Traps -- Make Your Own
Make Your Own (under construction)
It may be helpful to review the pages on our site regarding home-made devices that others have built:
Here are some components that may prove useful:
- 8' by 27" metal mesh (steel lath) for $8.50 at Home Depot
- Sensor Plug: outlet turns on when motion detected
- Stanley: Indoor Wireless Remote System (turns electrical outlet on via wireless remote)
A key characteristic for most humane traps would be a method of alerting that an animal has been trapped and needs to be released promptly. Or better yet, ensuring that no animal is trapped unless there is someone nearby who will be able to relocate it.
Here's an example of such a trap.
The trap can be monitored with a video camera and, if an animal is observed entering, the prop holding the door up can be pulled via an attached string. And the animal immediately relocated. That trap uses the metal mesh, cited above, stapled to lightweight wood. The door is suspended between a pair of 12" ClosetMaid shelftrack vertical rails (available at Home Depot and elsewhere).
It is important to stick a layer of self-adhesive foam weather strip tape to the bottom of the door in order to avoid injury if an animal leaps to a position under the door as it closes (there's a greatly reduced likelihood of that if the animal is facing the rear when the string is pulled). The weather stripping also precludes situations like this or this.
Here is a view of the device in operation.
And here is another, similar, view:
If you couldn't get the string from the trap to where you are located (e.g., if the trap is in the basement and you are on the third floor), perhaps you could use a wireless remote outlet switch to turn on an electrically powered device that could pull the string. What could serve that purpose? A laundry solenoid like one of these? Can you think of a better, more easily implented method? Please email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thanks.