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How to Make Rabbit Box Traps
How to Make Rabbit Box Traps. Though rabbits are often looked at as cute and are purchased as companions, for those attempting to grow crops in an area with an active rabbit population, wild rabbits are pests, not pets. A method of reducing the damage done by the rabbit population is with live traps, which allow the owner of the trap to relocate...
Though rabbits are often looked at as cute and are purchased as companions, for those attempting to grow crops in an area with an active rabbit population, wild rabbits are pests, not pets. A method of reducing the damage done by the rabbit population is with live traps, which allow the owner of the trap to relocate the rabbit without killing it--a popular choice. A box trap is a simple live trap that works by luring the rabbit in to eat bait, then dropping a door to trap the rabbit inside the box.
Things You'll Need
Wood board, 10 feet by 8 inches by 1 inch
Ruler
Saw
Wood glue
Wood clamps
4 wood sticks, 8 inches by by ? inch by ? inch
Drill
Wood stick, 7? inches by ? inch by ? inch
Wood dowel, 11 inches long by ? inch thick
String
Bait
Cut the wood board into the pieces of the box: three 26-inch-long pieces, a 24?-inch long piece, a 9-inch long piece and an 8?-inch long piece. Cut the 8?-inch piece so that it is 5? inches wide, and leave all other pieces their 8-inch width.
Glue the trap door guide rails (the 8-inch-long sticks) to the side pieces of the box (two of the 26-inch-long boards) and secure in place with wood glue and clamps. Two guides are attached on one face of each of the side pieces, with the first positioned flush along one 8-inch side and the other also running vertically, ? inch from the inner edge of the first guide. The channel between the two guides should be just wide enough for the door piece (the 5? inch wide board) to slide down without being stuck on the guides, but without rattling too much. Adjust the exact position of the second guide on each side as needed to fit the door.
Glue the side pieces to the remaining 26-inch-long board, which will be the bottom of the box. Place each side piece atop one face of the remaining board, with the guides aligned at the same side of the box.
Glue the 9-inch-long board to the back of the box, on the side which does not feature the guides. The board is 9 inches long, so it will cover the open sides of all three boards perfectly, with the top of the back piece flush with the top of the side pieces.
Drill a pair of holes in the 24?-inch long plank 17 inches and 7? inches from the end of the plank, which will become the front edge, centered across the 8-inch width.
Glue the board to the top of the box, with the back edge of the board flush with the outer face of the back of the box.
Shave ? inch of the 7?-inch-long stick down with a knife until it can fit snugly into the hole drilled 7? inches from the front of the top of the box.
Cut a notch into the dowel that is ? inch deep. The notch starts 4? inches from one end of the dowel and is 1? inches long.
Drill a small hole ? inch from the other end of the wood dowel and a hole ? inch from the top of the door piece. Drill two holes in the remaining stick, with one hole ? inch in from either end.
Tie the door to one end of the drilled stick and the wood dowel to the other end of the stick, using the string.
Set the trap by positioning the wood dowel through the second hole in the box, using the notch to hook onto the underside of the roof of the box, positioning the stick connecting the dowel and door draped over the top of the stick inserted in the first hole and the wood door positioned between the guides. When a rabbit enters, it will knock the notch off, allowing the dowel to pull out of the hole and the door to fall down, shutting the trap.
