Top 10 Animal Trapping Tips from the Havahart® Community

Top 10 Animal Trapping Tips from the Havahart® Community

Live animal trapping isn’t easy and it’s not something that most of us look forward to or enjoy. But when stray or wild animals pose a threat to our property, as well as the health and safety of our family, trapping can become an unavoidable reality. Here at Havahart®, we’re committed to providing caring animal control products that make trapping feral cats, groundhogs, raccoons and other nuisance animals less challenging for humans. Our traps are also specifically designed to limit the possibility of injury to the animals. The following 10 trapping tips have been provided by experts – people just like you who have successfully used our products to get rid of problem animals – and our employees who have an extensive understanding of how to maximize trap performance.

  • “I use a live trap like the one in your picture, but I open a can of cat food and bury it in the ground with the exposed cat food showing. I then put the cage overtop of it and I use a post to attach the cage so the animal can't drag it away after it’s caught.” – Cathy B., Havahart trap customer
  • “Taking the time to learn the habits of your target animal can significantly improve your trapping success. For example, it’s helpful to know whether the animal feeds during the day or at night.” –Havahart employee
  • “The BEST bait ever for skunks is Flaming Hot Cheetos and marshmallows, and for raccoons, marshmallows and Little Debbie Oatmeal Cream Pies. Open one end of the wrapper and put the pie in the back of the trap. While the raccoon is busy with the wrapper, he sets the trap off and bang, he’s caught!” – Carl L., Havahart trap customer
  • “Wear gloves whenever handling the trap. This prevents you from leaving your scent on the cage, which could make the animal wary of entering.” –Havahart employee
  • “I haven’t discovered an animal yet that doesn’t like dry cat food placed in a tuna tin… I use it for trapping groundhogs, skunks, raccoons, etc.” – Larry C., Havahart trap customer
  • “Camouflaging your trap helps it blend in with the surrounding environment and might make the animal think that it’s a suitable resting place.” –Havahart employee
  • “I take a can of cat food or tuna, punch two holes in it and wire to the back of cage. It’s good for keeping mice and rats out of the food too, but the smell still attracts them and they can’t carry off the food/can.” – Chris B., Havahart trap customer
  • “Give the animal time to become acclimated to the trap before actually setting it. Once you see that he is regularly taking the bait, you’ll know it’s time to set the trap.” – Havahart employee
  • “I personally target the animals I trap by using different baits for certain critters. For raccoon trapping, I wire a marshmallow to the inside of the trap near the back so it hangs freely. I make sure the bait is tied behind the trip plate. This works wonders on problem coons, as they can’t just take the bait and run. They’ll try to unite the bait, but by keeping them in the trap longer, it provides more of chance for them to step on the trip plate.” – Jimmy P., Havahart trap customer
  • “Anchoring your trap to the ground by placing a brick or rock on top will hold it in place and prevent it from rattling when the animal enters.” –Havahart employee
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