Snakes0415
New member
Hi guys I've heard of people setting salamander traps/newt traps. So I was wondering can these hurt the animal? Do they work? What is the best trap to make? And by the way I live in michigan.
I've used bottle traps and mesh funnel traps to trap newts- experience of trapping is a prerequisite for getting a licence to work with crested newts in the UK.
Bottle traps are usually made by cutting the end off a plastic bottle, and inverting it to make a funnel-shaped opening. They need to be secured in the pond, and to have a large air reservoir inside them so anything that's trapped can breathe.
Similarly, mesh traps should not be completely submerged, so anything that's trapped can reach the surface to breathe.
I've never seen an asphyxiated newt in a trap. It's more likely in hot weather, if the trap is left for a long time, or if there are a lot of animals in one trap. I have seen a couple killed by fish that were caught alongside them.
Pitfall trapping is usually done with drift fencing to direct animals into the traps, and traps often have 'mammal ladders' (usually just a stick) to allow mammals to escape. They're sometimes covered to minimise bird predation.
I fell so low teck with my pink buttterfly net:tongue:.