Making a really simple rabbit trap

Even in the urban garden Rabbits are a real problem. Many people dislike the thought of shooting or it may not be practical if close to houses so a  live trap is a good alternative.

In this instructable I will show how to make a simple and cheap live trap.

Just remember if you release the fluffy bunny then take it at least 5 miles from your house or it will come back!

Step 1:

Materials:
A length of wood - Sizes are not critical but should be at least these sizes or the rabbit wont fit in the trap
36 inches - 900 mm x 10 inches - 250 mm x 1/2 inch - 12 mm

Some stiff wire - I used some square mesh left over from a rabbit hutch (irony there)

A few staples

Some left over scraps of wood laying round the work shop.

Tools:

Saw

Wire cutters

Pliers to bend the wire mesh.

Comments

[rickharris]

5 miles is a long way when your hungry - rightly or wrongly in these times of high food prices I see them as food!.

Around me I seriously doubt I am making much impact on the rabbit population they breed faster than I catch them.

Funny how fussy people have become - very few I know will eat rabbit (many naver have.)

[kokotipi]

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/rabbit_in_mustard_sauce/

[thecrazymagnetman]

never eaten a rabbit but i would love to try it.

[rickharris]

Nice lean meat - smells a bit when cooking and can tend to be dry - so stew or wrap in bacon.

[Rev_William]

I personally like rabbit lol. But I know what you mean. I used to raise rabbits as a kid, not as pets, for money and food. anybody that has more than one especially aggressive bucks wont think of them as cute lol. At one time I had over 80. Cant afford to buy them anymore may have to start breeding again nieghbors dont like the idea of me culling the hoods herd lol.

[begothic]

I have found that these also make great crawdad traps.

[Dusk Shadows]

I catch with my hands!

[rickharris]

Neat trick the rabbits round here are a lot more wary and quick as well.

[Dusk Shadows]

So are ours i just run after them i also catch Ducks

[rickharris]

I am impressed!

[Dusk Shadows]

Thanks

[thecrazymagnetman]

can you use a screen?

[rickharris]

I don't see why not

[rmcqcc]

Great write-up. I'm just having a lot of trouble visualizing how this trigger mechanism works. It just doesn't seem to make sense. Is the concept that the vertical piece just moves back off of the horizontal, thereby releasing the horizontal piece? If it is supposed to pivot, I don't see how it releases the trigger.

[rickharris]

The trigger stick holds the end of the rocker level (on the top of the cage) down.

The other end of the rocker lever is slipped through a loop of string attached to the door holding it up.

The other side of the trigger stick is trapped under the wire of the cage.

When bunny pushes in to get at the food it will push the trigger off the wire releasing the rocker and so dropping the door.

As in the picture in step 5

[kingmii]

Thanks heaps I'm going to make some modifications so I can use it for possums (Not Opossums Australian possums that are a major pest here) live traps for possums cost $150 so if it works you'll be saving me heaps

[alterator]

You could have made the release more efficient. This setup may fail and not release the door. Something electric maybe. When I made my mouse trap - I used 9v battery and usual 12v motor from a car radio or something. hot-glued bamboo stick to motor rotor..
as for the trigger -- there was something like a rectangular bridge or ramp, so - when the mouse stepped on the ramp, motor turned, pulling the stick up, which was holding the door and releasing them.

materials were:
plumbing pipe,
2 slim cd covers - 1 used for back, other with a hole cut in the bottom was glued in fromt, so that when the case is closed, it acts as the door for the pipe.
motor
9v battery
bamboo stick
and a hot-glue, of course! :)

----------
should have made the ible though, would be easier to see for Yourself.

[rickharris]

Simple mechanics generally beats electronics in the field.

Even though I am an electronics engineer and could easily electrify the trap it isn't worth it.

[Mr.1911]

I agree entirely with the simple mechanics statement.

[Kryptonite]

Neat Instructable!

I love how simple it is. I liked the last step, and I thought I'd point out another way to do the same thing without having to whittle down sticks quite as much.

• With two sticks both having a notch cut into the end, one of which having the other end pointed, and another stick to hold the bait you can do the same thing.
• Drive the sharpened stick into the ground with the notch pointing skywards.
• Place the bait stick between the two notched ends pointing inwards, and finally balance the basket / box / rock on top.
• When the bait is taken, the sticks unbalance and cause the box to tople.

ASCII diagram!

============== box
ll      stick
^      notch
-------- bait
v      notch
ll      stick
v       point

[rickharris]

Thanks - I have tried the dead fall version but never had any luck. Maybe the rabbits are a bit faster round here or I am not doing it right.

Don't have a lot of luck with snares either.

[Kryptonite]

I, personally, have found dead falls harder to deal with as a sizable rock is no where near as easy to set by one's lonesome, but a rock on a box / net set up works a lot better, while of course having to kill the animal yourself.

Snares work sometimes, but to be honest I believe that rabbit traps (despite the downsides) are the best for trapping to kill. Just look out for cats. That never ends well.

[legoman111]

btw,if u want to eat the bunny then just kill it(although u should have figured that out already).

[rickharris]

the only thing that I dislike about Rabbits - apart from them eating my crops- is they are all hideously flea ridden.

I have put them in a bag and sprayed insect killer on them - in a closed space this kind of works but by far the best killer is to bag - seal and freeze but you really need to gut the rabbit as soon as it is dead before it cools and the feas start to look for a new home (perhaps you).

[disturbia]

animal abuse ^

[rickharris]

By this time they are DEAD! not abuse - population control.

[disturbia]

Okay then how do you kill them prior to insecticide?

[rickharris]

Head shot

[gusew]

Thats whats up.

[rickharris]

Sorry?

[rickharris]

Where I live Rabbits are considered vermin.

[fuzvulf]

good job.
This is nice, we used to make similar from hollow sections of log when I was a kid. This looks like a lot less work. Plus, given that old forest is next to unheard of around here its pretty hard to find hollow logs anymore :0)

[gleeflang]

can you please make a video of this

[jdavis14]

It looks too complicated

[rickharris]

Not at all. bit of wire, a wood plank floor with a bit cut off for the door. and 2 bits for the trigger.

I made it in about 1/2 an hour.

Have you a dimplier suggestion (I have but it involves a shot gun)

[dumnonni]

this is an over engineered trap, just get some thin wire and make 10 snares (a noose would be perfect) then check every few hours. if you dont check, a fox will take it or just shred it. when you find a rabbit, break its neck or smash its skull. i tend to skin and gut it on site to attract foxes, that way you could have a nice new fox pelt by the end of the day. alternaitly, a 12 bore to the face does the job.

[kill-a-watt]

Snares are unwise in urban areas simply because you can't be sure of killing a bunny or a neighbor's cat.

This is a live trap, so Fluffy from next door can be released alive.

[rickharris]

I rarely use snares - Our allotment area is fenced but I do agree with you on the pet issue. A snare is best positioned over the rabbit hole to catch it as it emerges. Modern snares HAVE by law here to be self releasing - in general a cat will eventually pull itself free.

[rickharris]

Over engineered? I beg to differ. It is similar to commercial traps but the trigger is much easier to manufacture.

Blow it's head off - i agree easy - Not everyone can be there when bunny appears, and not everyone has the equipment or the inclination to do the deed.

Personally given the chance I shoot with an sir rifle, effective and quick if your a good shot.

Snares you have to take care to keep within the law - Someone was fined recently for trapping a grey squirrel and then drowning it. causing unnecessary suffering - £1500!

[Lorddrake]

what is a sir rifle?