How To Use A Live Animal Trap

How to Take hold of a Skunk with a Live Trap

Skunks are animals that should be taken intendance of apace once you detect activeness on your property. These animals can potentially carry diseases such as rabies, and their smelly spray won't be easy to remove from your skin or clothing. Ane method of removing a skunk from your belongings is using a live trap to catch and release the brute. Live trapping is a safe and effective style to go along animals away from your home.

If you desire to catch a skunk with a live trap, read this guide for instructions and product recommendations.

Identification

Skunk on White Background

Before using a live trap, you need to brand sure that the wild animal yous are dealing with is a skunk. This volition ensure that yous are using the correct bait and strategies.

Skunks are generally 20 to thirty inches long. They are known mainly for the striped blackness and white fur and bushy tail. They normally weigh between 6 and ten pounds and tend to make their homes shut to a body of water. Skunks are nocturnal and have a smashing sense of both smell and hearing. A skunk'due south spray can reach up to 10 anxiety, then take caution when approaching or handling this beast.

Use the paradigm and clarification higher up to confirm that you are dealing with a skunk on your property.

Inspection

Turf Damage

Once yous've confirmed that your pest fauna is a skunk, it is helpful to recognize the areas where it is nigh agile. This is where you volition place your alive trap.

Where to Inspect

Yous want to pick areas that accept high activity from skunks. These animals are incredible diggers and may be ruining your garden or lawn looking fro earthworms or insects. Keep an eye out for overturned soil. There might be holes forth the foundation besides for skunk burrows.

What to Expect For

Because skunks are nocturnal animals, any damage will be washed at night. There are sure signs that signal skunk activity, such every bit damaged gardens, holes in your lawn and under your property, and skunk tracks. These tracks will have 5 digits on all four of their paws with long nails.

Treatment

Now that you accept identified your pest animal as a skunk and taken note of areas where it is nearly active, y'all can use your alive trap. Be sure to clothing gloves when handling the trap to prevent leaving the scent. If a skunk picks up a human scent on the trap, information technology will avoid the trap, which will go far ineffective.

Pace 1 - Remove Nutrient and Shelter Sources

You lot want the skunk to enter the live trap with the aid of bait. Because of this, competing food sources demand to be removed. Go along your trash sealed in trash bags and stored in trash bins with a lid to continue it airtight. Whatever fallen fruits or seeds should be picked up and droppings should be swept and removed. This will ensure that skunks volition have no cloth to eat or use every bit a living space.

Step two - Place the Trap

By now, you should have taken note of areas with loftier skunk activeness. These areas are where you will put your trap. Be certain to place your trap on an even surface. A skunk might push or knock over the trap in order to attain the bait inside. Place a brick or weight on acme of the trap to avert this.

Step three - Bait and Set the Trap

Using the proper bait volition increase your chances of catching a skunk. These animals prefer sweet foods such as dear buns with the wrapper open up or half of a mashed assistant. The bait should be placed most the dorsum of the trap. This ensures that the skunk volition need to footstep on the trigger plate in gild to reach the food.

You will then ready your trap by pushing on the door lock and lifting the door plate. Keep the door plate lifted while pulling the trigger arm forward to prepare information technology. You volition know it is set when the trigger arm'due south hook catches the door.

Step 4 - Monitor the Trap

You will need to cheque the traps twice a twenty-four hour period, preferably once in the morning and once in the evening. This is when y'all will refill allurement if needed. Checking the trap frequently may dissuade skunks from approaching the trap. Practise not keep an animate being trapped in the cage for longer than 24 hours.

Step v - Relocate the Skunk

Any non-target animals should be released immediately. Once yous take captured a skunk in your live trap, bank check your local authorities to make sure you are correctly relocating the animal. Approach the trap slowly and use a gentle voice. Place a towel over the cage to avoid frightening the skunk. In one case you have relocated far enough, carefully open the trap and release the animate being. You tin read more nearly releasing an animal from a live trap here.

Prevention

Afterward using your alive trap, yous want to make sure that wild animals do non invade your holding again. You tin have some preventative measures to keep your surface area skunk-free.

Sanitation

Keeping trash out in the open is an invitation for a skunk. Be sure to place all waste in a trash can, preferably with a lid and then it can be kept closed. Remove all clutter and debris from your property, since skunks may be drawn to nest and burrow in these areas. Whatever fallen fruit or seeds should be picked up and removed promptly equally well.

Exclusion

To avoid skunks from burrowing nether your property, be sure to check the foundation for cracks and crevices. These can be sealed with Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh and caulk. Stuf-Fit is a breathable fabric that many animals cannot chew through. It will not rust and can exist stuffed into cracks and crevices earlier sealing with caulk. Repair any voids or openings around the dwelling or structure, such as damaged screens around windows or basement wells, and damaged or dilapidated fences.

Cardinal Takeaways

Skunks are nocturnal animals. They take blackness and white striped fur and a bushy tail. If information technology feels threatened, the skunk volition give many warning signs such as growling before spraying.
Bait the live trap with sweetness food like a beloved bun or one-half a mashed assistant, making certain it is placed behind the trigger plate of the trap.
Cheque the trap once in the forenoon and once in the evening. Once a skunk is caught, check with your local authorities to make sure yous safely and correctly release it.
Preclude skunks from entering your holding again by removing whatever potential nutrient sources and trash, besides as sealing any cracks and crevices with Stuf-Fit Copper Mesh and caulk.