Problem: Squirrel in Fireplace Insert!

Bob Chilcoat · 2004-01-21T05:02:48+00:00

Last week I was cleaning up after lunch when I heard a noise in the familyroom. Went in and heard something scraping around in the fireplace flue."Crap, a bird must have gotten in there." mutters I. As I'm looking inthrough the glass doors of the fireplace insert, suddenly something big andblack jumps down from the smoke shelf and bangs into the glass, trying toget out. Scares the crap out of me! Great, a very dirty squirrel.After some observation and thought, while it kept climbing up inside andscraping around, apparently trying to climb back up the chimney, I decidethat it ain't getting out itself, so I've got to capture it without lettingit escape into the house. (I can just see myself explaining sooty animaltracks all over the house.) I check that the insert doors are well closed,and then head for Ace hardware, where I buy a "Havahart" cage trap. When Iget home, however, there is no sign of the squirrel. I bang on the metal,open and close the damper, but get no response. I decide that it must havebeen able to climb out itself, although I have trouble believing that such afeat is possible. I pack up the unused cage trap with the receipt, so thatI can return it.That evening, my wife lights a fire, after we again bang all over the insertand get no response from the squirrel. After about an hour, with a nicefire now going in the fireplace, we suddenly hear the scratching again!Crap, now we're cooking the little bastard. Oh well, that's one way to fixthe problem.The next morning, as I'm sitting in my chair reading the paper, suddenly thesquirrel reappears inside the insert, now cooled down. This time he'sreally desperate to get out. He's quite agitated, and spends most of histime scratching at the glass. Eventually he disappears up inside somewhereagain. I bait the cage trap with some peanut butter, set it, close off mostof the rest of the house in case he gets free when I open the insert door,put on some gloves, and very carefully open the door and...

Jan 21, 2004 40 Replies

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Gunner scribed in :

on our 130km trip yesterday we saw at least 5 kestrels and 1 lanner falcon. all hunting over or sitting on the phone lines along the road. my wife is nuts over raptors, so they all get counted....

I've had an owl on a glove, but it wasn't allowed to fly. just a quick demo. owls are awesome in the way they can move their heads, and the feather coating makes them look 'fat' but you can stick a finger 2nd knuckle deap without finding the owl in there.... esp in the neck area.

swarf, steam and wind

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