I wish someone had tapped me on the shoulder a year ago and told me to get a live trap for the grey squirrels that were running amok in our crawlspace. I assumed that live traps sacrificed squirrel-catching ability in order to keep squirrels alive for the animal lovers, so I tried everything else first.

Here's what DIDN'T work over many, many months of frustrating trial and error:
- Conibear 110 traps (caught one squirrel which it failed to kill, and just whacked dozens of squirrels on the head without catching them, plus they are a pain to set and position).
- Rat traps (LOL - utterly useless against grey squirrels).
- Homemade poison some guy on Youtube swore would work (squirrels ate some, no effect).
- Tomcat Brand poison chunks (squirrels ate them all and asked for more).
- Large glue trap (doesn't work outside - gets covered with dust/insects within a day, then squirrels used it as a doormat to their entryway into our roof.
- Hiring a wildlife control guy for a consultation (he failed to correctly identify where they were getting in and would have spent a lot of time/$ trying to trap on the wrong end of the house).

I can't tell you how the "Squirrelinator" compares to other live traps. I read a lot of mixed reviews of this trap and of other ones like "Havahart". I can tell you that squirrelinator worked great for us, and it's so easy to use. I am dealing with grey squirrels, aka tree squirrels, not ground squirrels. But it still worked great - I put it on the ground beneath where they were climbing the trees to our roof, and within an hour or two there was a squirrel in there each time, until there were no more squirrels around and no more scratching/skittering/gnawing above our ceiling.

Some reviewers have complained that they can lift the door open and get back out. All I can say is that never happened with the many squirrels I caught, at least to my knowledge. The trap works because lifting is not their instinct. Their instinct is to push as far toward freedom as they can, so they nose into the corners, which means they go up on top of the door.

Ease of use is a bonus. You just drop this thing on the ground and toss some nuts in and around it, then give the furballs a ride to some nearby woods.

$75 bucks seems like kind of a ripoff for just a wire cage. It does have a cleverly designed spring part for the doors though, and it's peanuts compared to what you can spend hiring someone. I'm not even going to bother covering the hole in our soffit where they went in, because I know I can just clear our whole area of squirrels in a few days if new ones get into our house again.

OMG - this trap is awesome. Not sure why it works so great but it does. Our backyard and our neighbors was pretty much infested with squirrels due to our acreage of random fruit trees and nut trees. So far we have caught over 20 in two weeks. Could have probably been more, but we ran out of peanuts to fill the trap. This might be the first year. We actually get some macadamia nuts for ourselves - Thank you

We are having a particularly intense infestation of 'rockchucks' this summer. A rockchuck is a yellow-bellied red marmot, a close relative of that Phil character that is used to, um, predict the remaining winter in early February. While active, they decimate flowers and vegetables, so aren't desirable. We live very close to the edge of a National Forest, and while we recognize that we live in their territory, I'm more than happy to relocate the marauding garden terrorists back to those forests. Enter the live traps.

 

It took a few reads of the simple instructions to pick up all the nuances. The sheet is written for several related models, with different details for each. After those reads and some head scratching where hair used to grow, the actual setting up was fast and easy. I followed some internet advice, worth every penny I paid for it, as I selected a bait for our particular visitors. Nothing. Last evening at a neighborhood meeting, I found out that watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are favored here. We'll see how we do, hopefully better with the right bait.

 

The trap itself is easy to set up, and it's a size that should fit and hold our rockchucks. Perhaps as important, the size is just right to fit into a large garden-waste trash bag. That's essential before placing a scared animal in the back of the car for a ride back to a wilder place. Plus it will contain any excess pee and droppings that would otherwise end up in the car. It's a ten-minute drive or so to get them beyond any normal 'homing' range, no need to traumatize them unnecessarily.

 

Neighbors who use traps these speak highly of them. I will to after the right bait draws the several beasts who have been feasting on my flowers.

 

I'll update if the results are less than great.

 

----

 

Update after a few successful weeks of use --

 

Thanks to watermelon rinds as bait, 'Rocky' and 'Chuck' have found new homesteads to enjoy, several miles from ours. Neither seemed particularly happy to be in the trap, although each did manage to consume all of the rinds during their visit time. They each thanked me for the food and the rides by chattering their teeth as I gathered them up for the vacation trip.

 

A large lawn-sized leaf bag is just the right size to put the trap in for the rides in the car. It took a little careful lifting and sliding to get the trap into the bag each time. I'll be honest that I tried to do it all gently, but it proved more challenge than I was ready to suffer. The traps went on-end on the folded-out bag, spilling the guest into the bottom end long enough to pull the bag over the trap. Once the bag was tucked closed, safe to put it into the car. Quiet back there with the bag clocking the view. This wasn't a sightseeing tour, apparently; they must have misread the travel brochure. After several miles of forest service road, a pile of rocks seemed the perfect spot for a new rockchuck nation to spring up. Open the door, and the little guys hotfooted it over to the rock formation. Then almost immediately turned tail and hauled butt across the road and off into the forest. After all the love and care I'd put into choosing a new home for them...

