Western PA Luann (I am in w pa too!) If the wax seal is bad 1) how would I know? 2) why would it sometimes have a smell but usually not? 3) what would you do as a first step to find out if it is the problem? The reason I guessed it might be animals is 1) it does not smell like sewer to me 2) it will go away whether I do anything or not 3) it seems to come from the wall that is against the garage and might be open to the garage above the ceiling. The toilet is cleaned and flushed once a week. Inbetween it is not (ie never) used. There is an unused shower that everyone blamed but I pour water down it and it makes no difference. The sink is used off and on.

Hey ! Perhaps I have an answer to this question. Causes Before dealing with any unpleasant action of your pet, you need to consider the features that can lead to such action. There are several reasons for wallowing in moldy stuff and garbage. Nice Smell It may seem strange, but dogs perceive scents in a very different way than humans. The pleasant smell of flowers for us may not cause them any emotions, but the smell of garbage is just as pleasant for them as perfume. Therefore, the desire to fall in rotten meat can be dictated by pleasant sensations. Instinct They inherited this habit from their ancient relatives – wolves. Before hunting, they often smear themselves in such things to disguise their scent. When the prey does not smell the predator, it is much easier to catch it. That is why the desire to wallow in the trash is often more acutely felt by hunting dogs. Stress, Strong Emotional Upheavals Sometimes dogs want to avoid unpleasant situations in this way (in this case, the procedure of dumping in the garbage acts as a disguise). The pet may be trying to avoid encountering an unpleasant animal or going to the veterinary clinic.

Thanks for getting back to me, Catherinet. I did a little more reading and found out that like rats, the newly born opossums are hairless and they do have teeth like this picture (downloaded from the internet) here shows: I also realized that the opossums do build nests like birds do on the tree, but they can also build nests elsewhere such as under the hoot of a car (as pictured above). Close to where the dead animal was found were a couple of huge trees among other fruit trees I have in my yard. We had Hurricane Hermine blowing down things for us this past week. I think that might help explain a lot of the mystery as I begin to piece things up together. A family of opossum might have taken residence there. The young could have died in the nest earlier on or it might have died when the wind blew it down from the nest. The limbs could have easily chipped off as it fell down from a height. Since they're newly born, I would imagine their limbs are very fragile. The fact that the skin peeling off might be due to the animal drying out at some point and then having to stay out in our hot sun here for who knows how long until I discovered it. These speculations are all very plausible and it made a lot of sense to me now as I've seen mature opossums around in my yard sometimes. I think not to suspect anything else ... unless I see a repeat of a similar incident. I know ... I'm always nervous when I see dead animals lying around. You don't know what they carry with them ..., but RIP little guy and no more carcasses in my yard! Thanks again--I do appreciate your input.

In the middle of winter I wouldn't think there'd be much decay of a dead animal, if you're in a cold area. I'd be more concerned with a sewage line problem. Make your concern known to the agent and point it out to the inspector. Personally, I'd get an independent inspector. Maybe they built the bench over a clean-out line? It's possible............