Live Animal Traps

[Richard001]

This is getting more interesting. I could see a squirrel biting through that hardware cloth.

i don’t understand this: An interesting side note to this story is that I have a aluminum piece of metal attached to a poison bait to keep the bait box from disappearing, you know, being dragged off.

If they target has to go inside to get the bait and trip the trigger to shut the door why do you need a poison bait to keep the bait box from being dragged off?

OK sorry for the confusion. The live trap was at my friends house and that is were the hole in the screen occured.

Now this is some thread drift, but the poison bait thing is in my back yard. The poison bait is one of those that you can buy at your local big box store. It's a D-Con bait box. I attach the bait box to something larger and heavier because in the past, the box gets dragged away, never to be seen again. In this case, I attached an Aluminum piece to the box with a wire. Here is a photo of the Aluminum piece showing marks:

Here is a close up of it:

Until yesterday, I had no idea what was doing this.

This is a screen shot of a video from my trail camera.

This is under my deck on the back of my house. I have no idea what a squirrel would find tasty on a piece of AL.

 

[PILOON]

On raccoons, a neighbor had a wet bar on his screened porch.
Darn coons pried open a hole, opened his bar and with their clever little hands opened every liquor bottle in the bar.
They preferred al the sweet liquors and left the scotches and ryes to self drain.
What a horrible sticky mess and waste of good spirits.

 

[JBF43]

Well that is an interesting theory. However the trap door it tripped by a plate that is inside the the trap. No I suppose that with enough vigorous movement of the trap, the trigger could go and let the door down.

An interesting side note to this story is that I have a aluminum piece of metal attached to a poison bait to keep the bait box from disappearing, you know, being dragged off.

Not knowing what has been chewing on the aluminum piece, I placed my trail camera to view the aluminum piece. Well today I see that it is a squirrel that is chewing on it. I would have never guessed that. I will get the photo of the aluminum piece on here soon.

I find that not too surprising actually. Here in the Florida Panhandle, squirrels eat the aluminum tie wires off chain link fence like it's going out of style. It seems like it's a delicacy for them. Even better than going to the Colonels for dinner.

 

[rekees4300]

I find that not too surprising actually. Here in the Florida Panhandle, squirrels eat the aluminum tie wires off chain link fence like it's going out of style. It seems like it's a delicacy for them. Even better than going to the Colonels for dinner.

Indiana also has the chainlink fence problem. Squirrels' teeth grow rapidly to enable them to eat hard Hickory nuts. However, if their primary food source isn't that hard (bird seed for example) they must chew the tie wires to reduce tooth growth.

 

[two_bit_score]

Those squirrels really wanted that bait @Richard001!

 

[stewg]

I had a groundhog do that to one of my traps. Groundhog was much larger then the whole he got out of.

 

[big bubba]

so.....after all this talk, are squirrels the culprit as confirmed by game cam? several critters are capable from what it seems... but i'd like to know, best regards

 

[Mat4644]

Mighty M

ouse

 

[Wyobuckaroo]

I have had a bit of experience with live traps.. A couple homemade models from lumber and ply wood..

Here in the far north the thing that could chew a hole the size in the picture shown and escape from that hole would be a long tail weasel.. I routinely have to live trap one spring, fall, both from the vestibule of our chicken house..

A few things to start with...
Several tricks I have found that help... Fasten 1/4" hardware cloth over the front of the trap and across the top and down the sides about a quarter the length of the trap.. This to keep small paws from tripping the trap pan or stealing bait from the outside..

Always stake down, or tie up the trap so a caught animal can not reach out and turn the trap on its side or upside down.. Keeping the trap up right lessens the chance of escape.. This goes from squirrel to wolf, cougar size animals... Bears require a whole different type equipment and there own unique baiting, capture techniques..

For feral cat, and up to large dog size animals using dog and cat food for bait, put the bait in a cookie sheet, then set the trap over the baited cookie pan.. Be sure to secure the trap to stay upright..

My 5 cents of experience..

 

[Richard001]

I have had a bit of experience with live traps.. A couple homemade models from lumber and ply wood..

Here in the far north the thing that could chew a hole the size in the picture shown and escape from that hole would be a long tail weasel.. I routinely have to live trap one spring, fall, both from the vestibule of our chicken house..

A few things to start with...
Several tricks I have found that help... Fasten 1/4" hardware cloth over the front of the trap and across the top and down the sides about a quarter the length of the trap.. This to keep small paws from tripping the trap pan or stealing bait from the outside..

Always stake down, or tie up the trap so a caught animal can not reach out and turn the trap on its side or upside down.. Keeping the trap up right lessens the chance of escape.. This goes from squirrel to wolf, cougar size animals... Bears require a whole different type equipment and there own unique baiting, capture techniques..

For feral cat, and up to large dog size animals using dog and cat food for bait, put the bait in a cookie sheet, then set the trap over the baited cookie pan.. Be sure to secure the trap to stay upright..

My 5 cents of experience..

Thanks for the input. Never thought about the "reaching in and tripping" the trap.

The main problem I have on my property is rabbits. I live in a suburban area so I can't shoot them and a leg trap could harm someones dog or cat, so I am stuck with live traps.