Do Moles Get "Trap Shy"?

[SEAN3513 7]

i agree with what others have said.

 

i dont see how a mole can become trap shy.........a mole will only ever be trapped once, so will never be familiar with a "trap".

 

it will however be wary of any changes to its environment, which is where a good mole trapper is worth every penny.

 

just my opinion.

 

cheers

 

sean

[glass22 0]

"i dont see how a mole can become trap shy.........a mole will only ever be trapped once, so will never be familiar with a "trap"."

 

Well the sound of a trap going off without catching, or even a mole getting caught and escaping(if the trap just hit very far back).

[Steve Albano 21]

What happens with our pocket gophers is that they actually can get pinched in traps and escape, and that is what gives them the chance to learn about the dangers of traps and avoid them. The attached picture is of a commonly used gopher trap with a bit of hair between the tines of the trap, showing that the animal was caught in the trap, but escaped. They are only a little bigger than a mole, but very powerfully built animals. So it is both more effective and more humane to use a stronger trap that gets them the first time.

 

Even with good mole traps, there are times where an animal is caught just by a foot or just by the skin, and thus I have to think that there may be times when a mole can get pinched or whacked by a trap and survive and escape. Maybe that's rare. But I am very aware of the problem of trap shy gophers, and never really see that happen with moles.

[DIDO.1 22,864]

When I first started mole catching I was useing my late farthers traps as he had been a mole catcher. Eventually I needed more traps so ordered the first I came across from a keepers supply firm. They turned out to be of the big cheese variaty!!! I spent a very frustrating week with empty and blocked traps until I heard a trap I had just set spring up. I pulled up the trap along with one vary alive mole which used its front feet to push its head free and drop back into it run and disapear.

 

The whole load of traps went straight into the nearby pond!! My answer to the question would be yes they do get trap shy as those moles were from then on complete sods to catch. A well set trap in a perfect run will catch as the mole doesnt know its there till it springs it and is caught but I had to make sure that traps in that field were perfect ( I know, I know they should be perfect everytime!). I am convinced that moles were being careful when they found anything in their run after being given a head ache by the BIG CHEESE!!!

[SEAN3513 7]

well said, the point i was making is that a decent trap ,set well, will catch......i know its not always the case.

 

i only use talpex traps for this reason, easy to disguise , with a hair trigger and to powerful for anything to escape.

 

all the best

 

sean