Rugged Ranch Squirrelinator w/ Waste Basin Outdoor Multi-Catch Squirrel Trap - Humane Live Cage Catcher, Rodent Control for Barns, Garages, Sheds, Gardens, Farms, Yards or Lawns

Effectiveness: Today is the first day I've used this Squirrelinator trap. In preparation I also found a 3-ft square appliance drip tray at the local Habitat Re-Store for a few dollars, and use that to hold the sprinkled bait (whole peanuts plus some scratch mix), then I set the trap on top of that baited tray. The trap I bought included the black plastic basin for drowning the squirrels. I am a tender-hearted person but we are inundated with these damage-causing ground squirrels in our local area, so I hardened my heart and got to work. I set the water basin about 100 feet away on a very level (VERY LEVEL!) patch of ground and filled it completely (COMPLETELY!) full of water. (The basin is about 1.5 inches taller than the trap is.) I brought a wheelbarrow close to the trap, with a pair of thick leather gloves and a pair of pliers. The pliers are optional but they keep your hands from getting bitten while using the metal hooks on the doors, and keep your hands dry when doing other steps. Once I locked the top door (find places to hook 2 layers of underlying bars and it's very secure) and opened the 2 side doors, I went away and returned 30 minutes later. Bingo! One squirrel. I waited another 30 minutes but didn't get any more in the trap, though I knew they were all around. So I went ahead and put the whole trap into the wheelbarrow (while wearing the gloves) and rolled it up to the basin of water. Still wearing the gloves, I picked up the whole trap and set it into the water. I also had a big 3' x 3' piece of plywood nearby, and immediately set that on top so I wouldn't have to watch. I promise, PROMISE, it was only 20-25 seconds before everything was totally silent and the squirrel was dead. I didn't want any possible reviving, so I left him in the basin for a full 30 minutes just to be sure. Then I used some long BBQ tongs and the pliers on one of the side handles to lift the trap out of the water. Then I used the pliers to unhook the trap's top door and the tongs to lift out the dead squirrel. Then used the pliers again to lift the trap into the wheelbarrow, lock the top door and unlock the side doors, and roll the trap back down to the bait tray and start all over again. I've done this 5 times so far today. 30-90 minutes to catch, 1/2 hour to make sure thoroughly drowned, and start again. Four times I caught one, and one time I caught 4! Using the pliers for so many steps keeps my hands clean and dry, though of course I still wash them well when I go back inside. I live on a small acreage, so to avoid attracting coyotes and bobcats overnight, I will put the bodies into a small locking metal trash can with a plastic bag liner, and add that bag to our regular trash on collection day. I must emphasize that the water basin needs to be very level and completely full. Otherwise the squirrel will be able to get his nose above the water level. This is a very effective trap and I highly recommend it. Easy to set in a preferred location, no digging, no bloody half-dead creatures to deal with.

We have terrible problems with ground squirrels — eat all of the vegetation, fruit, vegetables, etc., chew through watering system wiring and tubing, and try to tunnel under the driveway and home foundation. I have caught about 10 of them so far. The trap is very sturdy and operates well. It has even stood up to predators dragging it and rolling it to get the squirrels out. The important note I want to share is that the 4”x4” opening is a bit too large. A skunk was able to get into the trap. I modified the trap with hardware cloth to 3”x3” opening. That solved the issue. I made sure not to leave sharp edges in the cut out square and attached the hardware cloth with wire. I set the trap in a shady location, twist tied the trap doors open, and baited it for about 5 days. The ground squirrels were very cautious. It took a few days for them to take the bait. I let them feast and travel in and out freely until day 5. At that point I closed the doors. We have been getting a ground squirrel every day. I swear there are 3,000 in the field across the street! The bait you use depends on the time of year. In the California spring I used Manzanita berries from my bushes (they had been coming to my property for them) and stone fruit (they had been raiding the apricots). In the summer/fall I used acorns (they seemed to favor the green ones, manzanita berries, walnuts, peanut butter with wheat berries, and succulent leaves — they were pulling the leaves off the succulents so I just put those leaves in and they were one of the most popular baits). My recommendation is for bait is to see what they are eating at that time. If you offer what they are foraging in your yard in the trap (placed near their burrows and away from your yard) you are likely to have success.

