Raccoons are a common occurrence inside chimneys. They can cause plenty of damage to your home and harbor diseases!

This may have you wondering, how to get raccoons out of your chimney?

Many think that they can just light the fire and the animals will scurry away, or remove them themselves. This is a major problem and below are reasons why!

poorly kept chimney can lead to animals, especially racoons getting in!

 

Do raccoons go down chimneys?

Raccoons can be very cute animals! They can be little rascals and often, they can find their way into your home. This can be inside your attic, garage, and even a chimney!

 

Raccoons typically live inside hollowed-out trees where they will make nests.

 

If you have ever seen a chimney, you will note that it is a hollowed-out tube. Typically, they are actually a tube within a tube. This makes it the perfect home for raccoons!

Signs you may have a raccoon inside your chimney

There are a few signs that there might be a raccoon inside your chimney. 

  • Chattering or scratching noises coming from your fireplace
  • Damage to the chimney cap
  • Damage to your roof 
  • Raccoon sightings on roof

Raccoons can harbor diseases and cause damage to your home. This makes it imperative that you call a professional out to your home to remedy the situation. 

 

Raccoons will raise their young inside your chimneys and create havoc around your home. They may even make their way inside your home!

 

Raccoons can sometimes harbor rabies, distemper, and parasites. Some of these can transmit to humans and cause death or illness! While these bandits may be cute, they can be deadly. 

 

A raccoon adult is around 10 to 20lbs and can run fast. They have sharp teeth and claws that can do damage to you or your pets.

 

Rabies is the main concern when dealing with raccoons. Rabies is a virus that attacks the central nervous system and eventually leads to death. It is spread through the saliva of the infected individual and then into wounds on the victim. 

 

Symptoms of rabies include:

  • Staggering
  • Foaming of the mouth
  • Erratic behavior like loud vocalizations and self-harm

If you see a raccoon that is seemingly sick, do not approach and call a professional for assistance!

 

Hiring a professional to remove nuisance animals is the right thing to do. This not only protects you but also the animals. 

Example of a mother racoon protecting her babies inside of a chimney

What will scare away raccoons?

Raccoons can be scared off with loud noises but other than that, not much else will work. Raccoon proofing your home once they discover a way in is the best course of action to take against these pesky critters. 

 

Keeping up any food and having a raccoon-proof trash can is another way to stop them from staying around.

Smoking out raccoons

Never do this! Not only is it a cruel thing to do, but they will die inside your chimney. This can create awful smells inside your chimney and home.

Being cruel is not a nice thing to do to raccoons so it is best to just call a professional to remove your raccoon promptly!