Thread: Rodents and live traps

Anyone here use live traps? I have a large yard and I'm close to a creek so I have on occasion had a wide assortment of critters pass thru my property. The current problem is that now that its fall I've been removing a lot of spent foliage and am finding some holes and burrows near the deck and house.

I don't like to kill critters unless I absolutely have to which is why I pulled out the live traps first. They keep getting sprung but nothing is in them so it has to be something small that can slip thru the grating on the sides. While I'm sure there are mice are around I don't they're the ones making those holes. I have noticed some chipmunks around and am starting to suspect that they're the culprits. Anyone have any ideas on how to remove them?

I have lots of burrowing going on, too. One hole I investigated led nowhere and was about 3-5" into the ground at about 45 deg. Skunks love digging for underground bugs, and I know I have skunks. If you get a skunk in your live trap, then what will you do?

Chipmunks and squirrels are harder to catch, I have heard. We had squirrels in our attic, but after weeks of diligence we finally found and sealed up all entrances. We also use a natural deterrent spray in the attic from time to time.

We had a ground hog and used a pest control company. They use a bait laced with pheromones to attract the critter. After catching a raccoon twice, we finally got the groundhog. The company removes the animal and I ask no further questions.

The best thing you can do is to ensure your home is sealed against those critters. Look for areas where they may get in and seal them up. We kept putting down rocks around our deck, however skunks and groundhogs can dig those out easily. We finally got wire mesh, nailed it to the deck and buried it about 6" deep. There is one place where I know they (skunks) are still getting in that I'll have to work on one night after they have gone out for the night.

We have two live traps, one large (raccoon size) and one small (squirrel), but haven't used them. The issue always is about disposal of whatever you catch. And you will never see vicious until you see a caged animal.

Originally Posted by Highly Favoured

...We have two live traps, one large (raccoon size) and one small (squirrel), but haven't used them. The issue always is about disposal of whatever you catch. And you will never see vicious until you see a caged animal.

Thanks Muriel, good info there. I also have those two sized cages and the few times I've used them over the years all I've caught were squirrels which I released back into the yard. However twice I did catch a rat and asked someone to release it FAR away which they reluctantly did.

I know we have some raccoons, muskrats and possum around but I never thought of what I'd do if I caught a skunk, don't wanna think about that.

I'm still suspecting that all those burrows are from chipmunks and I really don't want to use rat poison on them, maybe I'll try to search to see if there's something that will deter them.

http://forestknolls.info/2014/01/16/...of-rat-poison/

Please don't use poisons to kill rodents. This ends up in the food chain and kills the very animals that are rodent control like feral cats, foxes, Hawks, owls, etc. My grandfather had his live trap rigged up in the event of a skunk, which was often. He had it rigged so he could pull a black (thick) garbage bag over the trap by pulling on a rope from far away. Skunks have lousy eyesight and most don't spray if they can't see danger. He then killed the skunk by asphyxiation using car exhaust. I'm not sure if that is possible any more.

Chipmunks can be caught in larger sized mousetraps, the snapping kind. He used those and regular mice traps. It's that time of year, they are all looking for winter quarters.

Aww man, he killed the skunk? You're right, they supposedly have bad eyesight but they're so cute and they even make great pets:

Originally Posted by Highly Favoured

...Chipmunks can be caught in larger sized mousetraps, the snapping kind. He used those and regular mice traps. It's that time of year, they are all looking for winter quarters.

As I said I really don't want to kill anything unless absolutely necessary and I'd be leery of rat or mousetraps because I wouldn't want a squirrel or bird or other critter being hurt...shoot, I don't even want to kill any chipmunks either, they're like cute little mini squirrels.

So, here's what happened, I was at Harbor Freight getting something else when I saw this:

http://www.harborfreight.com/16-inch...rap-94397.html

I bought it... we'll see what happens.