How Would You Trap a Squirrel?

Perhaps you just said, “That’s easy. You get a trap and put some bait in it. You set the trap and the squirrel is caught. Not a tough question.”

Well…it might indeed be that easy if you’re looking to catch a random squirrel in the backyard….

But, what if squirrels are living in your attic, soffit, or running between the floors of your home? Would you still approach the problem the same way?

This squirrel removal/control blog post is intended to explain the type of traps we use to definitively remove squirrels from your home.

This post is intended for :

Do it yourself squirrel trappers looking for advice
A reference for our clients in the Akron / Canton / Kent area
Background knowledge for those with squirrel problems trying to find a service provider in their area.
Illustrating two of the most common types of squirrel traps

Trapping Squirrels with Multiple Style Traps

When we live trap squirrels from a home we typically utilize a couple of different traps.

Safeguard Squirrel Trap The first type is the box trap. This is the type of live trap with which most people are familiar and what many envisioned when answering the “How Would You Trap A Squirrel?” question.

To the right is a standard box trap for squirrels. It is manufactured by Safeguard. We chose this trap because it is well made and has a nice mechanism.

This style of trap is utilized by placing it around the opening where the squirrels are going in and out of the house and used in conjunction with the style of trap we’ll talk about next.

Notes: These traps catch one squirrel at a time…We generally place them on roofs by the entrance…They may catch curious squirrels that don’t actually live in the house but are familiar with the opening….They catch squirrels that are not inside the structure when the second style of trap is set…The duct tape is an add on; they don’t come like that. It lowers the stress of captured squirrels, retains scent, and makes the process more discreet.

For Squirrels Exiting the Home

The second style of squirrel trap is less known, but the most effective problem solver.

This trap targets only the squirrels that are in a home. It catches the squirrels as they leave.

In order to utilize this trap, all of the entrances/exits of the squirrels must be identified. This is a critical.

The short piece to the right attaches over the squirrels’ hole and only gives them one way out. Making this attachment takes creativity in some cases as the video below shows..

We refer to this short piece as an excluder/nose cone. It has a hinged door in it that allows the squirrels to come out and not get back in.

The long piece of the trap (on left) slides into the short piece. We attach the two pieces together temporarily with some zip ties. It also has a one way door in it. As the squirrels move out of the house into the first piece of the trap they keep on going into the second piece, taking the path of least resistance. The extra length of the second piece of trap allows a number of squirrels to exit the house and be caught in the same trap.

black squirrel removal When we arrive to check traps and find squirrels, this longer part of the trap can be removed easily and carried to the ground for squirrel transfer. Or, a similar trap can be put in its place.

Here is a trap full of black squirrels that has been removed from the roof entrance and carried down to the ground.

If the squirrels only have one way out (again, this is CRITICAL) when no more squirrels are in the traps coming out of the home, the squirrel removal is complete.

That is our typical answer to the question of how one catches a squirrel. We highly recommend utilizing both styles of trap. One catches outside squirrels the other catches the inside squirrels. The inside squirrels are the ones that are the real problem and so utilizing this best style of trap for inside squirrels is critical.

Be cautious of anyone who says they can solve your problem setting baited box traps only. And if that’s how you intended to solve the problem yourself, we hope this post has enlightened your efforts.

Once the squirrels are removed, the repair phase begins. It is just as important as effective removal but covered in other places.

A Video with Squirrel Trap Elements

The following video is a good one to see the two types of traps working in tandem.

Ryan shot this video on a flying squirrel job, but it is very similar to how we trap other types of squirrels.

The trap covering the entrance/exit has all the squirrels in it. They were caught coming out of the house. As you can see, Ryan had to get creative attaching the first part of the trap over the squirrel hole. No alternative routes can exist or the squirrels will take them.

Then, for good measure, notice Ryan has baited box traps around the trap with the squirrels in it. These baited box traps catch stragglers that weren’t inside when the traps were set. No squirrels are in these traps.