Thought the cat was downstairs playing with some paper. An hour later still. An hour and a half later still... I knew there was a problem.

Went downstairs and stood in front of the dryer and heard a scratching sound. Knew right away what it was, since I'd seen the cat chase a ground squirrel into a gutter that morning. They're looking for a place to nest, I imagine. Our dryer vent is no more than 8 inches off the ground and it had no wire mesh covering the opening. It got in, fell down a story, and was now trying to gnaw its way out of the situation through the expandable connector between the dryer and vertical vent run. Luckily, the connector was compressed to there was no way it'd get through the wire rings.

Long story short, a pair of workman gloves and a few towels was all I needed. Removed the connector, turned on the dryer to blow the buggers out and *pop* out one came. Caught it in the towel, plugged up the hole, took it outside. Came back down, turned dryer on again, caught its mate when it peeked out.

So all ended well. Well, except for the one ground squirrel later caught by the cat. She was lurking amid the excitement.

Vent now has wire mesh covering the opening that'll keep those buggers out but shouldn't impede air flow or create excess lint buildup.

Anybody else ever have this problem or one like it? Any amusing critter catches?

PS - anyone else going to go buy some wire screen to cover their dryer vent? =)

Hi, kp,
I am thoroughly familiar with ground squirrels (better known here in the Great Smokey Mts. Of VA as chipmunks... little cute critters, brownish, with little black stripes on their backs). Our home is about 100 feet from the bottom on a mountain, with forest, and a 6 ft privacy fence around the back yard.
Fortunately, I haven't had one in the house yet!
If you are not already aware of the following about these cute critters, they can cause major damage:
1. Chewing up wiring under the house, insulation, duct tape on air conditioner vents, etc, etc, etc.
2. Burrowing; these critters love to burrow under steps, concrete, build nests under concrete porches, and never stop burrowing, actually pulling out parts of the gravel and concrete. After some time, causes settling and cracks in concrete! Also, do the same with asphalt driveways.
Two methods of getting rid of them are:
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/l...514826494.html
The above link talks about using large rat traps with peanut butter. If you do not wish to kill them, then this is the second method:
Buy a "live trap", bait with peanut butter.
When you catch one, you have to transport it at least 5 miles away. Research shows they can find their way back up to 5 miles!
Best of luck, and I personally would do something about them, if you see them running around in your yard.

We live in a residential wooded area so the wildlife is just always around.

Luckily our cat is quite the hunter. I know she took care of one after it was emancipated from the dryer. Ground squirrels, bunnies, and mice just don't last long around our yard.

Thanks for the tips.

Of course then there was the time I "caught" a squirrel with an empty yoplait yogurt cup. He'd gotten into the trash bag id set out on the landing of my apartment, on the 3rd floor.

I heard this bump... bump... bump... looked out the door and saw the squirrel with his head stuck in the cup. He was wandering in circles on the wooden landing, obviously confused.

I finally decided "ok i should help him" but when he heard the door open he froze for one second, and then with all his little squirrel strength blindly ran and leaped off the 3rd floow balcony, grasping for a branch, gutter, or any other object he could get his little paws on.

Well he had to settle for the snow pile and the end of the drive. Poof. Luckily the fall didn't hurt him, though he walked like he was woozy, and the impact knocked the cup off his head.

Extreme squirrel sports, I guess.

It's usually a double-edge sword, as they say. The screen will prevent the critters from coming in, but they will build lint and obstruct the airflow, eventually. Hopefully, the way you installed it allows for easy removal and cleaning. Don't forget to check it periodically. Restricted vent systems will cause various problems, including premature heater failure, clothes not drying, timer not advancing, etc. I guess as long as you know the symptoms, you will know what to do if you get them.

It's a wide mesh screen that shouldn't be a big deal for lint though there will be some in time I know. Basically if a mouse decides to try to get in, it can. If a ground squirrels wants to, its going to be a tight fit.

Its also bowed below the exhaust piece to I can easily see if there is buildup. Wired around two screws to easy to remove.