Raccoon in Our Chimney?

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Okay, it isn't bad enough that a rat or mouse has chewed through the water line on our dishwasher and shredded all the insulation into nests. Now i'm hearing big time scratching in the wall on the other side of our fireplace.

We don't have a spark arrester on top of the chimney. i've been meaning to call a company to clean out the chimney and put one on. But i've been busy dealing with the water damage from our chewed up dishwasher. Luckily, we have a large black metal fireplace insert so the critter can't get into the house . . . unless it chews through the wall, which it sounded like it was trying to do tonight.

So now what do i do? Whom does one call to extricate a raccoon from a chimney. It's not the time of year they have babies is it?

 

[miss_jayne]

messing with a coon in the chimney is not to be handled lightly. they can tear your face up, get in the house, and are scarier than a wild dog.

call a local exterminator. they will point you in the right direction. depending on your area, Animal Control MAY help, but most likely you'll have to hire an Animal Wrangler type.


sorry this is happening. they are priceless, the caps. i bought the lifetime warrantied type. very expensive. not one animal down the chimney though!

 

[sunnydee]

Unless your racoon brought their family with them at the time of entry, they won't be "having" babies this time of year. Are you sure it is a racoon? Could it be a squirel or a chipmunk? They can make an awful noise when in walls and ceilings...sounds like a grizly bear chewing!

I would get someone to check it out ASAP! Those little buggers can sure make some damage!

Good Luck!

 

[Cason]

I imagine if you'd just build a fire, they'd get the he!! out of Dodge!

 

[chick_newbie]

We had this problem the year or two after moving to our current house. With me being a forever night owl, I could hear them on the roof and that. Then the neighbor called one night and said that they were sitting on the top of the chimney and that he wanted to shoot at them. DH and him had target practice that night and then we put a cap on the chimney. No problems since then.


I like the idea of building a fire and smoking it out. Wonder if it would work???

 

[miss_jayne]

Quote:
yeah, and half the time, they run DOWN the chimney, jump the fire and into the house!


we used to get birds at the top warming up in the winter. the carbon monoxide would cause them to pass out then wake up in the chimney.

that was always a scream to have them flying around the living room, half stoked and flipping out.

 

[HennysMom]

do NOT light a fire to get it out - you dont know if it built a nest or not in there and you could start a chimney fire! Best thing to do is have a Pest Control company who deals specifically with this type of thing (not like Orkin

) but like Critter Removers come out. My mom just had to have squirrels removed from her house, they got in thru a soffit and into the attic, chewed thru the walls and were running all thru the house and chimney due to no cap. WORST thing you can do is start a fire - especially if you havent had your chimney inspected in a while or lit in a long time.

Raccoons are nasty buggers - dont mess with them, you get bit, you're going to be verrrryy sorry, especially if they have to quarentine you for possible rabies or you have to go thru shots just in case! Not fun...

 

[SierraMA]

Last year I had a raccoon in my attic. Totally freaked me out. I heard this scratching from the attic. My boyfriend went up to the attic and peered in and there where 6 bright eyes looking at him. I had a broken vent and yes there were 2 babies. I went on the internet and read that they don't like light and talking. It recommended that you put on a talk radio station like Rush Limbaugh (that would chase anyone out) all day and also to put on a light. So I put a portable radio and a lamp up in the attic. Guess what, it took those babies and left. Then my boyfriend went and boarded the vent until we could buy a new one. I had called a pest control place who said that it would cost me $150 to remove the raccoon and more to remove the babies if he could get at them. A friend of mine had the same problem with his chimney and he did the same thing and put a light and radio in the fireplace and the raccoon left. Then he put a cap on the chimney.

 

[setter4]

My SIL had an awful noise in their wood burner and when she open the door of the wood out popped a soot covered full grown mallard duck...at a MESS!!

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Wow, some interesting stories here for sure! i honestly don't know what is in there. But i hear the most noise in the evening. Perhaps that is when whatever-it-is is trying to get out to look for food? That's what makes me think raccoon. Were it squirrels, wouldn't i hear them in there during the day? We have a ton of grey squirrels in our yard during the day.

Those critter removal companies are expensive. i priced one out several months back when we had raccoons waltzing through our yard. It was going to be hundreds.

Now, i've heard of playing loud music or talk radio to irritate them out. But then i would have to listen to Rush Limbaugh all day, too.

i don't know. Have to do something today. Guess i will start with the radio, and then call the chimney cleaning folks and see if they will get up on the roof and take a peek. Wish me luck!