Features:

  • Dimensions: 16 x 6 x 6 inches. Galvanized Steel, 12-Gauge Wire Mesh
  • One gravity action door
  • Chipmunk trap - also ideal for catching squirrels, flying squirrels, rats, weasels and similar-size nuisance animals
  • Patented design; comes fully assembled and ready to use
  • Trigger rod is located outside of the trap so animal cannot damage it while in the trap
These particular rodents can easily do hundreds of dollars worth of damage to your ...

We live in Southern Arizona where the Pack Rats are everywhere. These particular rodents can easily do hundreds of dollars worth of damage to your house and vehicles. We had traditional mouse traps that had been working for some pack rats, but not for a specific rodent near our Air Conditioner. I purchased this trap after reading about them online. The first night I baited it and set it near our vehicles. Nothing. The second night it was moved to the area near the Air Conditioner, where a Pack Rat had been springing traditional traps without getting snared. Within three hours of sunset, we had the culprit that had eluded us for so long. This trap worked so well that I bought a second one and will keep them baited constantly to keep control of the pack rat problems.

Critters caught with new trap - 6 to date in 3 days

I received the trap in good order in 2 days. It took way longer to read how to set the trap, than to actually set it. It now takes just a few seconds to set the trap. I have been very succesful in trapping animals in the first 3 days of ownership. So far 4 squirrels, 2 chipmunks and a "turtle dove". The first 6 are now happy in a wood some miles from my home, and fortunately the Dove had not injured itself, and took off as soon as I released "him". I use sunflower seeds, just a small handful, some in front of the trap, some on the trigger and some under the trap on the floor. One minor modification was needed! I put a brick on tope as squirrels can turn the trap over with their struggles. Our garden will thank us soon that these critters are back in the wilds. Thanks Havahart for the humane trap.

Wanna know the secret to successful trapping?

Read no further unless you want to read the previous 2300 reviews. I did. Here's a summary. The trap works great. It takes just seconds to figure out how the 2 metal rods are supposed to make contact. As others have done, I filed flat spots on both rods to create a bit more surface area for better contact. But here's the real secret: Apply your bait (peanut butter) to a small rock. Animals will push and pull it off the trigger, trying to lick it clean. No more center of balance. Bam! I add a few pumpkin seeds to draw them in. My quest is chipmunks. One gets over the cuteness factor quickly. Last year my pea pods were completely decimated and tomatoes weren't much better. I've had this trap in operation a few days. Expecting great results. Aside from chipmunks, caught a possum and several weasels. Had no idea they were around. We like weasels. They eat chipmunks. And they are quite adorable. See my photos. Happy trapping!

Works like a live trap should.

I have been catching many rodents by simply tying a peanut in the shell to the plate with a twist-tie. This makes them work for the food and it trips the sliding door. Check the mechanism once in a while for proper action: the trip plate moves easy, the door slides down easy, etc.

Sends them packing quick.

Works great. Caught 2 chipmunks in my garage - 1 the first night, the 2nd the next night. I expect to catch another this 3rd night.I cut a piece of cardboard the width and length inside the trap leading up to the trigger platform. For some reason I thought that would be easier on their little feet and minimize the possibility of a chipmunk tripping on the wire cage triggering the trap too early lol. I put some peanut butter I bought at Dollar Tree for $1.00 on the trigger platform and some shelled sunflower and pumpkin seeds for humans that I bought at Menards for $1.89 on the cardboard and just outside the trap. I put a copy of Chipmunk Daily inside the cage so they have something to do until I find them the next morning. I release them in the yard of somebody who deserves to be tormented by these highly destructive animals (ex-mother-in-law-hag-of-the-year-15-years-in-a-row).

Works great! Be sure and check it every hour or so.

I ordered this live trap for the rats in my art studio I'm trying to clear out. I like rats and mice. They are highly intelligent creatures and I didn't want to kill them, but they were chewing on my art so it was time. The trap works great! I did file and oil the hinges of the part the rat steps on to trigger the door just to make it super easy to trigger. I put peanut butter on a cracker and put it in the very back of the cage so the rat would have to step on the trigger to get the food. To keep the rat from reaching in from the outside and getting the food and eating it (which happened once), I attached a piece of tin against the back of the trap on the outside and that stopped that problem. I "trained" the rats the come to the back of the trap by first putting the food in the front of the trap and not setting it. After they felt safe going in the trap, I put the cracker with peanut butter in the very back of the trap and still didn't set it. When the rats felt safe eating from that area, then I withheld food for day and then put the food in the back of the trap and set it. I caught a rat every time with this method. It takes a little patience ,but it's worth it. Rats are smart! I will say that you should not leave the trap unattended for longer than a few hours. I set the trap overnight once and when I checked it in the morning, there was a rat in the trap but she was dead, which made me feel horrible. The studio was heated so I suspect she didn't die from cold but from fright. I had white mice as pets when I was a kid and they are very sensitive creatures. So from then on, I set the trap when I could go back and check it every hour or so and that worked great. I have caught 5 rats so far. I released the rats behind the studio in a wooded area in my yard and then waited and watched to see how they were getting back in. When they came back in I'd have to catch the same rat again, but that was okay because I needed to see their entry point. I plugged their holes with steel wool and foam spray insulation. There were quite a few holes at the base of my studio where the corrugated metal met the concrete foundation. The foundation had chipped or worn away in places along the edges of the foundation making it so the rats could come in through the exposed area under the metal siding. Also the corners of the metal roof had gaps large enough for rats to come in. No matter how many rats/mice you trap, you will always have more come in until you get the holes plugged!! I am keeping a cracker on the floor now for a while just to see if anything eats it. If something does, it means there's still one in the studio who is either stuck in there and now can't get out or there's another hole I haven't found. But catching them is a breeze now. I'm hoping I've gotten all the rats out and they are living their lives somewhere else nearby. There are plenty of abandoned out buildings in my neighborhood for that even though I know they will miss their heated hotel they've had for so long! They were nesting in the pink insulation in the walls and ceiling and so now I am taking all that out. Fun! I highly recommend this trap to all the animal lovers (or wannabes) out there!

