Animals in Your Big Rock Chimney? Here’s What to Do

Scratching, chirping or rustling from the chimney usually means an animal has moved in. It is common in Big Rock, especially on rural and wooded properties, and there is a right way — and several wrong ways — to handle it.

Why it happens

An uncapped flue is, to a raccoon, squirrel or bird, an ideal hollow tree: sheltered, warm and safe from predators. Chimney swifts and starlings nest inside, and raccoons in particular will den in a flue to raise young in spring. Nearly every animal call we get is a chimney with no cap, or one whose cheap cap rusted through.

Don’t light a fire

It sounds obvious under pressure, but never try to smoke an animal out. It is inhumane, it often does not work, and a panicked animal can injure itself or make the blockage worse. Nesting material is also flammable, so a fire with a nest in the flue is a genuine hazard.

Don’t seal it in

Closing the damper traps the animal inside, where it can die and create a far bigger problem — odor, insects and a real mess to remove. The goal is to get the animal out safely, or confirm it has left, and then keep it from coming back.

The permanent fix

Once the flue is confirmed clear, a proper stainless cap with sturdy, correctly sized mesh keeps birds, squirrels and raccoons out for good, while still venting smoke freely and meeting spark-arrestor requirements. Cheap caps with thin or oversized mesh fail on both counts, which is why material and fit matter.

We clear and cap

We make sure the flue is empty, then install a cap sized to your chimney so it does not happen again. For the wooded, rural properties around Big Rock where wildlife pressure is high, a quality cap is the single most effective step against the recurring headache of animals in the flue.

Why spring is prime nesting season

Animal calls spike in spring, and it is no coincidence. Raccoons in particular seek out dark, sheltered spaces to den and raise their young, and an uncapped flue is ideal — which means a mother and a litter, not a single easy-to-remove animal. Birds like chimney swifts also nest in spring and are federally protected while doing so, which complicates removal. The lesson is to cap the chimney before nesting season, not during it. A stainless cap installed in fall or winter keeps your Big Rock chimney off the wildlife real-estate market entirely, avoiding a far more complicated situation later.

Published October 6, 2026 · Imperial Chimney Sweepers, DeKalb, IL