Squirrel, Raccoon, or Swift — We Identify Before We Remove
Species and location are identified first — every time, on every call. The removal method matches what’s actually in your flue, and the cap goes on the same day to end the cycle.
Something Is Moving Inside Your Chimney — Here's What to Do First
Identify the species and location before any removal begins. That single step determines everything else.
You hear it behind the damper plate. Or inside the wall next to the fireplace. A scratching sound that starts and stops. Maybe a low rustle that moves around. You don’t know what it is yet — and that’s exactly the right place to start.
Chimney animal intrusion — the entry of a live animal into a chimney flue, smoke chamber, or surrounding chase structure — is common in New York City. Animals enter through uncapped flue openings looking for shelter, warmth, or a nesting site. What they find is an enclosed vertical shaft. For most species, the smooth liner walls of a standard NYC chimney make climbing back out impossible. The animal is now inside the system, and the correct response depends entirely on two things: what species it is, and where exactly it is inside the structure.
At Prime Chimney, the tech identifies both before anything else happens.
NYC's Building Stock Creates Specific Animal Entry Conditions
Tree canopy directly above uncapped flues gives raccoons and squirrels a direct access point.
Eastern Queens neighborhoods — Jamaica, Hollis, and St. Albans — have some of the densest mature tree canopy in the five boroughs. Branches overhang rooftops and sit within a short jump of open flue tops. Raccoons and squirrels in these neighborhoods don’t need to climb the chimney from street level. They step from a branch onto the chimney crown and drop into the flue opening.
In NYC attached buildings, a multi-flue shared stack — a chimney structure containing two or more separate flue channels running side by side within the same masonry — is common in Brooklyn and Queens row houses. An animal moving between flue openings at the top of a shared stack can be heard in more than one unit. Neighbors start calling each other. Nobody’s sure which apartment the sound is coming from. The tech sorts that out from the roof before any removal begins.
Why We Identify the Species Before We Touch Anything
Species determines the removal method. Getting that wrong creates a bigger problem than the animal itself.
A chimney call that sounds like a squirrel can turn out to be a raccoon with a litter of young in the smoke chamber — the corbelled transition zone directly above the firebox throat. A squirrel removal approach on that job would be wrong, would be slow, and would not address the young that need staged removal before the mother can be redirected out.
The trapped vs. nesting distinction matters more than almost anything else on an animal removal job. Each scenario calls for its own approach.
Trapped
How it entered: accidentally fell or climbed into the flue and cannot climb back out — smooth liner walls block return. What’s needed: extraction and release, from the firebox end or the flue top, depending on where in the system it is. Cap installation: same day, to prevent the next animal from finding the same entry point.
Nesting (May Include Young)
How it entered: deliberately, looking for shelter. Has claimed the space. May have young — raccoon-in-chimney calls in NYC, particularly in spring, almost always do. What’s needed: staged removal — young first, adult exits second. Cap installation: same day. Capping before the young are out creates a mortality and odor problem that lasts months.
Protected · Migratory Bird Treaty Act
How it entered: chimney swifts deliberately nest inside flues during nesting season. What’s needed: the tech confirms species on site. If swifts are actively nesting, the visit documents the location, the homeowner receives a specific return window after the season ends, and no removal attempt is made. That is the legally correct outcome under federal law.
A trapped animal entered the flue accidentally and cannot climb back out. A nesting animal entered deliberately and will try to return to the same location after removal — because that’s how nesting behavior works. The entry point has to be capped, or the situation repeats within one season.
What Happens After the Animal Is Removed
Post-removal cap installation is the step that ends the cycle permanently.
Every chimney animal removal Prime Chimney completes includes a conversation about the flue entry point. An uncapped flue top is the same access point the next animal will find. Post-removal cap installation — placing a properly fitted cap over the flue opening — closes that access permanently.
Many homeowners ask whether the smell goes away after removal. It depends on what was in there and how long. Nesting material — twigs, feathers, organic debris — left in the flue can produce odor even after the animal is gone. The tech will note on site whether a follow-up cleaning is needed to remove residual nest material and restore draft airflow.
Our Standards for Animal Removal Jobs
Every job starts with identification. Every job ends with the entry point sealed.
Species Identification First
Sound, season, building type, and flue configuration all factor in before any cap is removed or damper opened. The species call determines everything else.
Location Confirmation
Above the damper, below it, in the smoke chamber, or moving between flues in a shared stack? The tech sorts that out before any removal begins.
Removal Method Matched to Species
Trapped animal extraction differs from nesting removal and from staged removal of a litter. The approach matches what’s actually in the flue.
Nest Material Assessment
Organic debris left inside the flue after removal affects draft and can produce odor. Documented and flagged for follow-up cleaning if present.
Cap Installation at the Flue Entry Point
Performed the same day as removal to prevent re-entry before the next season. The uncapped flue is the same access point the next animal finds.
