Chimney animal removal in Apollo Beach, handled in the right order

Identifying the animal before anything is disturbed

The right response depends on what is in the chimney. A trapped squirrel, a raccoon with young, nesting chimney swifts and a bat colony each call for a different plan, and some of those plans are governed by law.

Tell us when the sounds happen, day or night, whether they come and go at particular times and anything you have seen at the chimney top. Our team uses that and a look at the fireplace and the top of the chimney to identify what we can before anything is moved.

You do not need to know the species before calling. Describing what you have heard and seen is enough to start, and nobody should climb onto the roof or look up the flue to find out.

Cleaning up droppings and nest debris with care

The CDC explains that the fungus behind histoplasmosis spreads in bird and bat droppings, and people are infected by breathing in its spores. Sweeping up dry droppings in a firebox can put that dust in the air.

Leave the cleanup to us. Our team removes nest material, droppings and debris from the firebox, the smoke chamber and the flue with care, bags it and leaves the fireplace clean. The work is priced before we begin.

If droppings have already been disturbed, air out the room and keep people away while you arrange the cleanup. Anyone with health concerns after exposure should speak to a doctor.

Dealing with an animal that died in the chimney

An animal that dies in a flue or on a smoke shelf leaves a smell that grows over several days and does not go away on its own. Sprays and candles only cover it for a while.

Our team locates and removes the remains and the soiled debris, cleans the affected area and closes the entry so it does not happen again. We handle the work carefully and leave the fireplace clean.

Keep the fireplace unlit until the cleanup is finished. Once the source is gone the smell fades, and the entry is closed so the chimney does not trap another animal.

Why poisons and home traps make things worse

Poison or an improvised trap placed in a fireplace or chimney rarely ends the problem. An animal that dies in the flue has to be found and removed, the smell spreads through the house, and a trap in a fireplace can catch a pet or injure a child.

Florida's nuisance wildlife rule also governs how animals may be taken and released. Leave the animal to people who work within that rule, and let our team deal with the chimney once it is clear.