How To Trap Squirrels - Bait and Techniques for Squirrel Trapping

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What Bait To Use, What Live Traps To Use
Use a squirrel-sized cage trap. 5"x5"x18" is a great size. If the trap is too large, it will cause many problems, such as difficulty setting the trap in the best area, difficulty in getting the squirrel to trigger the trap, and believe it or not, the worst is that a trapped squirrel in a big trap will have enough room to run and kill itself on the bars of the trap. Bait the trap with whole peanuts in the shell and peanut butter. Leave a trail outside the trap. Set the trap up on the roof near the entry points, and bolted up in trees. Squirrels will not enter a trap inside the attic! They rarely enter a trap set on the ground.



What Type Of Trap Is Good For A Lot Of Squirrels
If you want to trap several squirrels at once for relocation, there is a good trap for that purpose. It is called a repeater trap. It lets squirrels in but they can’t get out. As many as three or four squirrels can be caught at a time. Depending from where you want to remove them, this may be the very thing you need to get a lot of squirrels out of the attic at once. Two or three such traps will get rid of an entire family of squirrels. Good bait in the traps will almost guarantee some visitors. When you have caught some squirrels, you must transport them away immediately. They can’t survive in a cage without food or water. It is very important that you don’t forget the traps or you will have a smelly mess on your hands. Other traps usually catch only one squirrel at a time. To relocate squirrels one by one can be a tedious task. You have to drive them at least a mile, but several miles is better, away from your home or they will just come back. Squirrels are very territorial and to set them out in a new area is hard on them because they have to establish a new territory again but it is better than the alternative of killing them.

Read here about squirrel bait, what type to use, and why bait alone doesn't matter much.


Why Do Squirrels Sometimes Die In Live Traps
Generally, there is only one of two reason why squirrels die in live traps and that is that the person who set the traps forgot to check them or they died of panic. Live traps are set up because it is the most humane way to capture animals that are nuisances. To get rid of them, there would be several other avenues one could take. When a person chooses to get a live trap, they meant for the animal to live, not die. This makes it even more tragic when for one reason or another, the person who set the trap forgets to check it and the trapped animal literally starves to death. If a squirrel dies in such captivity within a day or two, then it was probably ill before it entered the trap or it panicked. Perhaps the squirrel was old and couldn’t handle the stress of capture. It could also be that the squirrel had been exposed to poison of some sort before it entered the trap and the poison killed the squirrel while it had been inside the live trap. In some cases, there may not be a known cause for the squirrel to have died unless you would ask a wildlife animal behavior specialist, or if a veterinarian could perform an autopsy to learn which organ was responsible for the squirrels’ death.



How To Build A Squirrel Corral Trap
If you have a pest problem and you need a trap, then you are in luck because you can learn how to build a corral trap for almost any animal. The objective is to build a trap where the animals can come in, but cannot get out. You should make sure that the trap doors are almost saloon style, but that the doors do not swing open from the inside. That is a simple thing to do; all you have to do is place a piece of wood on the side that you want to remain close. You should then proceed to build a fence around the doors. If you are using it for smaller animals such as squirrels remember to build both a roof and a floor. Squirrels could easily climb out if they decide that they do not want to stay and they see no roof holding them back. Also keep in mind the size of the animal that you want to trap and that you need a location inside the trap where you will be placing the bait. Because this is a corral trap there is no need for a trigger and you can catch more than one animal at a time.

Electric Squirrel Traps
If you have had it with squirrels in your attic or squirrels that constantly chew a hole through your porch screens or garage walls, you may be in the market for electronic squirrel traps. These traps are like the electric chair for intruders. The traps are to be loaded with bait and placed right at the squirrels’ usual hang out. If this is next to the bag of dog food or cat food, leave a little of the food there so that the squirrel will come back to the same spot, but remove the rest of the pet food to another, safe location. Then place the same pet food into the trap without turning it on. Hopefully, the squirrels will go inside the trap to get the food. The next step with your electric squirrel trap is to turn it on. The mechanism on the trap will let you know when the trap has delivered an electric jolt to the animal inside the trap. This is your cue to pick up the trap and empty it of the dead animal. The trap is good to go for another kill as soon as you set it up again. With any luck, you will be free of pests within a few days.

More in-detail how-to squirrel removal articles:

Information about squirrel trapping - analysis and methods for how to trap.
Information about how to kill a squirrel - with fumigants or poison.
Information about how to keep squirrel away - prevention techniques.
Information about how to catch a squirrel - remove one stuck in the house.
Information about squirrel repellent - analysis of types and effectiveness.

This site is intended to provide squirrel trapping education and information, so that you can make an informed decision if you need to trap a squirrel. This site provides many squirrel control articles and strategies, if you wish to attempt to solve the problem yourself. If you are unable to do so, which is likely with many cases of squirrel removal, please go to the home page and click the USA map, where I have wildlife removal experts listed in over 500 cites and towns, who can properly help you with your nuisance squirrel.

For more information, go back to my main how to get rid of squirrels page.