Something living in your chimney? Chimney animal removal in Port Tampa

Why nobody in the household should handle the animal

Raccoons and bats are the main wildlife sources of rabies in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health, which tells residents to keep people and pets from direct contact with wild animals. A cornered animal in a fireplace can bite or scratch.

Reaching into a chimney, pulling on a nest or trying to grab a trapped animal puts you at risk. Leave the animal where it is, keep the fireplace closed and let the people who handle wildlife do that part.

The health department also advises wearing gloves before checking a pet that has tangled with a wild animal. Keep pets indoors and away from the fireplace until the chimney is clear.

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.

How long a chimney animal problem takes to solve

The timeline depends on the animal. A trapped squirrel or a bird that fell in can often be dealt with quickly, while nesting chimney swifts stay until they leave for the season and bats can only be excluded outside the maternity season under Florida's rule.

We explain the likely timing at the first visit so there are no surprises. Where the chimney has to wait, keep the fireplace closed, and we schedule the cleanup and cap for the first date the rules allow.

Choosing the right cap style for the chimney

Caps come in more than one form. A single-flue cap fits one flue and is fastened to it, while a larger cap can mount on the crown and cover several flues at once. The right style depends on how many flues the chimney has, how they sit on the crown and the condition of the crown itself.

Whatever the style, the screen has to meet the code's opening sizes and the cap has to come off for cleaning. We explain the options that suit your chimney and price them before anything is ordered.