Careful chimney animal removal for homes in Westchase

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.

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.

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.

A top-sealing damper as an extra barrier

Some homeowners pair a cap with a top-sealing damper, a damper mounted at the top of the flue that closes the chimney when the fireplace is not in use. It adds a second barrier at the top and is a separate installation from the cap.

Whether it suits your chimney depends on the flue and the crown. We explain the option when it is relevant and price it separately, so you can decide without pressure.