Tube Tunnel Squirrel Trap - 15" Long Double Torsion Spring Steel - Naturally Attracts Rodents - Rust Resistant, Built-in Safety Latch

Update: 3.5 years since we bought this trap, and today I'm ordering a replacement. The trap works really well - so well that over time (and hundreds of uses) the strength of the spring has deformed various parts of the trap enough that we can no longer get it set. It's gradual, and we were able to reshape some as they happened but now the platform lever where the release catch goes has gotten too flared to properly hold the pin. In all this time, only 1 squirrel has not been killed instantly and had to be dispatched by hand (it somehow got most of the way out before springing the trap so it was caught by the back half). We caught 1 large rat; there have been no other casualties (for those concerned about cats / birds / etc.) There are noticeably fewer grey squirrels in our general area, though someone is still feeding the invasive rodents so we continue to do population control. Original: Waited three months before writing this review, to make sure I had a decent amount of time to try it out. I have not been paid for this review in any way - I'm just a regular homeowner who is fed up with destructive critters. The fluffy-tailed grey pests had taken over our yard, destroying fencing, landscaping, garden, lawn, and planters with their incessant digging and chewing - and one was starting to chew into the rafters of an outbuilding. Somebody in the neighborhood is feeding them peanuts (!) and encouraging the horribleness of these invasive, non-native beasts. I don't, however, want to harm any other creatures while trying to reduce the surplus of tree-dwelling rats, so didn't want to use poisons or traps that could catch unsuspecting birds / cats / other small critters who don't ruin everything. And catch & release relocation isn't legal here in Washington, so there aren't many other options. This squirrel trap is fantastic. It's humane (kills instantly), and once you get the hang of setting it (and where you set it), it's pretty foolproof. We put peanut butter on the inside top of the tube (above the platform) and stick a piece of cracked corn in it; then a small smear of peanut butter on the platform, and a scattering of cracked corn leading out of one end of the tube to lure the beasts in. Just like a rat trap, only bigger - it kills and holds them, for easy disposal. We got the rust-resistant version (necessary in our Seattle weather), and it's easy to keep clean, just hose it off if needed. We've been setting it along a fence rail that they run along regularly, have caught two in the first couple of days. Thru trial and error, I have found that you do need to set it on firm ground (not in soft garden soil) or something solid so it has resistance to trip the lever. We have a few misses (trap sprung but empty) but in three months have caught at least ten grey squirrels (I lost track). We move the trap around the yard and fence line to keep them on their toes, so to speak. Definitely not for the faint of heart - you are killing a small creature and have to dispose of the carcass - and with a squirrel inside the trap is heavy and somewhat awkward to empty. Easier with two people (one holding a bag) but if alone, I release the trap and use the safety catch to hold it open in order to drop the squirrel out one end. I would like to give it 4.5 stars (minus half for the fiddly-ness of setting the lever juuuuuuuust right), but will go with 5 because it is exactly what we needed and the occasional miss is very much offset by the shear number of squirrels we have caught.

Works great. The only complaint I have is that paint was scratched on the item when it arrived fully wrapped in bubble wrap..

La meilleure trape jamais inventer! Tout simplement génial et efficace ! Utiliser beurre d'arachide et pistache pour capturer les écureuils ! Bel achat, je le recommande grandement !