Awesome for squirrels and rats

Tried some other traps. The animals eventually destroy them. I've now caught 8 squirrels and 6 rats with this thing. The local squirrel and rat population is gone and nothing is eating my house now. Jiffy extra crunchy peanut butter. Tip: It will also catch skunks. I caught 2. :) use with caution, skunks aren't hard to release just so long as you realize what you caught before you pick up the cage :). The solid roof and door keep rain from washing away the bait. Also shades whatever you caught so you aren't baking them in the sun. The squirrels had caused $1100 in damage to my house and nothing stopped them from making new holes. I put it back out periodically. In the fall we had an influx of rats in the neighborhood. This took care of them in a week and a half and no more squeaking in the hedges or scrabbling in the attic. There are many ways you can handle what happens after you catch them. If you intend to rehome a squirrel it needs to be 20+ miles away or they come back. Skunks you can take a short distance away and they will not return generally. Rats, well, you decide what you want to do with them.

securing a water container inside may be a win-win

I haven't had much experience with any other non-kill trap, but this one has worked well for me. I have been using it to catch small ground squirrels because of all of the holes they make in my yard and I have been catching about one every other day per trap. The first five died in the trap. I set the traps in the morning (baited with watermelon and unshelled peanuts because that is what I had) and checked them when I got home from work. I wasn't sure why the first one died (caught Day 1). When the second one (caught Day 2) died I started to think it might be too hot (high around 90?) and they were dying of thirst even though I baited with fruit and the full roof offered at least some shade. I set the traps again and knowing I had to come home early to meet a worker. The worker got there 30 min early and said that there were two caught and still alive, but apparently they weren't doing too well because by the time I got there, both had died. I went to the pet store and bought a bolt-on dish for a bird cage and filled it with water, but they only had one. I decided against a hang-on-the-outside hamster watering bottle because I didn't want to risk buying it then not having them figure it out. As a temporary fix, I found a narrow plastic bottle (8oz plastic Ensure from Costco), cut off the neck so only the wide base remained (maybe about 5 oz capacity), and zip-tied it to the inside of the cage maybe 1/3 of the way from the door to the pressure plate. That day every trap caught, but the bird cage dish was flipped over, out of its metal ring and that 5th catch was dead. The narrow container that I'd zip-tied to the cage stayed put and the rodents have never died with that configuration (I soon replaced the bird cage dish with the zip-tied bottle hack). The trap works well, but I'm writing to advertise the idea of a water container in the cage. It is a win for the rodent because it doesn't die (of thirst in the cage). It is a win for me because I don't feel bad about directly torturing the rodent, it was easy and cheap, I have the suspicion that it actually helps lure the rodent into the cage in hot weather, and I'm guessing that it might be enough of an obstruction to help keep a quick rodent from making it back out before the door falls. Some cages have a spring assisted door that can close extremely fast, but this one is slower using only gravity so perhaps having the water container partially blocking the exit improves the trap. With this trap, I fiddle with the trigger so that the binding between the plate rod and the door-holding rod it is as tenuous as possible. Sometimes the wind will cause the door to close on its own. Sometimes they steal from the trap and it doesn't spring. I don't mind the thefts too much because I know it gets them to associate the trap with free food and I'll eventually get them. The back and forth tip in the pressure plate that springs the trap can get pretty stiff, so I've tried oiling it a little and it works smoother for a while. I'm wondering if using dry graphite might be better. I read of someone using car wax, but I haven't tried that yet. If anyone has any good solutions to keep the plate loose, I'd appreciate the feedback because for me, arranging the lightest trigger is one of the biggest challenges with this trap.

Impressive!

We have been feeding the birds in our garden for some time now. Over the years we have developed quite a rodent population. After some research, we decided trapping was the best solution. I bought this trap mainly due to the good Amazon reviews and I was not disappointed! At first glance, the product seemed a bit flimsy, especially the trigger mechanism. After the first day, I changed my mind. We caught five chipmunks, two squirrels, a Mourning Dove and a Sparrow! So far, on the second day, we caught two squirrels and its only 9AM! The trap is well designed and does the job effectively! I do recommend placing a brick or rock on top of the cage. One of the squirrels thrashed around inside the trap so much, he caused it to tip over and fall off the wall where it was set. He didn't escape but there was some minor damage. The trip rod bent slightly but was easily straightened. In the two days I've owned it, I've spent more on gas relocating the animals than I did on the trap! Highly recommended!!

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