[gardeners] OT sloth trap for sale?
Bob Kirk (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Sun, 14 Nov 1999 18:13:45 -0600 (CST)
Do these things (Havahart box traps) actually work? So far a brand new
"raccoon-size" (~12x12x36") unit is one-for-three on (I fear) the cat I
really want to catch and the possums which devour all the food I put out to
at least keep her around.
They're dumb enough, I hope, that they'll fall for this as many
times as it takes. But a semi-feral cat? Fat chance. I >could< manage
to confront them across the feed bowl almost nightly, at chest height
and point-blank range....
Unfortunately they're even more durable than they are dumb, and the
thought of 15-20p of dead possum in a big back-door woodpile does not
appeal. Let alone having to dispose of several hundred pounds of nosy
neighbors and overinquisitive cops....
Ahem. Anyway, it looks to me like those big doors - even preloaded
by slipping in sticks to hold them partway down, are just too slow once
gravity takes over. More than looks like: even sitting inside hearing it
trip as unexpectedly as the animal does, it seems like an awful lot of
brain cycles go by before it actually slams to.
Especially the passive-linked door, which just sits there forever until
the tripped link comes about halfway up and relieves the friction on it.
The "squirrel-size" one I got to trap the kittens last year is perceptibly
faster - and works like the proverbial charm.
Anyone had any experience with (any) live traps? Will the animals get
scared off or gradually come to assume they can beat it until one day they
don't? Will a squirrel-size trap still catch at least a smallish cat or
half-grown possum? Is anything actually going to walk into a 36" long trap
if I leave one door shut? Any other tips or tricks? Thanks in advance.