Squirrel Removal Teaneck NJ — Raccoon Removal for Older Homes

Squirrel removal in Teaneck NJ: why older homes get hit

Teaneck has a lot of homes built in the first half of the 1900s: colonials, Tudors and capes with steep roofs, dormers, brick chimneys and plenty of wood trim. They're beautiful houses, and they give squirrels and raccoons more ways in than a newer home:

• Many rooflines on one house. Dormers, gables, porches and later additions each add corners and seams where squirrels chew and raccoons pry.
• Old wood at the eaves. Decades of weather soften soffits, fascia and rafter tails. A squirrel can widen a small gap into an entry hole quickly.
• Chimneys without caps. An open flue is an invitation to a raccoon looking for a den, and a trap for a squirrel that falls in.
• Tall street trees. Teaneck's big oaks and maples reach over many roofs, giving squirrels a highway from yard to attic.

Then there's the green space. Overpeck County Park runs along the east side of town, the Hackensack River forms the western edge, and the Teaneck Creek Conservancy borders the park. Wooded, wet areas like these support healthy squirrel and raccoon populations that spread into the nearby blocks.

Raccoon removal in Teaneck NJ: the chimney problem

With so many older brick chimneys in Teaneck, raccoons in the chimney is one of the calls we get most from this side of Bergen County. A mother raccoon often picks a chimney in spring to raise her kits. You'll hear chattering, crying or scratching in the fireplace, usually around dusk.

What not to do:

• Don't light a fire or smoke it out. Kits can't climb out, and a scared mother can come down into the house.
• Don't open the fireplace doors or damper to look. Keep the fireplace closed off.
• Don't cap the chimney yourself while animals are inside. You'll trap them in there.

We get the raccoon family out of the chimney first, then install a chimney cap so the flue stays open for smoke but closed to animals. Read more about raccoons in the chimney and chimney animal proofing.

That smell: dead animal removal in Teaneck

A strong, rotten smell in one room, often near a wall or ceiling, usually means an animal died inside the house. It happens when a squirrel gets trapped in a wall, a young animal is left behind, or someone seals a hole with an animal still inside.

We do dead animal removal from attics, walls and yards. We find the source, remove it, clean the area and treat the odor. If the animal got in through an open hole, we seal it so it doesn't happen again.

More on our dead animal removal service.