Do not light a fire, do not try to smoke it out, and keep the damper and the fireplace doors shut so it cannot come down into the room. A raccoon in a chimney is very often a mother with young sitting on the smoke shelf above the damper, and she will not leave them. The way out is to remove the raccoon and any young alive from the chimney, then put a sturdy cap on the top so it cannot happen again. Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests does both. Call 713-775-8799.
Why would a raccoon move into a chimney?
To a raccoon, an uncapped chimney looks like a ready-made den: a dark, narrow shaft that is dry, out of the wind, and high above dogs and people. The smoke shelf, the ledge just above the damper, is flat enough to nest on. In late winter and spring, mothers look for exactly this kind of place to have their young. A fireplace that is rarely used in the Houston area makes the chimney even quieter.
How do I know it is a raccoon and not something else?
Several animals use chimneys. The sounds and the time of day usually tell them apart.
| What you notice | When | Likely animal |
|---|---|---|
| Chattering, whimpering or a purring sound from behind the damper | Mostly at night, spring and early summer | Raccoon mother with young |
| Heavy scraping and climbing, or a big shape at the top of the chimney | Dusk and night | Adult raccoon coming and going |
| Fluttering and chirping, twigs falling onto the damper | Early morning and evening | Birds nesting in the flue |
| Quick scratching that goes quiet after dark | Daytime | Squirrel that fell in or is nesting |
| Rustling and squeaks right at sunset | Dusk | Bats |
If you can see muddy handprints on the chimney brick outside, or scratched-up flashing at the top, that points to a raccoon climbing in and out.
What should I not do?
- Do not light a fire or burn anything. Smoke can kill young that cannot climb out, and a panicked adult may come down into the house instead of going up.
- Do not open the damper to look. A raccoon can drop straight into the firebox and into the room.
- Do not cap the chimney yet. Capping it with a raccoon inside traps the animal, and it will either die there or tear through the damper to get out.
- Do not reach in or try to grab it. Keep children and pets out of the room, and never handle a raccoon, even one that looks calm.
- Do not use poison. A dead animal in a chimney is a smell that comes down into the house and is hard to reach.
How does Michael get a raccoon out of a chimney?
He looks at the chimney from the roof and from the firebox, and checks whether there are young on the smoke shelf. If the mother is alone, he uses a live cage trap or a one-way door at the top of the flue, a fitting that lets the raccoon climb out but not back in. If there are young, he removes them too, so none are left behind in the flue. The raccoons are removed alive and handled following Texas rules. Then he checks the rest of the roofline, because a raccoon that lost the chimney will try the soffits and vents next.
Call 713-775-8799 before you try anything at the fireplace, so the raccoon does not end up in the living room.
Why is a chimney cap part of the job?
Taking the raccoon out without closing the chimney leaves an open den on top of your house. The scent stays behind, and the next raccoon in the area will find it, sometimes within weeks. Trapping alone does not fix that. A heavy, screened chimney cap fastened to the flue tile or the crown is what keeps the next one out. It is one piece of animal exclusion: remove every animal alive, then seal every way in, and repair what they damaged.
When should I call?
Call the day you hear it. The longer a raccoon stays, the more nest material piles up on the damper and the more the young grow, which makes them harder to get out together. The raccoon removal page explains the whole process. If you are in The Woodlands, where trees often reach over the roof, see raccoon removal in The Woodlands.
Raccoon in your chimney? Call or text Michael at 713-775-8799.
Questions people ask about raccoons in the chimney
Will the raccoon leave my chimney on its own?
A single adult raccoon may move on, but it often comes back, and a mother with young will stay until they are old enough to climb out. Waiting also lets nest material and droppings build up on the damper. The safer path is getting the raccoon and any young out alive and then capping the chimney so the den is closed for good.
Can I just put a chimney cap on right now?
Not until you know the chimney is empty. A cap put on with a raccoon or young still inside traps them. The mother will fight to get back to her young, and an animal shut in will either die in the flue or come down through the damper. Michael makes sure every animal is out first, then fastens the cap.
Is it safe to use my fireplace after the raccoon is gone?
Not right away. Raccoons leave nest material, leaves and droppings on the smoke shelf, and that can block the flue or catch fire. Once the animals are out and the cap is on, have the flue cleaned and checked before you light a fire. Michael will tell you what he saw on the smoke shelf when he removed the animals.
