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Are Box Traps Humane?

Are box traps humane? You may think this is a silly question. After all aren’t all box traps, also known as live traps, automatically humane? After all, box traps don’t clamp down on an animal’s limb like those (so-called) cruel footholds. Well, that perspective is certainly very common as well as understandable. Cage and box traps have been given that moral halo with the designation live trap. But the question still remains, are box traps humane? Recall that box traps are different than cage traps. Box traps have solid walls, while cage traps have mesh walls. How animals respond to these two types of traps could be different. Is there any evidence to suggest that animals respond differently? In short, yes.

Box traps (Plastic walled) may cause heat injuries to animals caught during the warmer months.
Box traps (Plastic walled) may cause heat injuries to animals caught during the warmer months.

About ten years or more ago, I recall hearing a comment by a wildlife control operator that animals trapped in a box trap during summer conditions were suffering from overheating. The WCO said that the problem with the box trap was that the enclosure allowed the animals to essentially cook. Think about it. All that hair during hot conditions with reduced wind could be a recipe for a disaster much in the way that a dog trapped in a car sitting out in the parking lot on a summer day. Granted, the box trap isn’t the same as an automobile, but you get the point.

I was intrigued with this observation, so I decided to see if I could provide some evidence to support this observation. I took three temperature and humidity loggers, and put one in a covered cage trap, another in a box trap and the last one situated outside between the two traps. I left them in my backyard for a year. The loggers recorded temperature and humidity every minute for 365 days. Low and behold, the data showed that box traps are warmer than covered cage traps. On average, the differences were not massive. But a few degrees can be significant when dealing with heat or cold. Just think of yourself when you turn the thermostat up or down a couple of degrees.

Bottom line. Use caution when trapping with box traps during warm conditions. Consider whether the trap will be exposed to sunlight as well as how long could the animal be in the trap before it is checked. If you want details on my research read the article: Temperature and Humidity Variation between Cage and Plastic-walled Traps: Implications for Animal Welfare

For additional information on how to cage and box trap humanely, get a copy of my book, Being Kind to Animal Pests.

Being Kind to Animal Pests, 2nd ed.
Being Kind to Animal Pests, 2nd ed.
Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Click the links for past {shows} and {interviews}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Why Trapping?

Why Trapping?

Sometimes people wonder why people trap. Aside from the opportunity to get out into the woods and harvest nature’s abundance, trapping offers advantages not available in other types of harvest.

A set cage trap with spring-loaded door. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
A set cage trap with spring-loaded door. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Let’s start with a definition. Trapping involves the use of a device (i.e. a trap) to capture an animal when triggered by the actions of said animal. Traps come in a variety of types and include snares, cable-restraints, nets, restraining devices, cage traps, box traps, and others. The advantage of trapping lies in its ability to multiply human effort. Not only can a person set multiple traps capable of catching multiple animals, but also the person is freed to do other activities as the traps will be working 24 hours a day. Hunting, in contrast, requires the human to be present. Hunters can only increase their catch by increasing the number of hours in the field.

Despite the advantages of trapping, it does have some disadvantages. First, it is equipment intensive. Where a hunter has her weapon and perhaps some calls and some camouflage clothing, the trapper has to have clothing, traps, anchoring devices, a weapon to dispatch the catch, and baskets to carry the equipment. Second, trappers have to commit several days of time to trapping. Once the traps are set, the traps must be checked, catches removed, and sets remade. Hunters in contrast can hunt for an afternoon and go home. At minimum, trapping is a two-day event. One day to set traps and the other to pick them up.

I hope this helps explain why people trap.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Evaluating Misfired Cage Traps

Evaluating Misfired Cage Traps

Small Rodent Trap. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Small Rodent Trap. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Misfired traps are those that spring closed but did not capture an animal. Learning how to interpret the evidence at a misfired set is important to correct mistakes that allowed the misfire in the first place.

Click the link to the article that originally appeared in Animal Damage Control magazine. ADC1994MisfiredTraps

Citation: Vantassel, Stephen M. . (1994, April/May). Evaluating Misfired Traps. Animal Damage Control, 2, 18-19.

About the Author

Stephen M. Vantassel is a certified wildlife control operator who helps individuals, businesses, and agencies resolve wildlife damage issues through training, writing, expert witness, and research. His latest books are the Wildlife Damage Inspection Handbook, 3rd edition and The Practical Guide to the Control of Feral Cats. He can be contacted at wildlifecontrolconsultant at gmail dot com.

If you would like your publication, video, or product reviewed, please contact the author at the e-mail above.

Copyright

All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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Bait Sponges

Bait Sponge

Bait sponges are devices to keep the bait off the floor of a cage trap. One day I received the bait sponge in the mail. I recognized them immediately. In hospitals, we call them Toothettes. They are small sponges attached to the end of lollipop type stick. They are about five inches long (including the sponge). The sponge is about an inch long and an inch wide. It has ridges formed into the sponge because they are actually used as tooth brushes or as mouth moisteners/refreshers. This one was modified however. The trap dealer had added a metal wire to the end of the stick so that it could be hung from the cage. I thought this was great. The answer to my problem had been found. Here is how you can make some sponge bait sticks on your own.

First contact the maker Sage Products Inc. by calling 815-455-4700 or by writing 815 Tek Drive  Cyrstal Lake, IL 60014. Ask them for hospital Toothettes. You want the plain variety. You can purchase the flavored kind if you want your bait stick to smell like mint/peppermint. You also don’t want sterile ones. Why pay extra for something you don’t need? Chances are you won’t be purchasing enough Toothettes for them to sell to you directly. Instead they will put you in touch with a regional distributor.