Multi-Unit Coordination Where Applicable
In attached row houses and co-op buildings, neighboring units are factored into the localization step. The animal may have been heard in more than one apartment.
Hearing Sounds in the Flue? Get an Assessment Today.
Species identification, location confirmation, and same-day cap installation. Call (347) 801-0260 — 24/7 dispatch across all five NYC boroughs.
How a Chimney Animal Removal Visit Works
Roof Assessment First
The tech starts at the roof. The flue top is inspected for cap condition, entry point evidence, and species indicators — scratch marks on the crown, nesting material visible at the opening, or audible sound from the flue top that confirms location. Building type matters: a single-family detached house in Jamaica has direct roof access; a Bed-Stuy co-op may require superintendent coordination before the crew goes up. Back inside, the damper area is assessed from the firebox end. What the tech hears and sees at the damper face — fresh soot disturbance, debris fall, or sound direction — confirms whether the animal is above or below the smoke shelf.
Removal Sequence
Removal method is selected based on species, location, and nesting status. Trapped animals are extracted from whichever end of the system is accessible and appropriate for the species. Nesting removals involving young follow a staged sequence: young first, adult redirected out, flue top sealed. The damper is not opened from inside the room during an active removal — that direction creates direct contact between an agitated animal and the living space.
After the Visit
Cap installation is completed at the flue entry point before the crew leaves. If nest material was identified inside the flue during the removal, the homeowner receives a written note on condition and a recommendation for follow-up cleaning. Flue sweeping is a separate scope from wildlife removal — different equipment, different safety considerations, scheduled as a distinct visit.
Areas We Serve
Prime Chimney removes animals from chimneys across all five NYC boroughs.
We serve Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island — including the tree-lined neighborhoods of eastern Queens where raccoon and squirrel activity at rooftop flue openings is highest.
We dispatch from our Brooklyn base at 919 E. 29th St. and are available 24/7 for urgent animal removal calls. Call (347) 801-0260.
Ready to Get the Animal Out?
Call Prime Chimney for a same-day assessment — species identification included.
If you’re hearing sounds inside your flue or from the wall beside the fireplace, call us directly at (347) 801-0260. We’ll identify what’s in there, where it is, and what the correct removal approach is — before any cap comes off or any panel gets opened.
Frequently Asked Questions
Animal removal calls move ahead of routine scheduling. We dispatch from our Brooklyn base at 919 E. 29th Street and operate 24/7 for urgent calls. On a typical call, the conversation covers what you’re hearing, where in the building you’re hearing it, your borough, and any building access details (single-family with direct roof access vs. co-op or condo where superintendent coordination may be needed). The crew confirms the dispatch window with you on the call. Same-day means the assessment — species identification, location confirmation, and the removal-method decision — happens on the day you call when scheduling permits.
Sometimes, but more often not. For most species, the smooth liner walls of a standard NYC chimney make climbing back out impossible — so a trapped animal that goes quiet hasn’t necessarily left. It may be exhausted, dehydrated, or in distress. The tech can confirm what’s actually in the flue with a roof-top inspection and a damper-area check from the firebox end. If the chimney is genuinely empty, you still need to know how the animal got in originally, because the same entry point will be used again. A post-assessment cap installation is what closes the cycle whether or not the original animal is still present.
Chimney swifts are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. If the tech confirms active swift nesting during the assessment visit, no removal attempt is made. That is the legally correct outcome regardless of homeowner preference. The visit documents the location, and you receive a specific return window for after nesting season ends — that’s when the cap can be installed and the flue restored to use without the protected nest still inside. Until then, the right thing to do is leave the flue alone. Swifts don’t damage the flue and they exit on their own at the end of the season.
It depends on what was in there and how long. A trapped animal removed quickly with no nesting material leaves little to no odor behind. A nesting situation — twigs, feathers, organic debris accumulated over weeks or months — can produce odor even after the animal itself is gone. If nest material is identified during the removal, the tech notes it on site and recommends a follow-up cleaning. Flue sweeping is a separate scope from wildlife removal: different equipment, different safety considerations, scheduled as a distinct visit. The cleaning removes the residual material and restores normal draft airflow.
The cap doesn’t close the flue — it covers the flue opening at the top with a screen-and-roof design that allows combustion gases and smoke to exit normally while preventing animals, debris, and rain from entering. It’s a standard exterior chimney component on most NYC homes, and the absence of one is what created the entry point in the first place. After removal, installing a properly fitted cap is the step that ends the cycle. Without it, the same access point remains open and the situation repeats within one season — often within weeks. Call (347) 801-0260 — we’ll schedule the assessment and the cap installation in the same visit.
© Prime Chimney Sweep & Repair · 919 E. 29th St., Brooklyn, NY 11210 · (347) 801-0260 · Licensed & insured · Serving all 5 NYC boroughs 24/7.