Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

OK, this cage will trap gray squirrels and chipmunks just fine. If that's what you want it for, you won't be disappointed. Why 4 stars instead of 5? Read on for details. I was having squirrels and chipmunks gobbling up all my bird feed and tearing down my feeders. I have one Squirrel Buster feeder, and it works great for squirrels, but chipmunks don't weigh enough to pull down the guard. I tried all kinds of remedies and some of them would work for a while, but know this one thing: Squirrels are relentless! They just keep coming no matter what you do. So I ordered this trap. Coincidentally, my wife bought a larger trap at the same time. This one had the inside-the-cage, spring-down door. So I baited and set both. I used a smear of peanut butter on the triggers and stuck peanuts to the PB. It wasn't long before I started catching both squirrels and chipmunks. That's been less than two months ago, and this morning's tally is 59 squirrels, 10 chipmunks, 1 'possum and 4 birds! (read on) You would think that by now the squirrels would be gone. You would be wrong. The world seems determined to prove that it can send more squirrels than I can haul off. But I have noticed a lessening of their numbers. And chipmunk sightings are now rare. But what I'm beginning to realize is that trapping these pests is going to be a way of life, not just a temporary task. So let me say this: Yes, they are pests, but no animal deserves to be treated cruelly. Squirrels are not that smart. Most of them think that the only way out of the cage is by ramming their head into the steel bars over and over. If they are left in the cage for any length of time they can and will damage themselves pretty badly. If you are not going to be able to check the traps daily, at the bare minimum, then you cannot trap squirrels in a humane fashion. However, once a squirrel is trapped, completely covering the trap with something that cuts off their vision to the outside settles them right down. I use the bag from a 35# bag of sunflower seeds. You can then haul them off at your leisure. I know that some folks will trap and then kill them. If you feel you must, then please use the most humane method possible. Back to this trap. As I said before, my wife bought a larger trap at the same time I got this one. It's too big for chipmunks, so all 10 of the chipmunks were trapped in this Havahart trap. The bigger trap probably caught more of the 59 (and counting) squirrels, but the Havahart definitely caught its share. There are a couple of disadvantages this trap has when compared against the larger trap. The Havahart has an outside door that raises and locks, guillotine-style. A bird lighting on the door can easily trip the mechanism. The trigger is just two round rods that push against each other to hold open the door. That mechanism works great. Very much a hair trigger. That's how I caught 4 little birds, released unharmed. However, these 2 rods are outside the cage and can be tripped by anything that brushes against them. Also, when these rods are engaged, the inside trigger tilts backward, toward the back of the cage. This doesn't display the bait to the pest. Other than these things, the trap works great. I hope this helps everyone! Happy Hunting!