 

The bags got tossed and the traps were thoroughly cleaned with the hose and brush. Ready for the next varmint attack and invasion. Rockchucks apparently go somewhat dormant in later summer and fall. The traps will come back out when they decide to come help harvest our garden veggies and flowers again.

 

More: The traps are shipped pretty much ready to use. They don't fold for storage, so be ready for the storage space they will use up. The traps themselves are constructed from plated steel wire mesh and sheet metal parts, and easily resisted the teeth and claws of the rockchucks. Still, I'm not sure they will last if left in outside storage over long periods. I suspect the wire will rust at the weld points given sufficient time and exposure. That probably wouldn't affect function, but appearance would suffer.

 

Hope this helps!

We are having a particularly intense infestation of 'rockchucks' this summer. A rockchuck is a yellow-bellied red marmot, a close relative of that Phil character that is used to, um, predict the remaining winter in early February. While active, they decimate flowers and vegetables, so aren't desirable. We live very close to the edge of a National Forest, and while we recognize that we live in their territory, I'm more than happy to relocate the marauding garden terrorists back to those forests. Enter the live traps.

 

It took a few reads of the simple instructions to pick up all the nuances. The sheet is written for several related models, with different details for each. After those reads and some head scratching where hair used to grow, the actual setting up was fast and easy. I followed some internet advice, worth every penny I paid for it, as I selected a bait for our particular visitors. Nothing. Last evening at a neighborhood meeting, I found out that watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are favored here. We'll see how we do, hopefully better with the right bait.

 

The trap itself is easy to set up, and it's a size that should fit and hold our rockchucks. Perhaps as important, the size is just right to fit into a large garden-waste trash bag. That's essential before placing a scared animal in the back of the car for a ride back to a wilder place. Plus it will contain any excess pee and droppings that would otherwise end up in the car. It's a ten-minute drive or so to get them beyond any normal 'homing' range, no need to traumatize them unnecessarily.

 

Neighbors who use traps these speak highly of them. I will to after the right bait draws the several beasts who have been feasting on my flowers.

 

I'll update if the results are less than great.

 

----

 

Update after a few successful weeks of use --

 

Thanks to watermelon rinds as bait, 'Rocky' and 'Chuck' have found new homesteads to enjoy, several miles from ours. Neither seemed particularly happy to be in the trap, although each did manage to consume all of the rinds during their visit time. They each thanked me for the food and the rides by chattering their teeth as I gathered them up for the vacation trip.

 

A large lawn-sized leaf bag is just the right size to put the trap in for the rides in the car. It took a little careful lifting and sliding to get the trap into the bag each time. I'll be honest that I tried to do it all gently, but it proved more challenge than I was ready to suffer. The traps went on-end on the folded-out bag, spilling the guest into the bottom end long enough to pull the bag over the trap. Once the bag was tucked closed, safe to put it into the car. Quiet back there with the bag clocking the view. This wasn't a sightseeing tour, apparently; they must have misread the travel brochure. After several miles of forest service road, a pile of rocks seemed the perfect spot for a new rockchuck nation to spring up. Open the door, and the little guys hotfooted it over to the rock formation. Then almost immediately turned tail and hauled butt across the road and off into the forest. After all the love and care I'd put into choosing a new home for them...

 

The bags got tossed and the traps were thoroughly cleaned with the hose and brush. Ready for the next varmint attack and invasion. Rockchucks apparently go somewhat dormant in later summer and fall. The traps will come back out when they decide to come help harvest our garden veggies and flowers again.

 

More: The traps are shipped pretty much ready to use. They don't fold for storage, so be ready for the storage space they will use up. The traps themselves are constructed from plated steel wire mesh and sheet metal parts, and easily resisted the teeth and claws of the rockchucks. Still, I'm not sure they will last if left in outside storage over long periods. I suspect the wire will rust at the weld points given sufficient time and exposure. That probably wouldn't affect function, but appearance would suffer.

 

Hope this helps!

We are having a particularly intense infestation of 'rockchucks' this summer. A rockchuck is a yellow-bellied red marmot, a close relative of that Phil character that is used to, um, predict the remaining winter in early February. While active, they decimate flowers and vegetables, so aren't desirable. We live very close to the edge of a National Forest, and while we recognize that we live in their territory, I'm more than happy to relocate the marauding garden terrorists back to those forests. Enter the live traps.

 

It took a few reads of the simple instructions to pick up all the nuances. The sheet is written for several related models, with different details for each. After those reads and some head scratching where hair used to grow, the actual setting up was fast and easy. I followed some internet advice, worth every penny I paid for it, as I selected a bait for our particular visitors. Nothing. Last evening at a neighborhood meeting, I found out that watermelon and cantaloupe rinds are favored here. We'll see how we do, hopefully better with the right bait.

 

The trap itself is easy to set up, and it's a size that should fit and hold our rockchucks. Perhaps as important, the size is just right to fit into a large garden-waste trash bag. That's essential before placing a scared animal in the back of the car for a ride back to a wilder place. Plus it will contain any excess pee and droppings that would otherwise end up in the car. It's a ten-minute drive or so to get them beyond any normal 'homing' range, no need to traumatize them unnecessarily.

