Dealing with a squirrel in the chimney

The spout of your chimney is an open invitation to curious squirrels. Chimneys are an easy access point that will keep squirrels safe from almost any predator and help keep them cool in the Summer and warm in the Winter. They may just decide to pop in every now and again, but sometimes you get a whole family of squirrels moving into your chimney.

squirrel stuck in chimney pittsburgh
Squirrels in your Pittsburgh Chimney can drive you up the wall

Squirrels, along with any critter that can get inside your smokestack can cause real damage and potentially drop combustible material straight down the chamber.

If you discover squirrels in your chimney, you should try to remove that squirrel as soon as possible!

Keep reading to learn how:

Make Some Noise

First, if you have a chimney screen, make sure that it covers the entrance. In case you don’t, drape a sheet over the mouth of the fireplace or cover it with a sheet of heavy cardboard.

Remain close to the chimney and bang on pots and pans or generally make a commotion to urge the squirrel to leave through the top.

In case your squirrel is in the chimney pipe, keep your damper shut! This will keep your squirrel in the smoke chamber or flue and force them upward.

Have One Escape Route

Ensure that your squirrel can escape the smokestack. There’s a chance the way might be blocked, so you or a wildlife removal professional may need to go up and make sure that a rooftop exit for your chimney is still available to the squirrel.

If you are willing to go up there, try dangling a rope down the chimney so that your squirrel has a way to climb out.

Trap your squirrel

Proper squirrel pest control in a chimney can be a complicated and stressful process. It may be a good idea to call AAAC Wildlife Removal for our squirrel chimney trapping expertise.

We can set live traps and help safely evict the squirrel from your chimney without a headache.

Cap The Chimney

When your squirrel friend has finally been removed, you may want to make sure that something like this won’t happen again. It is a good idea to install a chimney cap or cover.

These will help keep rain out of your chimney, but also stop a Squirrel or any other kind of critter from taking up residence in your fireplace again.

You’ll want to make sure that the chimney cap you chose properly fits your house. AAAC Wildlife Removal has a lot of experience placing and fitting chimney caps for this exact purpose. Give us a call!

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