If you hear a rustling or a scratching noise coming from your chimney, then there is a good chance that you have an animal in there. Usually, animals get out on their own but there are 2 possibilities:
- It climbed inside thinking of the chimney as a hollow tree trunk or a safe place to live.
- It came there to look for food but got stuck inside.
In any case, it’s important to remove the animal from your chimney. Let’s look at a way to help you remove it.
Step-by-Step Guide to remove an animal from your chimney
1Close your fireplace.
When an animal is stuck in your chimney, the first place it will look for to escape is the fireplace. So, unless you want an animal running around in your home, shut your fireplace by placing cardboard on the endpoint of the chimney.
2Identify where the animal came from.
After you’ve closed the fireplace, identify its entry point. The opening of the chimney on the terrace is the most likely entry point which may be either removed or damaged. Now that you’ve got the animal inside, look at the damper. This will also give you a clue of which animal it is- you might be able to locate the animal or see a nest.
3Remove the animal.
If it’s a small animal like a rat or a squirrel, then you can set a trap near the opening part of the chimney. Put a cube of cheese or a piece of food with a strong smell that can drive the animal to your trap. Since there is no other way out, it will get trapped. You can then, let it go in a forest or an open place away from residential areas.
For a large animal like a bird or a raccoon, it will not fit in a trap. Here, you can produce noise disturbances to scare the animal. You can bang the endpoint of the chimney with a stick. A big animal will certainly get scared and get out of the chimney from the opening.
Note: Creating noise may not work for a small animal because it might not be able to climb up the slippery walls of the chimney.
4Take measures to prevent future occurrences.
Once you’ve got the animal out, seal the opening and repair any possible damages in the wall. You can put a chimney cap on top which has a closed network of wires and will not allow any animal to get through. Also.make sure to always have the cap on.
Now you have a secure fireplace and you were able to remove the animal stuck in the chimney. If the damper is neither damaged nor open, then there is a chance that the animal got in through a different place which may be difficult to find. This means that there’s a route or hole in the wall which leads to the chimney. In this case, call a professional nuisance wildlife removal company.
Note:
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