Our damper in the fireplace is broken so the raccoon guys, as I like to call them, had to make up something to try to keep the damper closed so they could pull the raccoon up from the top of the chimney. They show up Wednesday afternoon and now there are two of them as one needs to be on the roof and one in the family room. They make a bunch of noise to scare her up into the chimney. We take a peek in the fireplace and no raccoon. The damper gets secured and then they fish a line from the roof down the chimney. They can't see her in the chimney so they thought that she was sitting on the smoke shelf up above the damper. One guys stays on the roof and the other comes into the family room to scare her farther up the chimney so they can grab her. I end up holding the barricade for the guy so I am standing right beside the fireplace. I am looking into the firebox and thinking that all the debris in the back kinda looks like a raccoon face...how funny. While I am laughing to myself, the raccoon peeks her head out from the side of the firebox through a tiny little vent at the side. I scream......and scare her and the raccoon guy!!! She had been hiding the whole time and was NEVER up in the chimney. We put the barricade back and the raccoon guy goes out to the truck to get something. I am holding the barricade!! I is at this point that the raccoon decides to freak out and get out of the fireplace NOW. She starts banging on the barricade and sticking her paws under the wood to try to get out. I am the only one there and I am kicking at the barricade with my feet, I only have flip flops on. Not the recommended footwear for raccoon catching. I have visions of being mauled by a really angry raccoon.
So now we have a damper that is wired shut and a raccoon trapped in the firebox with only one way out, through my house!! They ended up going in and grabbing her with their gloved hands and a noose and dragging her out. She did manage to bite one one the guys twice but they have Kevlar gloves on so no damage done. She was very tired and went to sleep in the cage. She was reunited with her babies and after a couple of days together they will be released together way out in the country somewhere far from here. I am glad that they are back together....even more glad that they are not together in my chimney.
The Barricade
They raccoon guy didn't charge me any more than his original quote, the one where she was supposed to just go into the crate on the chimney. I though that was very nice of him considering all that had to be done to get her out. Both guys said that they have been doing this for a long time and have never run into a raccoon like this one. This stuff only happens to us :)
On the Roof
The Aftermath
Rocky the Raccoon
Now back to packing.....we leave in 4 more sleeps :)
I finally got a chance to see this!!!!!! FUNNY!!!
ReplyDeleteWell, in the end, all's fine for your family as the raccoon was removed from your fireplace and still alive. Those furry animals may look like good household pests, but they are certain to cause a ruckus when kept inside. So it's best to get rid them by capturing them and setting them off in the wild. Anyway, did the raccoon guys also fix up the chimneys so that raccoons won't come back?
ReplyDeleteRaccoons will often use the roof to try to gain access to the house or attic. As a result, they often tear off shingles or chew holes into fascia boards. They only need to create a small opening to get inside. If they find a small opening, they can enlarge it. They’ve been known to rip off rooftop ventilators to get into the attic. If raccoons are causing damage to your home or yard, you need to contact a company that specializes in control of nuisance wildlife. A professional can remove raccoons that have made your home their home.
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