Animal Control Urging Residents to Install Chimney Caps

If you've had a raccoon or squirrel make a temporary home in your chimney, Westwood Animal Control Officer Paul Jolicoer has some advice. 

Install a chimney cap. 

"I'm noticing a lot of stuff right now," Jolicoer said. "This winter's been so warm and the animals I'm finding out now are all ready looking for nesting to do that."

From raccoons to gray squirrels to flying squirrels to bats, Jolicoer said any of the animals can find a way into a resident's chimney if a cap isn't in place to stop them. 

In a recent incident, he cited a chimney that had vines growing it allowed for easy access for a mother raccoon looking for a warm spot to give birth. 

"Right now the females are looking to give birth inside the chimneys," he said. "Right now they're making their nests."

Bay State Wildlife estimates the cost of a chimney cap to be between $225 and $450, Jolicoer said, depending on the size and width of the chimney in question. But having one in place can do a great service . . . unless you're welcome to the idea of a furry friend making a vacation stop in your home. 

"If you go away on vacation, and a raccoon ends up in your house, you've got some big time problems," he said. "They're very destructive animals. I've seen a gray squirrel tear a house apart. A chimney cap is a very good defense. Closing your flu is too."