Rat Nest In Chimney
You may hear scratching as they go about their daily routine but frantic scratching may indicate that they are trapped.
Rat nest in chimney. Cap the chimney you should install a mesh covered chimney cap to keep small rodents from entering. Small animals such as mice rats and squirrels will also build nests in the chimney. Without a damper in place rodents will climb down chimneys into the home. If we had been asked to treat or remove this wasp nest a few years ago then one person would have done it by putting a ladder up to the gutter level and aiming a jet of insecticide into the chimney pot.
Norway rats can also enter your chimney from the ground level and find little shelves to nest on. For a small rodent a chimney may resemble a hollow tree which can be an ideal place to build a nest. To help prevent rats from entering your home through the chimney inspect your fireplace carefully for any holes and properly seal the ones you find. You should also have a professional inspect your roof and chimney for potential entry points.
The nest is in the chimney stack of a 40 year old 2 bedroom semi detached house. Rats sometimes carry disease and cause property damage so getting them out of the fireplace is ideal. While squirrels rarely infest chimneys themselves the pests may nest in metal chimney boxes see picture below. If you start a fire in your fireplace and notice heavy smoke and a strong smell it could be a rat nest burning in the chimney.
Removing squirrels from your chimney or fireplace signs of squirrels in or around chimneys. Rats make nests by gathering debris into the narrow space of the flue of your fireplace. When selecting places to construct nests squirrels typically look for secluded areas off the ground with plenty of cover.