Got Bats In your Chimney?
Bats are the only flying mammals! This makes them one of the most common mammals to get into chimneys!
Telling what type of animal is in your chimney can be very helpful when calling someone for an animal removal! So, how do you tell if bats are in your chimney?
Like you, many homeowners with a chimney constantly worry about noises inside their chimney and a lot of them have bats inside the chimney.
How do bats get in chimneys?
Bats are fairly small animals. Usually they are around the size of the average bird. This makes it easier for them to gain access to the inside of your chimney.
Chimneys can sometimes have their cap knocked loose, this makes the perfect pathway for animals like bats. Other animals can also knock the cap loose like raccoons.
Bats can carry diseases like rabies. This makes it dangerous to leave them the ability to gain access to your home.
Will bats come down a chimney?
Bats will certainly go down chimneys. They are small and can get in much easier than a raccoon.
Because of the way chimneys work, bats can get into your home by using the chimney as a sort of highway. Often at night, you will see swarms of bats coming from trees and bat houses around. Bats are majestic animals and interesting to watch when they fly around eating bugs.
Bats are nocturnal and they do not like light, this makes them drawn to places like chimneys.
Why do bats go in chimneys?
If you think about bats as a whole, you can consider the way they live inside caves and dark holes which is exactly what a chimney is.
Bats have their babies and sleep inside the chimneys. This is for their safety.
Well, how do we know if bats are inside our chimneys?
- Squeaking coming from your chimney
- Droppings
- Seeing bats come from chimney at night
Bats can be great to have around your house to eat mosquitoes but having them inside your chimney is not great.
Should I remove bats from my chimney?
Very much so! Bats living inside your chimney renders your fireplace useless but also gives access to the inside of your home to the bats.
Bats harbor rabies and other diseases that can transfer to humans and are bad for our health. It is said that 70% of rabies cases in the US are caused by bats.
Bat droppings can cause respiratory issues if your family breathes it in. It is high in ammonia and other particles that can be harmful to the respiratory system. Bat droppings are also known as guano and has been linked to bacterial infections and fungal infections.
Since bats are the number one animal to be infected with rabies, the risk of letting them stay inside your chimney is far greater than the cost associated with removal.
Can you smoke bats out?
Never smoke out an animal that is inside your chimney. This is not only cruel but is also bad for your chimney, Smoking them out kills the animals that are either living inside your chimney or are stuck inside your chimney.
Always call a professional for all of your chimney and fireplace issues. Most chimney sweeps are trained in removing animals humanely!
Our technicians here at Sootaway are trained in humanely removing animals like bats from chimneys. This keeps you as the homeowner from risking being bit by animals that may be frightened or even have exposure to diseases like rabies. Rabies is a neurological disease that can quickly kill you.
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