Animals Or Birds Scratching & Chirping In Your Chimney? We Can Get Them Out & Keep Them Out!
Many homeowners bypass annual chimney inspections, believing that if they don’t use their fireplace, there is no need to have the chimney inspected and cleaned. Yet the concern here is that birds and other animals often get trapped in chimneys, leading to a scare (should the animal make it down the chimney and into your house) or an unpleasant decaying odor (if the animal dies in the chimney).
Birds, bats, mice, squirrels, raccoons, and even ducks have all been known to make their ways into chimneys. In fact, a bird roosting in a chimney is more common than you may realize. There’s even a bird who gets its name from its roosting habits: The Chimney Swift.
This bird is most common in eastern U.S. cities, where it nests in chimneys in later summer, but they’ve been known to hang out here in the Tulsa area as well. The Chimney Swift is federally protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. That means you’ll want to think twice before trying to remove a bird from your chimney yourself. In fact, if Chimney Swifts are in your chimney, you’ll have to wait for them to leave of their own accord before cleaning and capping the chimney.
As long as your unwanted house guest is not a Chimney Swift, C&C Chimney can provide a solution ASAP. Our team is trained and experienced, and we take great care to protect and humanely capture live animals and remove deceased ones before completely sanitizing your chimney.
In addition, we take appropriate steps to keep the animals from returning, from eliminating their scent to fitting your chimney with a cap.
How Do Birds & Other Animals Get Into My Chimney?
Having a properly installed chimney cap with mesh screening on its sides goes a long way in preventing animals from entering your chimney. The mesh holes are small enough to keep animals out of your chimney and big enough to allow smoke and its byproducts to escape.
A cap can also improve draft and keep rain and moisture out of your chimney flue, preventing the damaging cracks caused by the freeze/thaw cycle. It’s a minor expense and a simple installation that can save you thousands in repairs and damages down the line.
If you don’t have a chimney cap, it’s most likely that birds and other small animals like bats and squirrels mistake your chimney for a big, hollow tree and set up house, having their babies in the flue.
Others accidentally become trapped in the dark chimney, making desperate attempts to get out, and exhausting or injuring themselves. You might have heard chirping or scratching sounds coming from your flue, or maybe your chimney didn’t seem to properly ventilate the last time you used it.
These animals drop their fecal matter into your fireplace, which can lead to the fungal infection histoplasmosis. They could also carry mites, ticks, and other parasites that can make their way into your home and cause human and pet health issues.
Inexperienced homeowners should not try to remove stuck animals on their own. If you believe there’s an animal in your chimney, do not build a fire. Keep the damper closed (so the critter doesn’t drop into your fireplace) and call a professional.
After removing the animals, C&C Chimney will clean, disinfect, and deodorize the chimney so you can enjoy a cleaner, more pleasant home.
We’ll Take Care Of All The Critters Stuck In Your Chimney
Do you think you may have animals or birds in your chimney or fireplace? Our technicians can help. We’ll humanely remove any animals or birds, disinfect and deodorize the chimney, sweep the flue, clean out the smoke chamber, and make sure your chimney is up to code and fire safe.
Keeping your chimney clean of debris, animals, and birds ensures air flows properly and makes a chimney fire in your home less likely. If you think you may have a chimney tenant, call us today at 918-396-8296, or schedule an inspection online. We’re here to help!
Our chimney cleaning services include removing unsightly stains from your fireplace with Paint ‘N’ Peel Stain Remover. Let us restore the appearance of your current fireplace today.