Once they arrive in the mail, get some thin wire and attach it to the end of the stick. Some just take a wire paper clip, cut it so that you have two ‘U’ shaped wires and then insert one end into the top of the paper stick. I don’t like this method because I don’t trust it to hold. But that is just a personal bias and is not based on experience. My method is to use some electric fence wire, cut it a small piece then wrap around the stick and then bend the tail into a “u”. Whichever method you use. I am sure it will work well for you.

I have found that they work great as paste bait holders. They are strong enough to scrape peanut butter out of a container provided the peanut butter hasn’t hardened. I have even reused them. I do have a couple of cautionary notes. First, unlike the ‘y’ stick, Toothettes aren’t natural. So if the animal chews them up and some do, you may have to pick up the remains. It is not a lot of trash, usually just the wire/stick which has been separated from the sponge but you don’t want to leave them on the property. I have not found this to be a big problem but it is a negative to be aware of. The second, problem is cost. “y “ sticks are free. On the other hand you have to consider the client. Using a bait sponge may make you appear more professional. Using a “y” stick could have the client saying that “hey, I could have done that”.  Third, I haven’t found the sponges to be very effective in holding liquid baits. It seems that they don’t have enough sponge power to hold enough to overcome evaporation.

I think that Toothettes make an excellent addition to the box trapper’s arsenal. Try them out for yourself and see if you agree.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Click the links for past {shows} and {interviews}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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5 Tips for Effective Box or Cage Trapping

5 Tips for Effective Box or Cage Trapping

Many people, including some professional pest/wildlife controllers, think that live trapping wildlife is easy. Cage and box trapping (mistakenly referred to as live trapping when footholds and cable restraints are also live trapping) consists of using wire-based enclosures (cage traps) or solid wall enclosures (box traps) to capture wildlife. While it is true that the use of these devices is simpler than using footholds, the use of box/cage traps still requires attention to detail.

Cage-trapped Raccoon. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.
Cage-trapped Raccoon. Photo by Stephen M. Vantassel.

Here are five tips to make your use of cage/box traps more effective in resolving wildlife complaints for your clients.

Tip #1. Select the smallest size trap for the target animal.

Cage traps come in a variety of sizes and styles. It is best to choose the smallest size trap necessary for the animal you are planning to catch. For single door traps, choose 10x12x32; skunk 7x7x24 inches and squirrel 5x5x18 inches. These dimensions can be modified for different manufacturers but they provide a good guide. Small traps are less expensive and more of them will fit in your truck but the most important advantage is that they reduce non-target captures. Why set a skunk-sized trap when trapping for squirrels? Using a larger trap,  increases the risk of catching a skunk or opossum or something else that isn’t the target animal your client has hired you to control.

Tip #2. Use the right bait

Failure to use enough traps means that you are not taking advantage of the time-benefits provided by traps. Traps work even when you are not around. I recommend setting at least 3 per job, more if you can. This allows you 3 trap nights for every 24 hour period where placing only one trap gives you only 1 trap night per 24 hour period. Think of it as more hooks in the water. For training on baiting cage and box traps like a professional visit Bait Training.

Tip #4  Choose the right location(s)

As they say in real estate, property is all about location, location, location. The same concept applies to trapping. Don’t make the animal move to your trap, move the trap to the path of the animal. Never make the bait do what moving the trap will do for you. Now of course, there are situations where the best location isn’t prudent, perhaps because children, pets, or the nosy public will interfere with your work. In those situations, you should still look for where the animal is likely to travel and find a more secluded spot. If that isn’t possible, then use a trailing lure available at professional trapping suppliers.

Tip #5 Follow the right setting procedure

Avoid sloppy setting procedures. Even though cage/box traps are more forgiving than footholds, you still need to stabilize them to keep them from wobbling when the animal enters. Wobbly traps can spook animals and sometimes cause the trap to spring prematurely allowing the animal to back out.

In addition, you must ensure the cage/box trap is humanely set. Contrary to popular mythology, cage/box traps can be quite cruel. Trapped animals can bake in the summer sun, or freeze in a driving ice-storm. So think about where you put your traps. Will they be shielded from the sun/rain. Chances are no. But simply covering 50% of the trap’s length with a sturdy cloth cover provides the animal with shelter from wind, rain, and sun. It also protects the bait from prying claws, forcing the animal to enter through the entrance to get the bait.

There is much more to effective box/cage trapping but these 5 tips will help remove a number of key mistakes made by wildlife control professionals.

Stephen M. Vantassel, CWCP, ACE, is the owner of Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. He helps people restore their balance with nature through publishing, training, consulting, and the internet. He has published numerous articles in trade and academic publications available at {Stephen’s Academia.edu Page} along with several books {WCC Store}). Listen to his podcast “Living the Wild Life” at {Pest Geek Podcast}. Click the links for past {shows} and {interviews}. Please subscribe to {Stephen’s YouTube Channel} He is a sought after speaker and trainer. If you would like to have Stephen speak at your event or use his consultation services, send an e-mail to [email protected] Copyright All postings are the property of Stephen M. Vantassel and Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC. Text (not images) may be reprinted in non-profit publications provided that the author and website URL is included. If images wish to be used, explicit and written permission must be obtained from Wildlife Control Consultant, LLC.

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