Disposal of Dead, Stinky Rat

Eeeeeeeu. I feed the birds and the squirrels. The rats have found the food. I put out one of those Big Black Plastic traps out after 10 pm to avoid getting the birds, etc. I caught a rat. At 12:30 am my indoor cats alerted me to something new and exciting in the back yard. I used my super duper flashlight looked out and saw it about 20 ft away on the patio, and decided that I would wait until the sun came up. At 6:30 am I went out to dispose of him and he was gone! I looked all over the back yard and up on the hill--could not find him. Two days later, he popped up against the pool cover. He didn't die fast, oh no, he apparenty fought that darn trap (even tho I got him by the head) and travelled over 30 feet and ended up in the pool. Yuk. I didn't think to look in the pool, I thought a bigger animal had just came and took him away. I fished him out, put him and the trap into 3 plastic bags and tossed him ever so gently into the trash can. This was last Thursday, my trash is not picked up until this Thursday. It's been in the 70's here. He is well done. I have to hold my breath when I walk by the cans. QUESTION: Anyone know of anything I can dump, squirt, spray into the can to get rid of the STINK until or maybe even after the trash folk come. My neighbor suggested that in the future when I catch a rat, that I freeze it until trash pick up day. I told him he was more than welcome to put the dead nasty thing in his freezer. He declined.
Thanks for any suggestions, Sue

LOL. Your neighbor is a hoot. Put a dead rat in the freezer. Yuck. Its bad enough he got into your pool.

Only thing I could think of was baking soda but I don't think it would make a dent in the odor.

But I would be out there with a garden hose waving goodbye to the sanitation worker just before I sprayed the heck out of the dumpster. Blah.

Its over a 100 here. He would be beef (rat) jerky by now at my place.

Just pray the wind blows away from your house and TOWARD your neighbors. LOL.

I don't think you'll be able to do much about the smell until after the trash is picked up. Once the trash can is empty though I'd get a big bucket of bleach and wash the can out.

I am thinking that a followup w/ PineSol, after the bleach, would help alter the odor!! Dead and decomposing is a nasty nasty thing!!!!!!!!!

Oh, thank you all so much. I am trying to be a good neighbor, I went out and stuck one of those air fresheners on the lid -- to no avail. Must have been another Senior Moment - what was I thinking. I have empty cat litter containers, kind with snap on lid, maybe next catch put the nasty dude in the container, close tight, and put whole thing in trash. That would be the nasty dude rat not the neighbor in the container. I'm going to get cheaper wood traps, not going to use until closer to trash pick up day. Neighbor is really down deep a nice guy, and has helped me with taking the cans down the hill to the street so I don't want to tick him off - his wife is another matter, she is a shrew. Unfortunately, their bedroom is 10 feet away from where my cans sit---so they probably are getting the odoriferous benefit of my trash.

Delightful_Dawn --Yum, Rat jerky...think there is a market? I hear there are some folk that enjoy road kill. Want to go into business? I could use some 'extra' bucks! Why did the banjo music from "Deliverance" just pop into my head? Hey, how close to OK City are you - my youngest son (48) just moved back there from Wyandotte.

ecrane3 - I poured a half gallon of bleach over the bags, he may be still be stinky, but cleaner. Going to use wannadanc's suggestion and now pour in some PineSol.

Only two days left 'till trash pick up! Yeah!
Sue

keepingactive, I got a turkey during our Spring turkey hunting season. When I got home, I cleaned it and put the waste into a plastic bag and intended to set it out for garbage pick-up the next morning. Of course, I forgot and had to live with this mess for a week. After a few days I needed relief. I experimented and found that gasoline covered the odor much better than bleach. I poured just enough gas in the bag to wet the carcass and put the bag into a couple more bags with a little gas. Naturally, you need a safe place away from any open flame, so I put the whole thing inside an old ice chest. It didn't cover up the odor 100 % but was much, much easier to live with.

keepingactive - I'm about 2 1/2 hours from Oklahoma City. Hope your son is enjoying our "balmy" weather. Usually rains the last week of Aug around here. Rodeo always comes to town and its usually a muddy mess. I am so WAITING for the rodeo/rain.

That gas option made my hair on my neck stand up. But that was just me imagining what kinds of disaster I could manage to cook up with that scenario by ditzing out.

Trash cans 10 ft from their window! STINKY. Its bad enough getting a whiff of my neighborhood skunk that has decided to sashshay near my house on his morning strolls. I could not imagine trying to sleep with stinky dead rat smell filling my bedroom. And you JUST know it has ruined any romantic moments either one of your neighbors was in the mood for. Sometimes life just sucks.

Delightful-Dawn: The gas idea scared the stuffing out of me. It's all I can do to mix up gas and oil for the little blower I have, for the yard around pool. I'm one of those awful smokers (have been 50 yrs+-tried 3 times to quit) so I envisioned blowing myself up. I did pour a half gallon of pine scented ammonia into bin (on top of the previously poured bleach). Did alleviate some, actually more than I thought stink. Naturally, the little darlin' was the first item in barrel. Been keeping other normal household trash in garage, until I had to open the lid...and quickly dumped trash in. And got the barrel to the curb. Yeah! It's gone. Luckily neighbors left on a preplanned 3 wk trip.on Saturday. No problem with ruining any romantic moments with them...they don't have any to ruin. I don't think in the 39 yrs we've been neighbors I've ever heard her talk nice to him, or any of us on the cul-de-sac for that matter. Not the marriage I would want. Have washed out and poured another gallon of bleach into barrel. Ready for next adventure. Sue

Please don't EVER mix bleach and ammonia - terrible mix that can make you quite ill. Equally, the gas thing is an explosive situation. On the subject of smoking - some magical day, you will get some kind of epiphany and the quit will happen. It did for me! A huge choking spell that had me thinking I would pass out before being able to fill my lungs w/ air taught me that breathing WAS more important than smoking. Instant quit after 45 years of insane behavior, years after losing my mother to lung cancer. So - someday - something you can't fathom will intercede. I have been 6 years clean and smober!

wannadanc: Congratulations! Proud of You! I used bleach one day, ammonia two days later. You are right though...I was not thinking! I do know better. I'm going on a road trip with BF, she does not smoke (actually no one know I know does) and I won't smoke in her car or hotel room. Going to use Chantax (yes I've seen the ads regarding if you that this, that, and the other thing) but I cleared it with my Dr. I figure I have a good chance for the first week, as will be with BF. And am going to really, really, try to remain smoke free when I am once again, alone. Next challenge, lose 40 lbs! I feel like the little train---yes I can, yes I can, yes I can!

Washington is so beautiful! Closest I've been to beauty was when I lived in Eureka, CA. Admittedly rainy for the most part, but then everything was green, and the people so friendly. Then I had to move back down to the concrete jungle. Actually TO wasn't so bad 40 years ago, but it has grown too much, has lost it's small town feel. I am 40 miles north of LA, in Ventura County. Sue