What Kind Of Trap To Use To Catch A Possum?

Possums can be a real problem if you are a property owner who prioritises the health hygiene of your family. If possums also have babies in different areas of your property like shed, roof, garage, ceiling, etc, it is more life-threatening. This is because the risk of disease transmission becomes higher the more possums there are in your place. Then, how to trap a possum making it a safe removal for them and a hygienic place for yourself? Count on possum trapping methods. However, choosing the right possum trap whenever you notice the presence of possums on your property plays a crucial role. So, thoroughly inspect the signs of possums and implement DIY possum traps based on your findings like the ones we are mentioning below.

Variety Of Ethical & Safe Traps Used To Catch A Possum

Before trapping wild possums, one must obtain a permit for trap and release from the Department for Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Only then can you proceed with the following otherwise you need to hire possum removal experts in your region: 

1. Live Cage Traps 

These are harmless devices designed to trap possums and are considered one of the humane possum removal methods. Live cage traps allow safe possum removal, making sure the possum isn’t harmed and relocated to a terrestrial location. Moreover, they are made from materials like galvanised mesh or wire mesh, allowing easy ventilation to the confined possum. 

Functioning Of Live Cage Traps

Operating on a single principle, a live cage trap is a cage consisting of a door with a triggering mechanism. Usually, as bait, a possum’s favourite food or vegetable is used to attract possums into this trap. So, once a possum unknowingly enters this trap, the mechanism triggers which in turn shuts down the door behind the possum. Then, one can see that the possum is securely caught in the live cage trap. 

Considerations

• Avoid causing harm or injuries to possums in any and give them humane treatment.  
• Before setting a live cage trap, one must check out the local possum trapping and relocation regulations. As possum laws and regulations vary based on different areas, check to understand if there are any specific restrictions to be aware of. 
• Immediately after trapping a possum, it should be either released or relocated to a terrestrial area, preventing the possum from being stressed.
• Bait with their favourite fruits and vegetables increases the likelihood of trapping them. 
• You can contact wildlife control agencies for proper guidance if you are not sure about capturing a possum. 

2. Foot Hold Traps

A specially designed trap to catch possums by withholding just their legs without causing them any harm is a foothold trap. Categorised under a broader type, they are commonly recognised as restraining traps and have been used for decades now. It is a multiple-purpose possum trap that is generally used by wildlife management too. Moreover, they are unlike other possum traps, making it easy for possums to relocate and release. Typically, foothold traps are made from metal. 

Functioning Of Foot Hold Traps

The foothold trap has a mechanism of designed jaws in pairs in order to close them around the possum’s legs whenever the trap is triggered. These pairs of jaws are anchored to the ground. This in turn prevents a constrained possum in a foothold trap from dragging the trap along with it. 

Considerations

• These traps should be set up cautiously in order to minimise the potential risk of injury to possums. In addition to this, one should monitor foot-hold traps and ensure the captured possum is released promptly.
• A foothold trap that is used for capturing a possum should minimise the stress and no harm should be done. Therefore one should be aware of the local regulations and laws in regard to possum safety and the use of foothold devices. 
• The jaw pair size should be appropriate with the size of a targeted possum and shouldn’t be too large as this increases the potential risk of possum injury. 

3. Snares

Snares are traps that consist of loops made of either cable or wire and are strategically used to capture possums. One of the main purposes of snares is to tighten the neck or body of the possum when the trap is triggered. Once the trap is triggered, the possum’s movement will be restrained but a thing to be noted here is no harm will be posed to the possum. 

Functioning Of Snares

The functioning of snares involves a loop. So, once a snare trap is set in a place where a possum frequents, it gets trapped in the loop and tries to entangle itself, this action instead tightens the grip around the body. It is to be noted that once a possum gets trapped in a snare, the lock mechanism gets triggered and helps prevent the loop from getting loosened. 

Considerations

• As there are many rules regarding the use of a snare trap it is better for you to understand the local regulations before using it.
• Depending on the reason for capturing a possum, one should consider the size and placement of the loop and target only a specific area. 
• While attempting to use a snare, one should keep a close eye on the snare and release the constrained possum as soon as it is trapped. 
• Snares also have the potential to trap non-targeted animals like dogs and cats. So, measures should be taken prior to setting. 
• If a snare is set in an area where the public can access it, it is crucial to make everyone in the surroundings aware of it and prevent unintentional harm. 

Conclusion 

While trusting the possum trapping methods, one should also consider the safety of a possum as the topmost priority. Thus, you need to be clearly aware of possum protection laws, adherence to legal and ethical standards, wildlife management, etc. So, use the mentioned possum trap depending on the possum’s size, location and number across your home.

If you are scared about the possum’s safety, you can quickly get in touch with licensed possum catchers and authorities to handle it for you. Also, we have the best and most effective possum trapping methods that go easy on possums, preventing possums from being stressed throughout the process. So dealing with possums can be easy if you act wisely. So consider all terms and get rid of possums safely.