Birds made a nest in my dryer vent!! I'm afraid I'm hurting them when I dry clothes

[DznyLvr2005]

I live on the 2nd floor of a 2 family house. We have a laundry room in our apartment (best thing ever!!!). A few weeks ago, birds started making a nest, we tried putting the dryer on to stop them from building, but they kept going. Now every time I turn the dryer on, i can hear them flapping around in the vent. I'm afraid that there's eggs or baby birds in there and I'm going to kill them with the heat of the vent. I'm so upset about it, I don't know what to do!? Has this ever happened to anyone else?? We can't even look in the vent since it's high up on the 2nd floor from the outside, we can't get up there to look. I don't want to take it apart either. I'm such an animal lover, I wish they just made their nest somewhere else!!

 

[Grumpy's Gal]

I think I'd be afriad of the nest catching on fire. I don't know. Maybe you could call your local fire dept and ask.

 

[RunDanceSkate]

I am not sure what you can do about it this year, but in the fall, have someone with a long ladder, take out the vent from the outside and install a bird proof one. We got ours at home depot.


C

 

[DznyLvr2005]

I think I'd be afriad of the nest catching on fire. I don't know. Maybe you could call your local fire dept and ask.

Or I could ask my father who is fire chief!
Thanks I didn't even think about it being a fire hazard!!

 

[DznyLvr2005]

ok well I just called my father who said that it's definately a fire hazard
I don't know what to do... I can't just take apart the vent and throw the babies to the floor

 

[Virgo10]

I just looked this up on Yahoo Answers. Someone suggested disconnecting the hose from the vent and running out the window until the birds hatch and are gone. That would also prevent a fire.

Looks like a win, win situation. The birds get to live and you could still dry your clothes. The only cost would be a longer hose to make it to the closest window.

 

[T1130]

This happened to me. But the bird some how got out of the vent part and got stuck inside my wall. I forgot who I called and they came and had to make holes in my wall to get the bird out.

 

[eeyoresnr]

well I have never had one in a dryer vent but every year some sort of birds make a nest in a hanging plant on my front porch right outside my front door. (like a foot away) I love birds so it hasn't bothered me, but I also have cats here lies the problem. 2 of my cats go outside during the day. well this year a pair of mourning doves have taken up residency. I read up on them and this is what I found out
-------------------------------------------------------------
A Mourning Dove pair rarely leaves its eggs unattended. The male usually incubates from midmorning until late afternoon, and the female sits the rest of the day and night
------------------------------------------------------------
this is so neat to me...they sit there like statues. their nest is on top so they sre totally visible(yet thankfully my cats don't know they are there) We are like inches from them when we come in and out and I have even stood there and talked to them and the only part of them that moves is their eyes. last year the birds that were there fluttered in and out of the nest so much every cat in the neighborhood knew they were there and knocked the plant and nest down twice. once with eggs, the second time had 3 baby birds. I thought they would die but again I looked it up on the web and found that if I put the babies and the nest back the parents would return. sure enough it worked. 9 days later they flew away. If i'm correct the doves eggs will hatch next Monday and then I have to keep my cats inside and give the babies(I'm sure they will be noisy) a chance. It takes 2 weeks for them to fly away.

 

[TinkerbellLuvr7]

we had that happen at our condo and we had to clear it out so it didnt catch on fire, my dad just opened it up and took it out and then put some sort of netting up so it wouldnt happen again.

 

[KerriMc]

Poor birdies ... they found somewhere cozy and sheltered - or so they thought. Poor things. I wouldn't be able to take the nest out. I'd do the vent out the window thing.

We had some starlings (not the nicest birds) crawl into our vent where the exhaust fan is for over the stove. I all of the sudden noticed a lot of chirping noises and flapping sounds. Then from all of their jumping around little bits of dirt were falling through my screen over top of the stove. I called a "critter ridder" guy and he came to have a look. They weren't in there, but they had preparing a nest apparently. He cleaned it out and then put chicken wire over it (because the original vents weren't installed properly to stop the vent from opening for animals) ... anyways, no problems since. But I can see my neighbours kitchen vent (she passed away almost two years ago and he house hasn't sold yet), but there is bird poop under that vent, so I am assuming that they have taken up residence there too. Yikes!!

Good luck ...
KErri

 

[DznyLvr2005]

well to give you all an update, last night I turned on the dryer because I had already put clothes in the washer when I asked this question. I kept a watch on it, just in case and whaddaya know? it started smoking!!! It was white and I didn't smell a fire or anything, I immediately turned it off. I called my father again and he said that I have to take it out. I'm so upset about it, I don't want to kill any babies

 

[Virgo10]

well to give you all an update, last night I turned on the dryer because I had already put clothes in the washer when I asked this question. I kept a watch on it, just in case and whaddaya know? it started smoking!!! It was white and I didn't smell a fire or anything, I immediately turned it off. I called my father again and he said that I have to take it out. I'm so upset about it, I don't want to kill any babies

You can't run the hose out a window? I know it won't be pretty but it shouldn't be something you'd have to put up with for too long.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

that wont work because they are all the way up in the tube!!

 

[solferino]

that wont work because they are all the way up in the tube!!

Can you just get a new tube (as I understand it's recommend they're replaced occasionally anyways) and remove the one the nest is in, and move that someplace nearby?

Good luck!

 

[DznyLvr2005]

Can you just get a new tube (as I understand it's recommend they're replaced occasionally anyways) and remove the one the nest is in, and move that someplace nearby?

Good luck!

I 'could' but DH alreadu thinks I'm crazy and we just got this washer dryer installed not even a year ago.. This is the first summer we've had it... Apparently it's a bird magnet!

 

[KristiKelly]

I 'could' but DH alreadu thinks I'm crazy and we just got this washer dryer installed not even a year ago.. This is the first summer we've had it... Apparently it's a bird magnet!

Do it anyway. My Dh would (and does) think I was nuts as well but he also knows that I would drive us both insane with worry - so he would do it for his own piece of mind.

Call your dad and get him to help you re-route the hose. He has to do that, after all, he is the one that raised a kind, sensitive human being.

 

[car55]

I would get the nest out of there. I could clog the vent and cause a fire. Try to find a vent that closes automatically when not in use so nothing gets in.

 

[mattsdragon]

You need to get rid of them. Fire hazard, big time.

 

[DznyLvr2005]

well, I'm oficially UPSET!!! DH took apart the tube/vent and there was a HUGE nest in there with tons of eggs I don't know, he says I'm crazy, but I feel SO BAD FOR THESE BIRDS!! There babies are gone... ughhhhhh

 

[Ariana O Rollins]

well, I'm oficially UPSET!!! DH took apart the tube/vent and there was a HUGE nest in there with tons of eggs I don't know, he says I'm crazy, but I feel SO BAD FOR THESE BIRDS!! There babies are gone... ughhhhhh

Just for future reference, it is illegal to do what your hubby did. You cannot mess with nests of native birds, in the US. I am facing this same problem currently, and it stinks buying a new vent hose, but we just disconnected the old one and left it outside and hooked up the new one....