Squirrel Cage - Trapped in a Cage Trap

07.01.2007 - Cage traps are a good option for squirrel control. There are lethal traps out there, but there's no need to kill squirrels. They can be live-trapped and relocated. One-way exclusion doors also do a good job of removing squirrels from buildings, but squirrels sometimes then work to chew their way back into the building. For successful trapping of squirrels in a cage trap, simply set the proper type of trap in an area you know the squirrels travel, and bait it with peanut butter and peanuts or seeds. The trap must have the proper pan tension so that a lightweight animal like a squirrel can trigger it. A good squirrel cage doesn't need to be very strong, since squirrels are small animals.

In order for me to release the squirrel in the above photo, he must answer three of my readers email questions. Good luck squirrel!

Question 1 I don't really have a problem, just more of a nuisance. A squirrel has taken to eating a decorative plant that apparently taste good. Is there anything I could use to stop this?

Squirrel Answer: Spray Ropel or habanera pepper sauce on the plant, we hate the taste of that stuff.

Question 2 I actually attract squirrels to my back deck in the winter: I have no problem with their presence on my property. However, I had an experience today that I simply don't understand and haven't been able to find an explanation for on the Internet. When I awoke this morning, my cat had deposited a small squirrel (probably a couple or three months old) on the doormat. I decided to bury the poor creature and first wrapped it in paper and sealed it in a plastic bag. I left it on a cabinet top on the back deck. When I returned later to bury it, the bag and paper were on the deck floor and another larger squirrel was running down the steps to the yard with the dead squirrel firmly held between its teeth. I watched as it climbed a nearby tree with the carcass. I would like to know why the squirrel retrieved the dead body but I can find no Internet information on this subject. Can you point me to a reliable source? Many thanks. Frank Marietta, Ga

Squirrel Answer: This was likely a mother squirrel, and that was her baby. She was simply retrieving it by instinct. She will soon abandon it once she fully realizes that it's dead. It's also possible with squirrels, for some reason, that she'll eat part of it. I do not know why this is, maybe a stress thing, but I've seen it happen.

Question 3 I need immediate assistance in trapping a squirrel(s) that have made my attic their home. This problem has been ongoing for a few months. However, last week I had a trapper come by my home to get rid of the squirrel. The only thing he did was determine where the hole was and put some type of covering over it. Needless to say, I wasted my money because the squirrels are still there. I basically hear them every morning rumbling around or running across the ceiling and it is very annoying. Your prompt assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.

Squirrel Answer: Wow, you hired a lousy trapper. Are you saying that he simply sealed the squirrels inside the attic? Now you have a bigger problem than you had before. We squirrels need to get out for food and water, and now we're going to chew the crap out of the attic while we search for a way out. You must open the hole at once. Set some cage traps to trap and remove the squirrels, and relocate them at least 5 miles away. Or set a one-way door on the hole that will allow the squirrels a way out, but not back in. Also, squirrels often have multiple entry points, so check if there's other areas than the one that the trapper covered. And call that asshole trapper back and demand your money back, or that he actually remove the squirrels!

Okay squirrel, you have faithfully answered these three questions, you are now free to go. Unless you want a job with me answering my emails. No? You'd rather dance in the trees and steal bird seeds? As you wish. Farewell formerly caged squirrel. We will meet again.

Do it yourself: Visit my How To Get Rid of Squirrels page for tips and advice.
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