Got a call yesterday for a Squirrel in a hood vent. I have usually been able to take duct apart in the attic and remove the critter with no problem. This vent is over a kitchen island . Duct goes up through a roughly 12 by 12 stainless housing then turns and runs between the joists as it is a two story house. After 15 feet or so it runs into attic space over the garage that has NO access at all. Then it goes vertical thru the roof and of course a rain cap on that.

Yesterday I gained partial access just above the vent and the critter had moved well up into the vent. I removed the rain cap and and propped a stick in the vertical portion hoping he would climb out on his on but no luck. Today I removed the stick and rolled a large snake glue board into a tube and pushed it down to the bottom of the vertical part of the vent on the roof.

Tomorrow I will probably be dealing with a dead animal.

Ideas?

When you open it up, the last thing the client wants is a squirrel running around their kitchen. I'd be hoping for a sleeping squirrel.

drop a 3/4 inch rope down the vent from the outside, let the squirrel climb out....he hates it down there!

The stick should have worked, how big around was it?/

In my area I get more juvenile rock squirrels (on par with the gray and fox squirrels size wise from other parts of the country but primarily ground dwelling).

They tend to get in these pipes and most folks who have called thought they had birds in the vents. Everyone I've had the squirrel was too exhausted (no pun intended) by the time that folks called someone that would respond.

In two cases with the juveniles I was able to reach do reach in and they were above the first bend in the pipe easily reachable, (though ready to bite as well).

The last one I had last year I couldn't get at it the same way and it wouldn't attempt the rope or stick, so I fashioned a very very basic slip snare on the end of
a small pole I had in the van. Within 2 minutes had the squirrel out, clipped the birdwire (always have some so used it, nice and easy) and away it went no worse for wear.

In all of these cases folks had me exclude the pipes so this wouldn't occur again. I think the juveniles in my area are just exploring and end up in there. If you can see the squirrel looking down consider fishing them out, otherwise I'd agree the standby would be stick or rope to allow traction up an otherwise slippery situation...

Good luck!

Justin

I've done some like that but none that zig-zagged thru the whole house!

I suppose I should report the "rest of the story". Next day around noon I talked to the customer and they said it was still running around like crazy. I returned to the job around 2:30 and didn't disturb the customer as it was Mother's Day. I again removed the rain cap and removed the stick I had put in there for it to climb. Next I rolled a large snake glue board to fit the duct and pushed it down to the horizontal portion of the duct. Felt confident he would be on the glue board next day.

However, nothing there the next day BUT the customer said they had heard nothing since shortly after lunch the day before. Which of course led me to believe one of two things: either he died in there or climbed the sticks between when they heard it last and when I arrived on Mother's Day.

Assuming that it may have died, I ran a plumbing snake thru the duct...managed to get it around all the elbows until we could see it at the vent hood. Next we attached a stiff round brush that barely fit the duct and pushed it through. Nothing. So the HOPE is that they don't start smelling something.

I was disappointed in the results or lack of proof of results and charged the customer nothing. That's how we roll. Bet it will come back to us in time.