they do fly by drop runs of maggots like ww2 bomber planes. They are absolutly discusting.  They breed up very quickly in dead animals and animal droppings. 

 Bush flies will breed up in the same things. They hang around people like a cloud from spring right through to any warm day in winter. They don't bite, but love to try get up your nose and in your eyes. 

That’s horrifying. I’ll add those to the list of reasons I’m too scared to ever visit your (beautiful and otherwise lovely, I’m sure) country. Lol

[Lucy the Valiant]

(Coyotes eat them in our "no man's land"- pretty reliably. 😉 )

[MEmama]

28 minutes ago, Lucy the Valiant said:

(Coyotes eat them in our "no man's land"- pretty reliably. 😉 )

We don’t have coyotes in our neighborhood but we do have foxes. I wonder if they’ll eat them if they’re already dead? 

[Lucy the Valiant]

1 minute ago, MEmama said:

We don’t have coyotes in our neighborhood but we do have foxes. I wonder if they’ll eat them if they’re already dead? 

Ours do. Especially in drought years.

[pinball]

I’d bury it

[Faith-manor]

5 hours ago, Terabith said:

I vote No Man’s Land. 
 

Definitely don’t use dynamite.  

 

Hey, I feel called out! (Said the woman who attended her husband's "light up the dead raccoon with thermite" event.)

[Ting Tang]

9 hours ago, MEmama said:

My parents find scorpions under their furniture sometimes (and occasionally in bed), but a groundhog getting into the house—never mind expiring— is on a whole 'nother  level! 

Just stopping by to say YIKES, particularly with regard to scorpions.  I used to hear people would have to check their shoes for them.  

[Terabith]

7 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

Hey, I feel called out! (Said the woman who attended her husband's "light up the dead raccoon with thermite" event.)

How did that turn out?  I would attend that occasion.  

[Eos]

We had a waterlogged chipmunk carcass once in the toilet.  Dh...flushed it.  And it went.  

True confession time: I collect interesting roadkill and bring it to a local taxidermy lab.  If the lab's not open they go into my freezers.  Sometimes (this is the confession part) they spend months or even years in my freezer.  I currently have two minks and a juvenile flicker waiting to transport. I was once rooting around in the chest freezer looking for something else and pulled up a bag with a frozen groundhog.  Dh was walking past and I said, huh, what is that? as I pulled back the bag.  Without missing a beat dh said "looks like 6 more weeks of winter" and kept walking.

Edited October 23, 2022 by Eos

[MEmama]

5 hours ago, Eos said:

We had a waterlogged chipmunk carcass once in the toilet.  Dh...flushed it.  And it went.  

True confession time: I collect interesting roadkill and bring it to a local taxidermy lab.  If the lab's not open they go into my freezers.  Sometimes (this is the confession part) they spend months or even years in my freezer.  I currently have two minks and a juvenile flicker waiting to transport. I was once rooting around in the chest freezer looking for something else and pulled up a bag with a frozen groundhog.  Dh was walking past and I said, huh, what is that? as I pulled back the bag.  Without missing a beat dh said "looks like 6 more weeks of winter" and kept walking.

Do you watch Bad Sisters (Irish show on Apple TV)? I won’t spoil it, but you might have something in common with the antagonist. I'm learning there's a dark side to the hobby…just sayin…🤣

Also, would you like a chipmunk for your collection? It’s not exotic though, I’m afraid. I’m impressed your pipes could handle flushing one, ours aren’t so robust.

I'm never going to drive by roadkill without thinking of you and trying to figure out what it is now, you know lol. Do you keep lists of acquisitions and animals you hope to find? There’s a business opportunity in there somewhere, perhaps a book The Roadkill of Maine or something.

I have so.many questions…🤣

[bibiche]

6 hours ago, Eos said:

True confession time: I collect interesting roadkill and bring it to a local taxidermy lab. 

Please tell us you have been vaccinated for rabies.

[TravelingChris]

7 hours ago, Eos said:

We had a waterlogged chipmunk carcass once in the toilet.  Dh...flushed it.  And it went.  

True confession time: I collect interesting roadkill and bring it to a local taxidermy lab.  If the lab's not open they go into my freezers.  Sometimes (this is the confession part) they spend months or even years in my freezer.  I currently have two minks and a juvenile flicker waiting to transport. I was once rooting around in the chest freezer looking for something else and pulled up a bag with a frozen groundhog.  Dh was walking past and I said, huh, what is that? as I pulled back the bag.  Without missing a beat dh said "looks like 6 more weeks of winter" and kept walking.

Did you watch JeffrEY  Dahmer on Netflix?  

[Eos]

9 hours ago, MEmama said:

Do you keep lists of acquisitions and animals you hope to find?

No, but I am picky.  Groundhogs are a dime a dozen unless they're in perfect condition.  I don't bother with chipmunks or squirrels.  Hawks, owls, and songbirds will get me to slow down and turn around, but turkeys have to be mint.  I've gotten minks, fawns, rabbits, porcupine, and a fisher. I once saw a small bear but couldn't figure out how to pick it up.  I usually have gloves and bags or at least a sheet to wrap things in the car.

8 hours ago, bibiche said:

Please tell us you have been vaccinated for rabies.

No, but I am really careful.

