Why Properly Anchoring Rodent Traps Is Important

As you can see in this video, a trap that is not properly anchored will start doing a series of backflips and summersaults after it is set off. While your trap is performing these “gymnastic moves”, your trap may be wasting a lot of its energy and downforce that could have been applied to the rodent. Worst of all, these “trap stunts” may make it easier for a rodent to escape. This is why we recommend anchoring your traps to a solid surface when possible.

Here are some of the benefits of anchoring your traps:

• When a trap is solidly anchored, all of the downforce from the kill bar will be applied to your catch and none of your trap’s energy is wasted. This will improve your trap’s performance and increase your chances of getting a quick kill.
• Anchoring traps can be easy. When working with wood members, you’ll find that drywall screws will secure your traps very well. Plastic zip ties and wire can be used in some cases. When dealing with solid surfaces, such as concrete, you may want to use piece of wood and mount your traps on it. Be careful when using some types of glue to secure your traps, because the smell of the glue may actually repel the rodents.
• Have you ever had a rodent get caught and then drag the trap away with it? This won’t happen if your traps are properly anchored.
• By anchoring your traps, it can allow for you to place them directly onto active runways in positions that would not otherwise be possible. A good example of this would be when you see rodent tracks on top of an attic’s ceiling joist. Instead of mounting the trap on top of the joist in a position that is parallel to the joist, you can rotate the trap 90 degrees and mount the trap so that the trigger is directly in the center of the runway. By doing it this way, a rodent can come from either direction and is likely to run right into the trigger.
• You can also be more creative in how you arrange traps. For instance, you can create a bridge over an area, such as between two ceiling joists in an insulated attic. Let’s say you take a three-foot piece of wood (such as a 1 x 4), lay it across the two points, and mount your traps on it. By doing this, any rodent that tries to cross your “bridge” will likely run into your traps. You will see that some people will place traps directly on top of the insulation. This does not provide a firm footing for the trap, and the rodent may simply avoid the trap by going around it. One of these “bridges” can be vastly better than placing traps on top of insulation because the bridge will be firmly mounted and the traps properly positioned for maximum results. Use your imagination, and you’ll find many ways that this method can work for you.
• Mounting traps on conduits, heating ducts, and heating ducts can be very effective. If you see that any of these are frequently used for passage by rodents, we recommend securing traps over these areas so that the trap’s trigger is positioned right in the center of the lane. Plastic zip ties are often used to secure the traps, and they are available in many different lengths.

There are some who may say that anchoring rodent traps requires extra time and effort. Yes, you will spend more time and effort doing it this way. But, if you bait your traps with Trapper Jacks, anchor them properly, and catch rodents quicker, isn’t that better than getting call-backs?