Lived up to its reputation. Received the trap on Friday and captured a ground squirrel in my back yard on Saturday. Just used unshelled peanuts. It works!

I moved to a city in the upper midwest with a small yard last year. Found out that my neighbor feeds the squirrels - BY HAND! So these are the boldest, most well fed squirrels I have ever seen. They will climb into my cars in the driveway if the windows are left open a few inches. They've chewed on my lawnmower gas cap, dig up my yard daily, hang out on my porch... I'm on my third compost cart in less than a year because they gnaw right through the lid hinges, and they are just not scared of humans. Since I'm in the city, I cant legally shoot at them with a pellet gun. I did get a slingshot, and for awhile they would at least run a few steps when I opened the back door, but that just wasn't an effective way to counter the years of behavior training my neighbor provided with her daily peanut offerings. Since there are SO MANY, and they are SO BOLD, I was very excited to purchase this trap thinking that it would be a squirrel vacuum, however that has NOT been the case. Once one gets in the trap, it'll eat for a bit and then start freaking out, realizing that it's trapped. The other squirrels will come watch and even approach the trap to investigate, but will not enter the trap. There were a dozen squirrels in my tiny back yard this morning (not an exaggeration, I actually counted them) that were all just hanging out checking on the 1 squirrel in the trap. I use plenty of bait, and maybe if I waited longer I might be able to trap more, but I don't like to leave them trapped out in the sun and barking for very long. It just seems like it's too obvious to the other squirrels that their buddy is trapped, and not to go in there. The box for this thing says "[Trap] 25 squirrels in just hours!" which, unless you're dealing with really dumb, hungry, tiny squirrels, just doesn't seem realistic based on my experience. I've trapped a total of 6 squirrels in 2 days, all one-at-a-time. The construction of the trap itself is good, and the plastic tray that I got with mine is a great accessory, but I wish I would have saved myself some money and just got a single, "havahart" style trap.

Yes it’s expensive, yes sometimes it takes days or even weeks to work, but hands down it’s the best of 5 different traps I’ve tried. You can see another style of trap in the video and I have caught one with that trap. But the squirrelliniator has caught 4 in 3 days! However if they have another source of food it is difficult to get them to go into the trap. Ours sat right where you see it but because they had a stash of acorns a few feet away they ignored it all winter. But when their stash ran out and we had a rainy day everything changed and they got very interested in the trap. Dunking them in the tank is uncomfortable but it sure beats having them in the attic!

This is a pretty decent product. One entry passage came a bit bent and the packaging was damaged, but it still does an okay job. It was very easy to set up and bait. I used peanut buttered bread and black sunflower seeds. I have yet to catch more than one squirrel at a time, but I've been getting one almost every other day. I even ended up trapping a baby opossum. Getting the drowning basin along with it was a plus. If it were about 20 dollars less, I would say it was worth the price. Update: After 2-3 weeks of use, I noticed that nothing was getting trapped. I checked the trap out and saw that the trapdoor was not closing completely, allowing squirrels to get in and out. It would seem to me that the trapdoor could use a spring of sorts to make it close completely. Unfortunately, I was not able to get to my account before the 30-day return window. I am waiting for a response from the seller.

The trap works well, but be aware that the 'waste basin' is made of the type of plastic that breaks. If you plan to use this basin to dispatch your catch (as I did), don't store it outside or anywhere it might get knocked around because it will break.

I wasn't so sure. I have some destructive ground squirrels. Left a handful of peanuts in there and several days later caught two at one time. This time I added some nuts and some bird feed and we'll see how it goes. But it works for California ground squirrels. I recommend buying it with the tray, that worked out well. My camera already picked up a few more sniffing around.

I captured 5 squirrels in just a few days and released them in Stanley Park. I no longer have squirrels living in my attic.

Little pricey but well worth it when it saves you from costly repairs!

Very good

Didnt work at all?? Paid so much for it. The old live trap beside it caught squirrels continuously. Sorry i paid $165 dollars to get it.

I was rehoming a squirrel within 2 hours of setting the trap for the first time. The trap has caught 4 in just over a week. Unfortunately word of free peanuts has spread throughout the chipmunk community and now I have to buy another trap for them. They run right through the squirrelinator and take the bait. Furthermore, I left my bag of peanuts open on the bench in my shed and they all vanished. The end of days is near for them.