 

9 hours ago, MEmama said:

Do you watch Bad Sisters (Irish show on Apple TV)? I won’t spoil it, but you might have something in common with the antagonist. I'm learning there's a dark side to the hobby…just sayin…🤣

Never heard of it, I will check it out, thank you!

Edited October 23, 2022 by Eos

[Eos]

7 hours ago, TravelingChris said:

Did you watch JeffrEY  Dahmer on Netflix?  

Nope, too scared!

[Emba]

On 10/23/2022 at 12:54 AM, Eos said:

We had a waterlogged chipmunk carcass once in the toilet.  Dh...flushed it.  And it went.  

True confession time: I collect interesting roadkill and bring it to a local taxidermy lab.  If the lab's not open they go into my freezers.  Sometimes (this is the confession part) they spend months or even years in my freezer.  I currently have two minks and a juvenile flicker waiting to transport. I was once rooting around in the chest freezer looking for something else and pulled up a bag with a frozen groundhog.  Dh was walking past and I said, huh, what is that? as I pulled back the bag.  Without missing a beat dh said "looks like 6 more weeks of winter" and kept walking.

I used to work with a man whose hobby was taxidermy. His wife was reportedly pretty put out by the amount of time a roadkill badger stayed in their deep freeze before he got around to it.

[Eos]

5 hours ago, Emba said:

I used to work with a man whose hobby was taxidermy. His wife was reportedly pretty put out by the amount of time a roadkill badger stayed in their deep freeze before he got around to it.

My kids are a little scared to rummage around in my freezer, but they're often the ones to say "hey, there's a dead thing and it's pretty nice" so I can turn around.

[TravelingChris]

21 hours ago, Eos said:

Nope, too scared!

Well because he started with taxidermy of small animals as a kid with his dad, who was a scientist and thought it was an okay thing to do.  But somehow, it led to what happened later/

[Eos]

29 minutes ago, TravelingChris said:

Well because he started with taxidermy of small animals as a kid with his dad, who was a scientist and thought it was an okay thing to do.  But somehow, it led to what happened later/

Oh no, I promise I'm just a homeschooling mom!  I don't do the taxidermy, just the collection.  And if something is dead on the road but I don't want it, I usually move it to the side so it can have a nicer place to rest in peace.

[Innisfree]

2 hours ago, Eos said:

Oh no, I promise I'm just a homeschooling mom!  I don't do the taxidermy, just the collection.  And if something is dead on the road but I don't want it, I usually move it to the side so it can have a nicer place to rest in peace.

I’m curious: what do you do with the taxidermy? Keep it, sell it…? It’s an interesting and unusual hobby or sideline.

[Eos]

30 minutes ago, Innisfree said:

I’m curious: what do you do with the taxidermy? Keep it, sell it…? It’s an interesting and unusual hobby or sideline.

I don't get them back, I donate the animals to a lab that is part of a natural history museum.  They make displays out of them.

[GoVanGogh]

Have to say, I was avoiding this thread because. Dead. Waterlogged. Ick. But. So glad I finally clicked on it. Very amusing. Love that video upthread. We watch it every so often just for the sheer vintage-ness of the time period and the shock and horror of it. I am fascinated and horrified by the roadkill taxidermy. We once had a dead water moccasin in our freezer for a few years, mainly because I was preserving it for an accurate identification and then because my DH was appalled by it being in the freezer and I found that amusing. DH did a cross state bike ride this summer. He said there was a team, Team Roadkill. Whenever they saw roadkill, they would stop and dress them up. So you would be biking down some road and come upon a dead animal with sunglasses, Mardi Gras beads, etc. We once had a very large raccoon that expired wedged between in a section of our wood fence and the neighbors. The fence was in need or repair and the raccoon must have thought they could get through, got stuck and put up a fight trying to get free. I had been telling DH that there was a dead animal in our attic. He couldn’t smell it but kept going in to the attic to check. A few days later, our single neighbor lady came over, frantic that her missing cat was dead, stuck in our mutual fence. DH went out to investigate. Thankfully it wasn’t her cat. Moral of that story: When you smell dead animal, look under the hedge of shrubs… Thankfully trash day was the next day, so DH triple bagged the animal and put it in the trash. If it hadn’t been trash day, we would have called animal control. They are really good about picking up dead animals when we have called them. 

[kbutton]

1 hour ago, GoVanGogh said:

So glad I finally clicked on it.

I finally clicked when it was so persistently staying active. I figured someone had a good story. 

[SKL]

I think I'd wrap it up and put it in the trash for curbside pickup.  If I didn't have a pet who would investigate it, and if it was far enough away from my house, I might fling it toward the nature option.

[MEmama]

Update:

DH ended up leaving the chipmunk to stew in the bucket until trash day. When he reluctantly went out to deal with it, he discovered the yard rodent was missing. So some creature must have found itself a delicious, half rotted meal floating about temptingly and consumed it for a midnight snack.

Problem solved! 
 

[*Jessica*]

9 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Update:

DH ended up leaving the chipmunk to stew in the bucket until trash day. When he reluctantly went out to deal with it, he discovered the yard rodent was missing. So some creature must have found itself a delicious, half rotted meal floating about temptingly and consumed it for a midnight snack.

Problem solved! 
 

Or you have a zombie chipmunk running around somewhere.  It is October.