 

Neighbors who use traps these speak highly of them. I will to after the right bait draws the several beasts who have been feasting on my flowers.

 

I'll update if the results are less than great.

 

----

 

Update after a few successful weeks of use --

 

Thanks to watermelon rinds as bait, 'Rocky' and 'Chuck' have found new homesteads to enjoy, several miles from ours. Neither seemed particularly happy to be in the trap, although each did manage to consume all of the rinds during their visit time. They each thanked me for the food and the rides by chattering their teeth as I gathered them up for the vacation trip.

 

A large lawn-sized leaf bag is just the right size to put the trap in for the rides in the car. It took a little careful lifting and sliding to get the trap into the bag each time. I'll be honest that I tried to do it all gently, but it proved more challenge than I was ready to suffer. The traps went on-end on the folded-out bag, spilling the guest into the bottom end long enough to pull the bag over the trap. Once the bag was tucked closed, safe to put it into the car. Quiet back there with the bag clocking the view. This wasn't a sightseeing tour, apparently; they must have misread the travel brochure. After several miles of forest service road, a pile of rocks seemed the perfect spot for a new rockchuck nation to spring up. Open the door, and the little guys hotfooted it over to the rock formation. Then almost immediately turned tail and hauled butt across the road and off into the forest. After all the love and care I'd put into choosing a new home for them...

 

The bags got tossed and the traps were thoroughly cleaned with the hose and brush. Ready for the next varmint attack and invasion. Rockchucks apparently go somewhat dormant in later summer and fall. The traps will come back out when they decide to come help harvest our garden veggies and flowers again.

 

More: The traps are shipped pretty much ready to use. They don't fold for storage, so be ready for the storage space they will use up. The traps themselves are constructed from plated steel wire mesh and sheet metal parts, and easily resisted the teeth and claws of the rockchucks. Still, I'm not sure they will last if left in outside storage over long periods. I suspect the wire will rust at the weld points given sufficient time and exposure. That probably wouldn't affect function, but appearance would suffer.

 

Hope this helps!

I have a huge pigeon problem and all the yucky stuff they leave all over the walks and windows. I got this bird trap so I could humanely rid my property of them. The trap arrived on schedule and was very easy to setup.

 

It works as advertised and is large enough to trap several pigeons at one time. It is easy to get the captured birds out and to release them FAR away.

Our cat had been missing for a week and we were getting desperate so we decided to follow someone's advice and purchase 2 humane animal traps. We already had 3 motion sensor security cameras on our house so we changed the angles to point directly at the traps. This is a step you should seriously consider adding to the process because it alerts you immediately that you've trapped an animal and then you can release them and reset the traps much more quickly.

 

We struggled a bit setting them up but they ended up working, almost too well - we caught about 10 different cats, several possums, and three big racoons. Large racoons are very strong - one of them managed to tip the cage over before we could release it - and they're terrifying when they're panicking, so be careful.

 

None of the animals we caught and released were hurt so the traps are safe. They're large enough for cats, dogs, and similarly sized wildlife. Cleaning them by spraying them down with a water hose was easy.

 

As far as bait goes, we alternated between tuna, sardines, cat food, and kitten food, and the can of sardines is what finally did the trick. We got our beloved kitty back home safely. It took a lot of effort and even more patience but it was completely worth it.

Our cat had been missing for a week and we were getting desperate so we decided to follow someone's advice and purchase 2 humane animal traps. We already had 3 motion sensor security cameras on our house so we changed the angles to point directly at the traps. This is a step you should seriously consider adding to the process because it alerts you immediately that you've trapped an animal and then you can release them and reset the traps much more quickly.

 

We struggled a bit setting them up but they ended up working, almost too well - we caught about 10 different cats, several possums, and three big racoons. Large racoons are very strong - one of them managed to tip the cage over before we could release it - and they're terrifying when they're panicking, so be careful.

 

None of the animals we caught and released were hurt so the traps are safe. They're large enough for cats, dogs, and similarly sized wildlife. Cleaning them by spraying them down with a water hose was easy.

 

As far as bait goes, we alternated between tuna, sardines, cat food, and kitten food, and the can of sardines is what finally did the trick. We got our beloved kitty back home safely. It took a lot of effort and even more patience but it was completely worth it.

UPDATE 10 days LATER: I still think the reels with a dozen squirrels in the trap are AI. BUT I have caught 4 of them over a week. About 2 days to catch each one, one at a time. So it does work. Regular wildlife bait not very effective. Peanuts worked the best. Dumped nuts without touching, so human scent is not on the nuts. Upped from 4 to 5 stars because the reels are mostly bogus, but it is catching squirrels. ORIGINAL REVIEW: I have become convinced that the YT's that show lots of squirrels caught in this trap are just bogus AI-generated nonsense. I put it out with different baits near a known squirrel next enclave and it doesn't work at all. The squirrels get within 3' of the trap, look at it carefully and walk away. Waste of time and money. Expensive for a trap that doesn't work, too.