Equipment Needed To Trap Raccoon – Humane Wildlife Removal

What You Need to Trap a Raccoon

Trapping raccoons can be a challenging ordeal when you remember that you have to keep yourself and your family safe from attacks and disease. Maybe you’re dealing with one that keeps rummaging around in your trashcan every night, or there’s a whole family of them living right in your attic? Removing a raccoon from your home or property doesn’t have to be difficult or dangerous. Here are a couple of things you’ll need to properly trap your raccoon and remove it from your home:

Foothold Trap

Foothold traps come in a couple of different forms and can be used for various small animals that are similar to raccoons. For this article, we recommend the “Lil’ Grizz” trap. It is specifically designed for small animals that can reach their arms inside its tubular portion (so it’s dog-proof too!). There is a lever two inches inside of the trap. Leave some sort of bait inside to lure the raccoon to the trap.

When the raccoon reaches inside and grabs the lever, this will trigger the trap’s spring, which will clamp down on the raccoon’s paw and trap it there.

Live Animal Cage Trap

This may be the trap you’re most familiar with. In case you’re not, a live animal cage trap (also known as a “box trap” or “live trap”) is the least painful and safest option for both the raccoon and the trapper. Here’s how it works: you open the door portion and leave some bait far inside the cage on the heavy bait tray (the steel plate). Once the raccoon enters the trap to retrieve the bait and triggers the tray, the door will close behind it, trapping it inside. Then, you can take the cage and release the raccoon back into the wild.

Body Grip Trap

If you would like to get rid of the raccoon instantly, the body grip trap is probably what you’re looking for. Understanding and setting this trap is a little trickier than the last two. There are several tutorials across the web that can show you how. You need gloves and to compress the raindrop-shaped springs on both sides of the trap. Then, flip the trap so that it’s standing up and the trigger wires (in the middle of the trap) above are hanging instead of lying on the ground. Now, leave the bait in the middle of the trap. When the raccoon approaches the trap, it will trigger the trigger wires, and the trap will be set off, flipping and enclosing itself around the raccoon’s neck. This will snap the raccoon’s neck, instantly killing it.

Removing a raccoon or any pesky critter from your home or property can be scary, and you may not know what to do. If you use the recommended traps above, it will be a quick and simple process. We hope you find these recommendations helpful and are able to safely remove any raccoons from your home with no hassle.