Dancing With Squirrels

     Recently a squirrel fell down an unused chimney in my house and got trapped in the void surrounding the chimney.  We could hear him scratching the wallboard frantically near the flue cap in the living room.  I went up onto the roof and dangled a long rope down the slick ceramic flue, tied it off, and left it there for a whole night and day.

     That didn’t work.

     I thought he might find a way out through a hole in the floorboards or the ceiling within the void.  Gave it another day.

     Nope.

     So I made a squirrel trap from a cardboard box, with a taped-on screen window on top and a sliding trap door at the back.  I removed the caulking around the chimney flue cap, set the cap aside, baited the trap box with half a peanut butter sandwich, and taped the whole box over the flue opening.  Waited quietly nearby.

     When I heard the squirrel inside the box, I quickly slid the trap door down, and he let out a terrified squeak, but I had him.  I carried the trap outside and set it on the grass.  After a few minutes he streaked out, scampered up a tree trunk, and dashed all around through the branches.

     It felt good.

     Now the old guy next door will probably shoot him.

Phil