Raccoon In My Chimney, Now What?

Raccoons often make their way into your attic to den, but what happens when they den inside of your chimney? This can be a tricky situation for any homeowner depending on the condition, style, and configuration of your chimney. Read more for tips on what to do if you're faced with a chimney trash panda.

Key Points

1. The raccoon picked your house for a few reasons. Likely due to an open chimney and an environment that the raccoon thrives in surrounding your home.

2. Calling a professional is your best option, but you can trap yourself using a few different methods.

3. Do your research on legal trapping and release methods per your state and local laws and ordinances.

4. Fix any structural damage to your chimney first. Adding wire mesh is a good option for a patch job. However, the best solution is going to be to installing a quality chimney cap.

Why did the raccoon pick my chimney?

There are a few things to consider when trying to answer the question of why a nuisance animal picked your house. For chimneys it usually comes down to these reasons:

1. You do not have a chimney cap

2. You have trees near your home, or even touching your home, that makes it easy for the raccoon to reach the chimney

3. There is a food source nearby the raccoon has access to

Often times, we see at least 2 of these things happening when there is a raccoon in a homeowner's chimney. Yet, sometimes there is just the simple fact that you don't have a chimney cap that could be the cause. Raccoons love places that are high and safe, and a wide open chimney on top of your roof is a perfect spot to den.

What to do if you have a raccoon in your chimney

We highly recommend calling a nuisance animal company if you see a raccoon in your chimney. This way they can professionally assess how many traps are needed, the type of trap that is needed, what type of bait to use, and whether the animal needs to be euthanized. However, if you're insisting on trapping the animal yourself, what follows is a few pointers on what to do.

First, you'll want to close up all food sources the raccoon has available to it. This means putting away your trash cans somewhere the raccoon cannot reach them. Second, place 2-4 traps on the perimeter of your property (make sure these are legal traps per your state and local ordinances). Raccoons walk the property lines often times using the fence as their way to navigate the property. Placing no-kill traps along your fence line is a great way trap a raccoon. Third, because raccoons are extremely smart and at times can outsmart those traps, consider using 2-3 more traps on top of the chimney or inside of the chimney. These can be flue traps or ground traps that cover the holes (or flues) the raccoon is using to get into your chimney (it is highly recommended to call a professional before using this technique as raccoons are extremely aggressive. If you do place these, or any traps yourself, set them during the day when the raccoon is inactive.)

Once you have trapped the animal, you should call a nuisance animal company immediately for pick up. In many states, it is illegal for a homeowner to re-release a raccoon anywhere other than their own property. In other states, it is required by law that the raccoon be euthanized immediately. Make sure you're following your states laws as to avoid any legal repercussions.

What do I do with my chimney?

This really depends on the chimney shape, size, condition, and configuration on the house. If the chimney is in good condition and the homeowner just wants a simple patch job, using metal mesh is a great option. Make sure that the mesh is sealed tight against the chimney because raccoon, birds, and other nuisance animals will make their way into the chimney and not be able to get back out if it is not. It is not recommended to use wire mesh on a chimney that is in less that great condition since it will not be completely sealed.

The best option is a chimney cap. If the chimney has any old brick or cement that is falling apart, make sure to first address the structure of the chimney prior to adding caps. Chimney caps can get expensive and ensuring they are installed properly is crucial. It is worth the investment since they not only protect your home from nuisance animals, but they also protect your home from the elements.

If there is structural damage to the chimney or even old cement work preventing wire mesh or a chimney cap from sitting flush, it is better to contact a professional that specializes in brick or cement work and who can install a chimney cap correctly. Some nuisance animal companies will do this type of work, while others are limited to what type of repairs they are licensed to do on your home. Whatever company you pick, if you want them to do major work on your home, make sure they are licensed to do that specific work.