Squirrel in chimney?

[mrong]

Greeting,

I have a wood fireplace in my family room which hasn't been used for couple years. Last Sunday I heard some scratching noise came out of it. The flue is alway closed so I am not sure what is in there...a squirrel or bird? This morning I tried to scare it again but no reaction. Please suggest the best thing to do at this point.

Thanks in advance.

[marksr]

If the critter isn't able to go back up the chimney, you'll need to let it out [and be prepared to capture it] from the bottom. A screen at the top of the chimney will prevent reoccurrence. We had a squirrel come down our chimney when I was a kid. The squirrel didn't do any damage but my mother sure did while fending him off with a broom

[Pilot Dane]

A coarse screen needs to be installed at the top of the chimney to prevent animals from entering but I suppose you've already realized that. The fun part is the animal that's in there now. Best would be when you are home for a day to pay careful attention and try and learn when the animal is gone. It has to leave sometime for food & water. If you can close off the chimney top when it's gone you are set. You want to move quick before they have babies which will not leave during the day and your problem gets worse.

[Wayne Mitchell]

A couple of years ago I was cleaning my chimney and I dropped the chimney cap from the rooftop. It got dinged up so I put it in the garage until I could fix it. You know how that goes.

Within a couple of months we had a couple of birds, a squirrel and the last straw a very large and frightened owl.

If you have a bird try to catch it with a net of sopme sort. With our 1st chimney bird I simply opened the doors and all the windows and when he flew out of the fireplace I planned on encouraging him to leave with a broom. Wrong move - picture a blackened, soot stained bird bouncing off our nice white ceiling as he tried to escape.
The squirrel was easy. I put a Hav A Hart trap in the fireplace baited with some peanuts. I caught him within a couple of hours.
The owl was dicey. The large beak and claws made me wary.
I ended up putting a large plastic storage bin in the fireplace. I closed and covered the doors and in a while he landed in the bin. I used a flashlight in his eyes to confuse him while I put the lid on the bin and carried him outside none the worse for wear.

[mci772]

It could be a bird or a bat. Their really isn't an easy way to do it. You will just have to open the fire place and I would suggest opening all doors and nearby windows so it can escape. Having the chimney blocked off if it's not being used is something you definitely want to do.