Animals In Chimney
Raccoons, Opossums, Squirrel, Bats, Birds, and Snakes.
Its a common misconception that animals accidentally fall down chimneys, that is just incorrect. Animals that usually find their way into a chimney commonly have a reason.
The 4 most common reasons are:
- A mother raccoon will use a masonry chimney to make a nest to provide safety and harbor her young. At the same time, a male raccoon will only enter a chimney to kill baby raccoons because he looks upon them as competitors. Sometimes the burnt smell of a chimney could remind a raccoon of a burned out hollow tree which could be considered a part of their natural habitat. Most animals have a nearly impossible time climbing back out of the chimney once they’ve gotten in there, a raccoon would be one of the few that can climb back out.
- There is a migratory bird from South America that is commonly referred to as a Chimney Swift, these animals use chimneys to build their nests. A lot like raccoons, a chimney swift was used to using hollow trees for their homes. Chimney swifts are one of the few birds that can fly straight up, giving them a distinct advantage for living inside a chimney. These birds are also federally protected and should only be handled by people who know laws involved and special considerations that need to be taken.
- Snakes would only enter a chimney with one thing in mind. They are absolute predators and they enter with an appetite that needs quenching. They eat bird eggs, baby birds, and baby animals.
- Scared wild animals such as opossums, squirrels, and even mice will in lots of cases scurry down a chimney when a bad storm is quickly approaching. The problem with this scenario is that once the storm has passed, the animals find themselves stuck inside the chimney.
From this situation only one of three things can happen:
- The animal could be rescued (preferably by a professional).
- The damper is open and the critter finds its way into the fireplace, and if the homeowner doesn’t have glass doors, well now you have a guest in your home. Hence, the term nuisance wild animal.
- Or, left to its own unrescued, it will slowly and painfully die. This should never be an option because it is not only inhumane, but now you have a larger problem. A dead animal in your home poses all kinds of problems from long lasting terrible odors to potential health issues, to a more difficult and more expensive problem to solve.
When it comes to your fireplace and chimney, ARC Chimney Sweeps is the company to call for humane animal removal, proper clean up, thorough inspections, and the ability and experience to solve and repair any situation so your fireplace and chimney system is yours again. Call today at (888) 998-2258!