Raccoons on a Roof and in the Chimney

Dale Sipple works a Delaware roof where raccoons got into the chimney. Live-catch cages on the roofline, the caught raccoons, and the cap work that keeps them out.

What happens in this video

Raccoons climb to a roof for one reason: the chimney is a hollow, sheltered den with no predators in it. A female will use it to have and raise her kits, and once she has, she will return to the same chimney year after year until the opening is closed.

The cages you see on the roof are live-catch traps, set on the travel path the raccoons already use. Nothing is baited into the house. Once the animals are caught they are removed from the roof and taken away from the property. The last step is the one that actually solves the problem: a chimney cap, fitted so nothing can get back down the flue.