How to Catch a Squirrel with Traps & Baits – The Best Way!

Squirrels are pesky little creatures, and difficult to get rid of once they've set up shop in your attic or home.

These pests are the main offender when talking about pests that chew electrical wires and timbers around your home -they are expert chewers and can cause lots of damage! (this also applies to raccoons!) - so its time to learn how to trap a squirrel - the right way.

One of the best ways to get those squirrels out is by using traps, which are easy to obtain and quick to set up. You can set up the traps yourself and it doesn’t require any extensive knowledge or experience, which can be helpful.

Please be aware: to effectively use traps to get rid of squirrels, there are a few hints and tips that only the professionals will know about.

In order to choose the right trap, you’ll need to know the different types of traps and their effectiveness. We highly recommend you check out this page for more information regarding pest problems.

How to catch squirrels: the following traps are commonly used to to trap and catch these pests with bait:

Squirrel Cage Traps

These traps are the most common type for catching household squirrels, and are hassle free and quick. They work with a simple tripping mechanism.

When the animal approaches the bait, its weight triggers the trip, causing the door to open and the animal to become trapped inside the cage. Because the door only opens in one direction (or can be controlled by a person on the outside), the squirrel has no way of getting out, and is thus stuck.

These cage traps usually come with the option of one or two doors depending on how many squirrels you’re looking to catch. After setting up the cages, you simply check on them occasionally and all the pest catching will be done for you!

Squirrel Repeater Traps

These repeater traps branch off of cage traps, but are often more convenient and useful for professional pest catchers. These are also great if you have a mass infestation and want to get rid of all of the squirrels in the attic.

Repeater traps work with a similar mechanism, catching the animals and not letting them out. However, the neat part of repeater cages is that they continually get all the pests.

By placing them at the exits, the squirrels will eventually all pile in there, as there is no other way to get out of the area if you do it right! Block off the other places and catch the animals with repeater cages.

Lethal Traps (not recommended)

Meanwhile, lethal cages with bait can permanently get rid of a squirrel, but it doesn’t ensure that the other squirrels get out, either. Lethal cages are incredibly tricky and pretty unappealing to handle, as you don’t want to be walking around with a dead animal or have dead pest in your house and attic.

Additionally, some states or areas have rules regarding safe and humane removal of animals, even if they are pests. You don’t want to get into a dangerous situation, and you don’t want to be decimating the squirrel population in the process. Instead, the better option is to use a cage trap to humanely catch and remove the animal from your home. With a proper bait, this process should be easy enough to perform.

Other Pest Control Tips

Additionally, there are several important things to keep in mind, and they’ll definitely help you with your pest catching.

Some people also tend to use poison for these pests.

An important component of the cages is the bait—otherwise, the squirrels wouldn’t want to enter the trap. You need something strongly scented and appealing. Peanuts and peanut butter present attractive options for squirrel bait, as the little pests love the thick, delicious blend.

On the other hand, oranges are great for the dehydrated squirrels. Another thing to keep in mind is the placement of the traps. Place them as well as the baits near the entrances, especially the repeated cages, to get many of the exiting or newly entering squirrels.

It's important to note that these cages are not suitable for other pest, so if you are trying to catch other rodents/pest, you should look at some of these pest removal traps here : https://atticpestauthority.com/pest-removal-traps

For more information on attic pests including the most common types and best ways to deal with them, visit this page (atticpestauthority.com) as a starting point. Or if you want more tips on how to get rid of squirrels, go here.