Tunnels For Traps

[Tomdhu 42]

Some young friends, who are very much in love with hedgehogs, were asking me about the risks to hedgehogs from spring traps that are deployed to kill rats and stoats. I said that most kill traps, like Fenns, by law have to be used with a tunnel to minmise the risk to non-target species but they weren't entirely convinced - particularly as I couldn't provide them with the size of the aperture to the tunnel that would exclude junior and adult hedgehogs whilst allowing access to a full sized male stoat or rat.

 

Can I ask what advice you might give on a suitable tunnel size and what recommendations you might have for minmising collateral damage to hogs?

 

 

[socks 32,253]

Quite simply position the trap where a rat can get to it but a hedgpig can't.

[trappa 518]

Im a big fan of hedgehogs, cracking little fellas. Lately the only time i could catch and kill a hedgehog is from the wcs trap so i put a mole trap marker through the hole above the entrance hole, stops the little piggies going in but not rats and squirrel.

[Dirksdonuts 79]

We use hazel sticks to narrow the entrance right down so they cant squeeze thorough but a rat can.

[talpa 55]

If you are going to tackle this problem now -( any rat activity should be tackled without much delay) then Hedgehogs aren't going to be an issue for around a couple of months as they are hibernating. Unless global warming steps up a gear.

If its a persistent problem caused by rats moving in from elsewhere then go to Fenns/BG's. These need to be in a tunnel any way so make them with small entrances. When you do make the entrance smaller keep in mind that hedgehogs can squeeze through pretty small gaps but rats can vanish through amazingly tight gaps.

If there is still a worry you can just use live catch traps, if you can despatch them appropriately.