Raccoons, nesting birds, and squirrels treat an open flue like a hollow tree. We get them out humanely, clean up what they left behind, and cap the chimney so they never move back in.
Pinecrest's oak and banyan the heavy oak canopy is a signature of this area, and it is also a wildlife highway that runs directly over the roof. To a raccoon, an uncapped flue looks like a hollow tree — dark, sheltered, and out of reach of predators — and mother raccoons in particular den in chimneys through the spring. Chimney swifts glue cup-shaped nests to flue walls. Raccoons drop in while working the canopy and cannot always climb back out. The scratching, rustling, and chittering homeowners hear behind the damper almost always traces to one of these three, and the sounds are only half the problem: nesting material stacked in a flue blocks draft and holds odor long after the animal is gone.
We handle these situations humanely, which starts with correctly identifying the animal, because the right answer differs. Raccoons respond to eviction and one-way exclusion. A squirrel that fell in needs a way out, not a waiting game. Some nesting birds — chimney swifts among them — are federally protected, so the nest stays until the young fledge and the flue is sealed afterward. Once the chimney is empty, we remove the nesting material, droppings, and debris that choke draft, then close the entry for good with a screened stainless cap and sealed gaps. The estimate is written and free, and it covers removal, cleanup, and prevention together.
One-way exclusion and patient methods matched to the animal, so raccoons, squirrels, and birds leave alive and under their own power.
Nests, droppings, feathers, and shed material escape down the flue and smoke shelf, restoring draft and removing the source of the odor.
A stainless cap with mesh screening closes the flue against the next visitor without choking airflow, sized to the flue it protects.
We close gaps at the chase, crown, and flashing that let smaller animals bypass the cap entirely.
We determine what is in the flue, where it sits, and whether young are present, because the humane approach depends on the answer.
Exclusion and one-way methods let the animal leave on its own; protected nesting birds are left to fledge before the flue is closed.
Nesting debris comes out, the flue is cleared so it drafts again, and a screened cap plus sealed entry points keep wildlife from returning.
Free written estimates · Upfront pricing · Same-day service available
No. We use eviction and exclusion methods that let the animal leave under its own power, and we time the work around dependent young when they are present. We are not a wildlife rehabilitation service — the goal is simply to get the animal out unharmed and keep the chimney closed to the next one.
An open flue reads as a hollow tree to canopy wildlife, and Pinecrest's oak and banyan cover puts steady traffic of raccoons, squirrels, and birds directly over most roofs. An uncapped or poorly screened chimney is simply the easiest den on the street. Once it is capped and sealed, that invitation disappears.
Please don't. Smoke and heat can kill trapped animals, and dry nesting material packed in the flue can ignite, turning a nuisance into a chimney fire. Call us instead — removal is faster and safer for both the house and the animal.
Part of our Chimney Cap Installation work in Pinecrest and across south Miami-Dade County.