Animals can carry diseases and you want to keep them out of your home. The bad thing about most chimneys is once an animal gets down the chimney there is no way to get out except through the damper when you open it. In masonry chimneys at the bottom of the chimney is the smoke chamber. Think of an inverted funnel. That is what the area above the damper resembles. Once an animal gets down the chimney it is nearly impossible for it to get out. the damper is the only route out.
Remember the Ray Stevens song, Mississippi Squirrel Revival? **See note below.
The day the squirrel went berserk,
In the First Self-Righteous Church
in that sleepy little town of Pascagoula?
Well let me tell you ... you ain't seen nothing 'til you have a soot-covered squirrel loose in your house. Curtains, walls, floors, tables, you name it are all thrown asunder as the sweet little, filthy-and no longer cute-squirrel, tries to find a way out of your house.
If it doesn't get out and dies in there whew wee .....................You won't notice anything until the odor overwhelms you and the flies and maggots infest your chimney. I can not overstate the odor becasue it is horrific. We routinely receive calls from homeowners in tears from the gagging, awful smell. But, happily, if you happen to notice a live animal trapped in the chimney, chances are we can get them out safely. Or if it's too late, we will remove the carcass and deodorize the chimney to eliminate the horrific odor. Our deodorant does not mask the smell but devours it and leaves the pleasant smell of bubble gum or our newestscent-a hint of green apple.
If the animal/bird is trapped in a modern prefab chimney we are talking a whole different ball game. We will have to discuss the ramifications of this with you personally so as to not offend any readers.
Animals and birds in chimneys are not everyday occurrences but it happens more often than it should. The simple use of a chimney cap will stop the problem at its source or some properly placed hardware cloth, and help save wildlife at the same time. Do your part in protecting your home and wildlife by installing a chimney cap . That is the humane way to prevent this occurrence.
A chimney cap is the only safe way to preserve your chimney and fireplace and keep the birds out. The primary occupant of the chimneys in this area is the chimney swift. This migratory bird inhabits the chimneys only long enough to hatch a new family and then it is on its way to Mexico or Canada on its migratory path.
* Psst! Did you know it is against federal law for anyone to remove the nests of the chimney swift? This very plentiful bird migrates from Peru to the northern U.S. and Canada and calls Texas chimneys home as they hatch young birds on the way. All migratory birds are on the protected species list therefore the protection. The good thing is they are only in your chimney for 6 weeks at the most and only the last two weeks are the most noticeable when the little peepers sound like rattlesnakes as mom brings back food to the nest. They are harmless if left alone and will leave on their own accord for another year. After they leave is the perfect time to prevent their noisy return by calling us to install a chimney cap or cover. The truth is, animals and birds are the least of your concern with an uncapped chimney. Allowing rain to go down your chimney will cause terrible financial pain to you when the chimney starts to deteriorate due to water damage. We have seen many instances of people foolishly thinking they have solved the problem of keeping out pests by installing a screen on the chimney. It stops the pests alright but gives them false security as the rain just pours in and they don't know they have a problem until it is seriously in bad shape.
**Sadly we must inform you that it is our opinion that Ray Stevens' Mississippi Squirrel is dead. We are located in Central Texas and one day got a phone call from a lady in distress in Pascagoula, Mississippi. She tearfully(tears from the awful smell) explained she had a dead squirrel in her chimney and wanted us to come get it out at no charge(go figure). She asked if we were in Mississippi. We said no, try Texas. Well the area code was close she said. Anyway we suggested another sweep for her to call and never heard another word from her.
No we did not do a DNA check butwe think this might have been the squirrel Ray Stevens sang about. If not, it surely had to have been a descendant. Well, at least it was in Mississippi and it was in Pascagoula and it was a squirrel. So there - that proves it.(That analogy sounds like a politician's doesn't it?) No I am not running for political office of any kind.