Something living in your chimney? Chimney animal removal in Seminole Heights

When a young swift falls into the fireplace

A young swift can drop out of the nest and land on the smoke shelf or in the firebox. In that case the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants homeowners to reach a migratory bird rehabilitator, who knows whether the bird should go back to the nest or into care.

Do not feed a fallen nestling or try to push it back up the flue. Keep pets away, keep the fireplace closed and make the call. We can help you confirm the kind of bird and plan the chimney work that follows the season.

If a bat gets into the house

A bat that makes it into the living space should not be touched with bare hands. The CDC advises anyone bitten or scratched by a bat to wash the wound with soap and water and get medical help right away.

For a bat found in the home, the CDC recommends contacting animal control or the health department so it can be captured safely for rabies testing. Once that is handled, we can inspect the chimney for the way the bat got in.

Keep people and pets out of that room and close the interior door while you make the call. If anyone may have been bitten or scratched, medical advice comes before anything else.

A trapped bird is not always a nesting bird

Some birds fall into an open chimney and cannot fly back up the narrow flue. A trapped bird flutters, calls and moves around, while a nesting bird tends to stay put and may come and go through the top.

The difference matters because a trapped bird can often be let out through the fireplace with care, while an active nest of a protected species must be left alone. We identify which case you have before anything else happens.

A trapped bird that reaches the room can usually find its own way out through an open outside door once interior doors are closed. After that, the chimney top needs checking for the opening it used.

Squirrels and smooth metal flues

Squirrels explore chimney tops and sometimes fall in. A smooth metal liner gives them nothing to climb, which is why the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recommends capping chimneys that have a metal liner so animals are not trapped.

Once a squirrel is out of the chimney, the fix is a cap sized for the flue with a screen it cannot get through. We check the liner and the top of the flue for damage from the visit before the cap is fitted.

A squirrel that cannot escape may scratch at the damper and the firebox while trying, which is one more reason to act promptly once one is heard.