When an animal is living in an area that is unsafe
or unsuitable, a live-trap provides an easy, safe and humane way
to capture, transport and re-locate the animal, whether the relocation
is to an animal shelter or a new home-site.
Borrow a live-trap from your local animal control
agency or humane society, or purchase one from a local hardware
store. (Prices can range from a few dollars for a mouse sized
live-trap to around $50 for a cat sized live-trap to $100+ for
a live-trap large enough for a dog.) Mark your personal live-trap
with a name plate and phone number where you can be reached at
all times if you are placing it in a location other than your
home.
Place the live-trap in a safe, sheltered place
(behind a building, under bushes — never leave the live-trap
in a ditch that could fill with rainwater, in direct sunlight
or unsheltered from the rain or snow).
If you are trying to capture a skunk
you may want to cover the trap before the animal enters to avoid
being sprayed. If the trap has a rear door for releasing the animal,
unlatch the clip before the skunk enters the trap — that
way you can use a long stick to raise the rear door for easy relocation
and release without being sprayed.
Bait the live-trap with food appropriate for
the species of animal you’re trying to lure. Place a small
amount of bait on a jar lid or paper plate at the end, near the
spring plate mechanism. Some bait recommendations are: cats —
canned fish (mackerel, tuna), canned cat food or roasted chicken;
mice, shrews, voles — oatmeal, peanut butter, scratch grain;
rats, weasels, chipmunks, flying squirrels — cheese, peanuts,
cereal, apples, seeds; rabbit mink, large squirrels — fresh
vegetables, cereals, nuts; muskrat, ferret — fresh vegetables,
apples; skunks, woodchucks, porcupines, opossums — crisp
bacon, fish, fresh vegetables, cat food; raccoons, bobcat, nutria
and similar sized animals — crisp bacon, fish, fresh vegetables,
cat food; dogs — crisp bacon, roasted chicken (remove all
bones), hamburgers, canned dog food.
Move away from the live-trap. (Feral cats,
dogs and wild animals are frightened of humans and will not enter
a trap if they see you.)
Check the live-trap every TWO hours. NEVER
leave a live-trap unattended overnight.
Once the animal is in the live-trap, immediately
cover the entire trap with a sheet, pillowcase or towel to calm
the frightened animal and make him/her feel secure.
Move quietly and do not touch or handle a feral
or wild animal. (Feral cats, feral dogs and other wild animals
are not accustomed to human contact and will be afraid of even
your voice.)
Transport the covered live-trap immediately
to your animal control agency, humane society, veterinarian or
relocation site. Avoid putting trapped animals in uncovered truck
beds.
Do NOT leave the animal in the live-trap for
an extended length of time in order to "teach the animal
a lesson [about where not to live]", kill the animal or scare
the animal into not returning once released. Leaving an animal
in any live-trap, particularly an enclosed "hot-box"
trap, for more than the recommended time could be a violation
of local cruelty laws. Intentionally leaving an animal in
a live-trap without protection from the elements, food, water
or adequate space for an extended period of time is a violation
of NM State Cruelty law 30-18-1 and you could be subject to felony
charges. Additional local and state law violations could apply,
particularly Game & Fish regulations that prohibit keeping
captive wildlife.
Notes:
If you have trap-shy animals, or those who take
the food without setting off the trap, try lining the bottom of
the trap with a layer of newspaper or leaves (this disguises the
spring plate).
If you are live-trapping animals in a location
where they are routinely fed, ask the feeders NOT to feed the animals
for one day in advance of trapping. Hungry animals will be more
likely to go into the live-traps.
Be extremely careful of live-trapping nursing
female animals. Young abandoned animals will not be able to survive.
If you suspect you have caught a nursing animal, ask your animal
control agency or veterinarian to examine her for confirmation.
Return to the site and listen for animals crying and look for other
signs of young animals. Look for them under all sheds, buildings
and shrubs. If advisable, reunite offspring with their mother if
she has been relocated or take them to the animal shelter for a
humane disposition. Don’t abandon the young to starvation or
predation.
