Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I bought this gadget to humanely catch chipmunks and redeem myself in the eyes of God. I was using the old-fashioned and highly effective "chipper dipper" bucket method. After scooping a few struggling chipmunks out of my new in-ground pool, I noticed the little guys can actually swim pretty well. This led to the awful realization that my bucket of death is a cruel method of pest control where they swim around terrified for way too long until completely exhausted and then they die. I am surely going to Hell. After 10 Hail Marys, 5 Our Fathers, and a donation to a wildlife rehab, I tried snap traps thinking this would at least be quick and they wouldn't know what hit them. I caught mice. I guess that's to be expected and is technically a bonus, but the chipmunks were still digging around my foundation, nesting in my lawn tractor and generally mocking me by shrieking every time I walked around the corner of the house. I prayed for a solution and Amazon answered with the Rinne Flip N Slide Bucket Lid. Praise Jesus and the inventors of this device. I can now rest easy knowing I am not needlessly murdering small critters and I may see St. Peter after all. In the video, you can see that I don't even have the trap set up correctly. The ladder is on the ground (because a fat squirrel tried to climb it in a previous video) but the chipper hops right up and takes a nosedive moments later. I saw a video where a mouse was able to jump back out of the bucket by bumping the opposite end of the trap door open. It's possible, but that mouse was either super smart or extremely lucky, jumping in exactly the right spot. My chipmunk wasn't so lucky or smart and stayed trapped for several hours, according to the timestamp on my trailcam. I took my first step towards atoning for my sins by releasing this guy in a nice wooded area several miles away. I'm no fool. I drove him across a river first. They're good swimmers, but I feel fairly confident that the CT River is wide enough and will not be parted by the Moses of chipmunks. Back to the bucket, though. You need to buy your own. They are a few bucks at Lowes and this lid fits perfectly. It snaps on very easily. The trap door sets in two grooves and is very tippy as you can see in the video when my guy falls in. The ladder attaches in a slot and I think it would've stayed in place if the chunky squirrel didn't climb it. At one point, several birds landed on it and the bucket lid. I used peanut butter and sunflower seeds as bait. I smeared the peanut butter on the inside of the trap and stuck seeds to it, then sprinkled seeds on the lid and around the base and ladder. I was worried one of the birds might fall in and injure itself in a panic. Luckily that didn't happen as they were not willing to go underneath where the peanut butter and seeds were stuck. The squirrels are big enough to hold on and get under to steal the bait. A few lost their grip and almost fell in, but easily jumped clear. I think if a squirrel did fall in, he would be able to pop the top off the bucket to get out. It's not a super tight fit but it would definitely hold mice and chipmunks and anything else that couldn't easily reach the top. Other people gave advice to tape the trap door closed and bait the trap a few times so the critters can get used to it. If they get the bait without falling in a few times, they'll feel safe going up there. I did not do this and plenty of critters seemed to feel perfectly safe. I caught the one I wanted, so it's a win. You could also put water in the bucket and end it, if you're heartless and mean. If you're going to do that, save your money. They will jump in without the fancy ladder and lid, trust me. As far as the trap goes, it seems sturdy enough and is extremely easy to use. I thought the price was a little high, considering it doesn't even come with a bucket, but it is made in America and it works, so I won't complain. There are apparently knockoffs from China that don't work. This real Rinne definitely does work and was worth a couple of more bucks to me. I'm hoping that also scores me a few extra points with the big guy. I thank you for reading my short novel and ask that you'll say a little prayer that I inch closer to a spot in line at the pearly gates (when my time comes, many many years from now) with each chipmunk I safely ferry across the river. Amen.