Chimney animal removal and entry repair in Thonotosassa

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.

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.

Keeping animals out once the chimney is closed

A well-fitted cap does most of the work, but caps and screens can loosen, rust or collect debris. NFPA safety guidance recommends having chimneys inspected every year, and a yearly look is a good time to confirm the cap is still doing its job.

Between inspections, watch for new sounds, debris in the firebox or a cap that looks tilted from the ground. If something changes, call us rather than climbing up to check.

Our team can combine that yearly look with a sweep before the fireplace season, so the chimney is clean, clear of nests and closed at the top.

When animals are in the attic as well

Animals that reach a chimney top sometimes find other ways into a house, through gaps at the roofline, vents or soffits. If you hear movement in the attic or in walls away from the fireplace, the chimney may not be the only entry.

Our work covers the chimney and, on factory-built systems, the chase around it. For the rest of the roofline, a wildlife professional is the right person to look, and we tell you what we see at the chimney and what falls outside it.