UPDATE April 2024: It's 2+ years later and this trap is still working Great at killing squirrels that get into the attic or other areas of the house. It is just Fantastic!! Those who left bad reviews most likely didn't take the time or have the patience to learn how to use it properly. See below for Tips and Tricks I learned along the way. _________________________________ Honestly, I like animals and don’t like killing them if it's not for food. But once they invaded my living space they declared war. And I’m winning! This trap is working and it’s great! It’s a Squirrel Killing Machine once you’ve learned how to use it. See below for Tips & Tricks I learned about using this trap. Squirrels invaded the attic biting through the eves and they won’t go near wire traps (probably due to the “Catch & Release” law here which exterminators have to abide by). But these squirrels aren’t familiar with my brand new Super-Squirrel-Killing-Machine-Trap! And they can’t resist Pistachio Nuts in shells and keep getting killed with this trap. (Those who gave this trap negative reviews probably didn’t take the time to learn how to use it. Maybe they didn’t understand how to use the safety latch, or didn’t read the instructions. You need some patience to learn how to use it but once you’ve figured it out, it works and kills those fill-in-the-blank squirrels!) TIPS & TRICKS: Here’s some of what I learned from trial and error. SETTING THE TRAP BEFORE BAITING: * Use a table or counter to do everything other than putting the trap in the location you want it. This will give you leverage for setting it and the patience you need to learn how to use this thing. It will also help you avoid getting frustrated. You need some patience to learn how to use this trap. But you CAN do it! How do I know? Because you’re smarter than those fill-in-the-blank squirrels! * Watch the video posted here on Amazon about setting the trap and read the instructions enclosed with the trap. Do each 3 TIMES. Familiarize yourself with all the pieces and parts and how they work. * Know that the video makes it look Really easy to pull the lever down – it’s NOT easy at all. The lever is attached to a VERY strong spring and it will be very hard to pull the lever down. You need hand/arm strength, and if you don’t have that, read on for what I do. * If you don’t have hand/arm strength (like me) use a Table or Counter and use your body weight to lean on the lever while pulling it down towards you. IMPORTANT: Make sure to use your thumb to flip the safety latch into place to hold the bar in place before setting the trap bar. Read on. * There is a Safety Latch. When you are pulling the lever down to set it, use your thumb to flip up the Safety Latch into place BEFORE trying to set the trap bar. This way the Safety Latch will catch the trap bar if you slip up and you won’t have to pull the lever all the way down again from scratch. BAITING THE TRAP: * Before putting bait into the trap – set the trap bar at the most-difficult-to-release sensitivity and MAKE SURE THE SAFETY LATCH IS ON so that you don’t get hurt. You will adjust the sensitivity of the trap bar later - AFTER putting the bait inside. * I use sticky-gooey sugary stuff to “glue” the pistachio nuts (in shells) onto the killing plate. This way they can’t just reach out and knock the nuts off the plate, they have to step onto the killing plate to get those nuts out of the sticky gooey sugary “glue”. * I stick only 3 pistachios (in shells) onto the furthest edge of the killing plate. * I stick 1 pistachio (in its shell) onto the roof inside directly above the killing plate so that in case they somehow get the nuts on the killing plate, they will still need to step on the killing plate to get that 1 nut stuck to the roof. SETTING THE TRAP AFTER BAITING: * Now that you’ve set the bait you can adjust the sensitivity of the trap. * Keep that Safety Latch on while adjusting the sensitivity! * Play around with the sensitivity so that you get a feeling for how it works. Make sure the Safety Latch is on when you do this! * Set the sensitivity for as sensitive as you can. * Pull the Safety Latch back (I forgot to do this step once and missed killing a squirrel who had a feast on my pistachios nuts!). * Put the trap in the spot where you want to catch and kill the squirrels. * I caught more squirrels when I kept the area dark where I set the trap, compared to keeping the area light. They seem to like dark spaces. * I had a good place to put the trap where the squirrels were frolicking in the attic and shredding my 10-year Covid supply of toilet paper (serves me right for buying so much in the first place!). I put the trap against a wall since I thought they would feel more “secure” approaching it that way, but don’t know for certain if that helped. I figured since they like these little tunnels, they may like “hugging” the wall and then scurry right into the trap. IF YOU’RE NOT CATCHING SQUIRRELS: * Try different types of bait and try placing the trap in different locations. * Put 2-3 smaller morsels of the same bait you are using for the traps within about 6-10 feet outside of the trap. This could fool the squirrels into thinking that this food is now just safely available in abundance. Also, after they get a taste, they will want more and hopefully go into the trap to get it. * Something that may have helped was a mistake I made. I left the Safety Latch on by mistake when setting the trap. The squirrels ate up all the bait and the trap didn’t hurt them. So they learned that the trap was a safe place to get food. That positive experience may have been what made them feel safe to go back and get more food. Of course the next time I put bait in the trap I pulled back the Safety Latch making the trap lethal. If you’ve got smart squirrels, it’s worth a try, but only as a very last resort after trying every other option above if you’re still not catching squirrels. That’s it! I killed 6 squirrels in my attic! Now I’m going to try to get rid of some more before they close up the holes the squirrels made in the eves. [UPDATE April 2024: I've killed over a dozen more in the 2 years since writing this review.] Like I wrote above, I like animals and don’t like killing them if it's not for food. But once they invaded my living space they declared war. And I'm winning!

I bought this trap because my live trap did't work, only to find out that this one similarly didn't work. I baited it with peanut butter, which was eaten up readily, but the trap didn't activate. The pb was on the trigger, it was removed without enough downward pressure to activate it. I daresay that some squirrels would be caught out, but mine seems to have a very gentle approach.