Rat Nest In Chimney

Without a damper in place rodents will climb down chimneys into the home.

Rat nest in chimney.

The nest is in the chimney stack of a 40 year old 2 bedroom semi detached house. For a small rodent a chimney may resemble a hollow tree which can be an ideal place to build a nest. The chimney is not a large one. You should also have a professional inspect your roof and chimney for potential entry points.

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. Rats sometimes carry disease and cause property damage so getting them out of the fireplace is ideal. Occasionally even a larger mammal like a raccoon may decide to take up residence. 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.

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. Small animals such as mice rats and squirrels will also build nests in the chimney. You may hear scratching as they go about their daily routine but frantic scratching may indicate that they are trapped. Keep the damper closed when the fireplace is not in use.

Norway rats can also enter your chimney from the ground level and find little shelves to nest on. Cap the chimney you should install a mesh covered chimney cap to keep small rodents from entering. Removing squirrels from your chimney or fireplace signs of squirrels in or around chimneys.