How to Catch a Squirrel in Your Fireplace
If squirrels get inside the house, they seek sheltered places to hide. Dark, inaccessible places, like fireplaces, look like refuges to a trapped squirrel. Of course, this means removing the squirrel and placing it back outside where it belongs, which is a bit of a challenge. However, even scared and hiding squirrels get hungry eventually. A humane trap baited with something irresistible to squirrels should work if you give it enough time. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
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Hang a length of rope down the chimney into the fireplace before resorting to traps. This enables the squirrel to find its own way out.
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Bait a live trap for squirrels with peanut butter, which nearly all squirrels find delicious. Dried fruit would also work. Angle the open end of the trap into the fireplace.
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Close all doors leading to the room with the fireplace and squirrel, so the squirrel doesn’t find its way into another area even more inaccessible.
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Check the trap every hour until the squirrel gives in and tries to get the peanut butter. If you have to go to bed, check the trap first thing in the morning.
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Release the squirrel elsewhere on your property, preferably as far away from your house as possible. The Humane Society of the United States recommends standing behind the trap during the release, so a bolting squirrel doesn’t run straight into you.
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Fit an animal-proof chimney cap to stop another squirrel becoming trapped in the fireplace. Also, seal up any gaps leading into your home with appropriate materials for your property.
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Tips & Warnings
Do not take the squirrel somewhere else like a park. This is restricted in some areas. It also reduces the squirrel’s chance of survival, as it will have to compete with established populations of squirrels for food.
If the squirrel is nesting in the chimney and has babies, wait until the young are fully grown before excluding them. If you trap the mother, she’ll return almost immediately, and if you fit a chimney cap after trapping, the babies will starve to death. Contact animal control if you are uncertain how to proceed.
