Silver Bullet Pest ControlStraight answers from Silver Bullet Pest Control, a licensed exterminator based in Garfield, NJ, serving Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Call or text 973-510-2585. Hablamos español.
Featured on Telemundo 47 • EPA Pesticide Safety Certified • 4.9 Stars on Google • NJ License 90568B
Text a photo of what you're seeing and we'll tell you what it is and what to do.
A raccoon in the chimney is usually a mother with kits using the smoke shelf as a den, most often from March to June. Keep the damper closed, don't light a fire or use smoke or chemicals, and call a licensed wildlife company. The family is removed together and a stainless chimney cap is installed so it can't happen again. Silver Bullet Pest Control: 973-510-2585.
The three situations behind most of these calls in North Jersey:
We get squirrels out with one-way doors and seal the roofline so they can't chew back in. Exclusion, not relocation.
Raccoons tear their way in and do real damage. We remove them from the house and close the opening with heavy-duty materials.
Ground animals cause foundation and yard problems. We find where they live and block access so they move on.
First we confirm what's there: a raccoon, birds, or something else. With a mother and kits, the kits are carefully removed from the smoke shelf and the mother is given the chance to retrieve them, or the family is reunited outside, so she leaves and doesn't try to tear back in. Once the chimney is empty, we install a heavy stainless steel chimney cap fastened to the flue. We're licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and use exclusion, never trap-and-relocate.
If a raccoon has come down into the house, close the room and call right away; see emergency raccoon removal.
A good cap has strong mesh on all sides, a solid top and is fastened to the flue tile or crown, not just set on top. Cheap caps rust and get pulled off by raccoons. With multiple flues, each one needs covering, or a full-crown cap. After a raccoon den, the smoke shelf and damper should be checked and cleaned before the next fire.
Keep tree limbs about 6 to 8 feet from the roof so squirrels can't jump on.
Use cans with tight lids and bungee cords. Raccoons learn trash night fast.
A sturdy chimney cap keeps out raccoons, squirrels and birds.
Look for chewed soffit corners, loose vents and gaps at roof returns each spring and fall.
Tell us what you're seeing and where. A photo often lets us identify the pest right away. We answer 24/7 for emergencies.
A licensed tech finds the source: where the pest lives, how it gets in and what draws it.
We use the right method for the pest, placed where it works and kept away from kids and pets.
We close entry points and tell you what to change so the problem doesn't come back.
Call or text 973-510-2585 for the fastest answer, or tell us what's going on and we'll get back to you quickly.
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Usually a mother using the smoke shelf as a safe den for her kits, most often in spring.
No. Kits can't climb out, and you can injure them and fill the house with smoke.
Mothers usually move kits once they're older, but they often come back unless a cap is installed.
Raccoons make heavier thumps and chattering; birds make fluttering and chirping, often from chimney swifts in summer.
A heavy stainless steel cap with strong mesh, fastened securely to the flue or crown.
Have the smoke shelf and damper checked and cleaned first.
We can advise on damaged insulation and droppings cleanup after the animals are out and the house is sealed.
Yes. Silver Bullet Pest Control is licensed by the NJ Division of Fish and Wildlife and holds NJ Pesticide License 90568B.
Close interior doors to keep it in one room, open an outside door or window in that room if it's safe, keep pets away and call 973-510-2585. We answer 24/7.
Yes. We show you the openings, and photos when possible, so you know exactly what was sealed.
Not when it's done right. We use one-way doors and check for babies first so nothing is sealed in.
Yes. We remove the family together and cap the chimney. Call 973-510-2585.
Based in Garfield, we serve these towns and the rest of Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
