Birds, bats or raccoons in the chimney? Animal removal in Harbour Island

Raccoons denning in a chimney

A raccoon may use the smoke shelf or the flue as a den, and in spring it may have young with it. Removing only the adult, or closing the top while the young are inside, leaves animals trapped in the chimney.

Florida's nuisance wildlife rule restricts where a live-captured animal may be released, which is one reason trapping belongs with someone who works within that rule. Once the raccoons are out, our team cleans the chimney, checks the damper and flue for damage and closes the top.

Raccoons can also tear screens and bend dampers while going in and out, so the chimney is checked for that damage before a new cap goes on.

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.

Other animals that end up in chimneys

Birds, bats, squirrels and raccoons are the visitors people ask about most, but they are not the only ones. Any animal that climbs or flies can reach an open chimney top, and some fall in by accident rather than choosing the flue as a home.

The first steps are the same whatever the animal. Keep the fireplace closed, keep people and pets away and describe what you have heard or seen. We identify what we can and explain who should handle the animal before any chimney work begins.

Nests on the smoke shelf above the damper

Just above the damper of a masonry fireplace sit the smoke shelf and the smoke chamber, a sheltered space where nesting material and debris collect. Material there is out of sight from the room but directly in the path of smoke when the fireplace is used.

When an animal has been in the chimney, we check the smoke shelf and the chamber above it as well as the flue. Anything left there is cleared once the chimney is confirmed empty, so the next fire does not start under old nest material.