[Bear_in_RoseBear]

Nahh... the chimney didn't have anything on top to prevent animals from making their way down inside. Squirrels got in several times (both alive and dead) and one time a pair of raccoons climed down. Their weight caused the flue damper to open, dumping them into the fireplace. Luckily they couldn't get the glass doors open, and they couldn't climb back up the flue, so they were stuck. We called animal rescue and a guy came out, put on an arm-length canvas glove, hauled one out and stuffed it into a cage.

We don't know where the other one went... either we miscounted in the excitement, or it managed to climb up and out while we were waiting for the animal rescue guy to arrive.

After that we insisted that the landlord get the chimney fixed, and since then we haven't had an unwanted visitors....

[Ramius]

Hehehe... that had to be quite the way to start a day. They can be pretty furious little buggers when they're cornered.

My chimney has been coon-free so far, but I did get a little family of squirrels living in the exhaust flue for the bathroom fan. It was kinda funny... I never would have noticed they were there... until I turned on the bathroom fan... and they got most upset. I think they moved out.