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We are Baltimore Wildlife, and we solve conflicts between people and wild animals. From squirrels in your attic, to raccoons in your trash, to bats, rats, birds, and snakes, we do it all. We specialize in safe and effective solutions to Maryland critter problems. We service the greater Baltimore region, and we offer fast service - we can usually schedule a same-day appointment. Give us a call at 443-393-9240 any time, 24/7, and we will discuss your unique wild animal problem, and give you a free price quote over the phone. We're ready to take your call now!

Our service range: We service Howard County, Kent County, Anne Arundel County, Harford County, and more. We also service Frederick, Annapolis, Hagerstown, Columbia, Aspen Hill, Clinton, Edgewood, Glassmanor, Cloverly, Ferndale, Essex, Germantown, Chevy Chase, Dundalk, and more.

Baltimore Wildlife Education: Are Cage Traps A Good Option For Rodents?

Compared with other options available, using a cage trap is frequently a good choice for rodents. Exclusion works well with certain types of rodents, such as squirrels, but can be a true challenge if you have a large colony of rats in your attic. In this type of situation, most experts will suggest that you seal up all the potential entry points that the rodents are using to enter the space and then use traps.



Live Traps Over Kill Traps
If you don’t want to outright kill the rodents in your home, then live traps like cage traps are a very good option. Out of the various live trap options, cage traps tend to be the best as they work reliably, are easy to find, and simple to use. In other words, if you want to be humane while catching the rodent, cage traps are probably your best option.

The Caveat
The thing to remember when you catch a rodent with a cage trap, however, is that you still have to figure out what to do with it. This isn’t an issue with exclusion since the animals will have simply left and found a new place to live. It also isn’t a concern with lethal traps since the rodent will be dead.

While it may seem like you are giving the rodents the opportunity to survive by using a cage trap, you will find yourself with a slight issue. Most areas of the country have legal restrictions concerning where you can release rodents and other wildlife that you find on your property. You can go ahead and release the rodents into the wild and hope you don’t get caught, but this is also complicated.

Consider for a second that the majority of rodents who are relocated to a new, unfamiliar area won’t survive. That is because rodents tend to live in a small territory and anytime they are removed from this familiar area, their chances of survival decrease. They run into basic issues, such as finding food, water, and shelter. They are also unfamiliar with the local predators, increasing their chances of being killed. In many cases, there are already other similar animals in the area, leading to competition for resources or even fights in the case of more aggressive rodents. The end result is that few of the rodents who are relocated will actually survive.

Overall, cage traps are a good option if you want to give the rodents a fighting chance to survive, but they are still unlikely to unless you bring them to a wildlife sanctuary where they will be cared for. Because of this, some people prefer to just use snap traps and kill the rodents instantly instead of putting them through the stress of relocation and dying slowly from starvation.

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