Tube Tunnel Squirrel Trap - 15" Long Double Torsion Spring Steel - Naturally Attracts Rodents - Rust Resistant, Built-in Safety Latch. R.C. Best. Made in USA

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!

Very effective trap for California ground squirrels. Great build quality and no bait needed. Stuff one end in a squirrel hole or run. Stake it down and/or check every day or the coyotes will run off with the trap if it has a squirrel in it.

So far this Spring, it has caught 7 of the giant rodents that have been destroying my property. My property has ground squirrels that make it dangerous for people to walk around without hurting ankles. They also burrowed under my concrete foundation and I needed them to go. Tried poisons, ultrasonic chasers, smoke bombs, etc. Glad I finally found a solution! I use whole peanuts stuck to a smear of peanut butter as bait.UPDATE: 3 MORE IN THE LAST 4 DAYS!

We've been overrun by sweet corn marauding squirrels. The easiest way to describe my dilemma is that of 1000 corn seeds planted annually over the past 3 years, we've eaten perhaps 2 dozen ears of corn. The squirrels have either eaten the stalks partially and destroyed them, or eaten the ears before they are even close to ripe for us. I decided to declare war, and at least dispatch a few of them from future marauding. I found this trap when searching for options, when none of the previous attempts to deter the critters had worked. Cayenne pepper spray? Nope! 8-foot fence? Nope! 6 foot fence INSIDE the 8-foot fence? Nada.... And this year especially; there's been a population explosion at my place, probably because of feeding them all my sweet corn!The traps are solidly built, probably will last my lifetime, and I opted for the painted version, to leave them out all summer growing season. Setting them properly is an acquired skill, and my first few attempts didn't work. I "glued" a couple raw Peanuts in the shell to the paddle; but the squirrels managed to chew off the shell and eat the nuts without triggering. Same for apple slices- I couldn't get a trigger to fire, even with the trigger set to barely hold.I then tried putting a dozen dry corn kernels UNDER the paddle (loosely scattered, but all underneath it) and that has proven to be the right baiting to actually get a trip. Repeatedly...Setting the trap actually requires a bit of muscle and two hands. I kneel on the ground, so it can't roll too much. Set the trigger pin just barely under the paddle catch (with the safety ON!!) and release pressure to set trap, then use a small garden spade to put a few corn kernels under the paddle, then place trap where desired and release the safety. (NEVER put fingers inside a loaded trap!!!)In every case where my trap has fired, the critter was instantly dispatched. No struggle or prolonged event. Clearing the trap after a catch is simple, just loosen the spring (same motion as setting the trap) and tug the critter out. I wash my trap after heavy rain to clean off any soil/sand that splattered on it.4 stars for function and durability. If the paddle had a bait grip on the top, I'd use on in the apple orchard too. (All fruit eaten by squirrels this year, with trees fenced to 8 feet. They are prolific and relentless!)