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Welcome to FabricAnimalTraps.com.au
Tasmanian rufous wallabies night scene
Wallaby traps fully government approved and effective for rufous and Bennett's
wallabies weighing up to over 22 kg, as well as possums and feral cats, are now
available. These traps are a real economic alternative to shooting and poisoning
for containing pest animals. They comprise a framework of steel and aluminium
with animals contained in strong nylon fabric. They are arguably the world's most
humane trap because animals are contained in semi darkness in soft fabric and
cannot suffer damage by abrading skin against steel as in wire cage type traps, or
incur leg damage as in leg-hold traps.
Features are: -
* Open on 3 sides and top when set. Minimal entry needed to trigger trip mechanism great for catching the most trap wary animals.
* Super humane with only soft fabric for animals to impact against and contained animals in bag like structure in semi-darkness.
* Trip weight adjustable via a simple screw
* Very easy to set and adjust.
* Peg provided to anchor to ground.
* Very tough yet light weight at 3.5 kg
* Collapse flat when sprung for easy transport and storage
* Strong nylon fabric covering readily replaced
* Cost $A140 each 1 - 4 traps, $A130 each 5 - 9 traps or $120 each for 10 or more (Incl GST and delivery anywhere in Tasmania)
The key to sustained economic pest browsing animal control with the traps is to first get the wallaby/possum numbers down to a manageable number by shooting or trapping. The pest animals then need to be maintained at low numbers and this is where trapping really becomes the best control option. The special value of trapping relative to shooting is that browsing numbers can much more readily be maintained at low numbers. Shooting is economic when browser numbers are relatively high, but cannot cheaply remove the last 10 - 50% of wallabies (especially pademelons) from sites because they quickly become gun shy and scurry to the cover of bush at the slightest sound of human activity.
Recommended strategy for maintaining low pest browser numbers by trapping is to first set up a number of traps (5 - 50, depending on area), semi permanently, at positions easy to access. Then attract animals to locked open traps loaded with grain food for up to about a week. This enables the wallabies and possums to become used to entering traps and eating an attractive food to which they have not previously been accustomed. The animals quickly learn from each other that a feast is available and learn to travel to convenient trapping locations. By just actually setting traps to catch animals for a few days every 1 - 3 months a high catch efficiency in the order of 50% of traps with pest animals per night can be obtained, and a high very proportion of local animals can be caught. Traps can then be left locked open for a couple of months (or moved to another site) and the process repeated to catch the inevitable arrivals of new animals from neighbours (often crown land or National Park).
Wallabies can account for large pasture and crop losses. Approximately 2 - 3 Bennett's wallabies or 4 - 5 rufous wallabies consume as much as a sheep, and hence a single rufous wallaby can reduce farm income a sheep farm by approximately $10, per year. (especially in winter). For more valuable pasture on dairy farms the equivalent figure is in the order of $20 per year per rufous wallaby (pademelon). Not controlling wallabies in any year means that a lot of income is lost and the problem is compounded by nearly 50% for each subsequent year because of natural breeding, quite apart from constant immigration of animals from adjacent areas.
Recommended general trapping approach:
For trapping to be effective, we have learned that a number of things are important to appreciate: -
1. Wallabies (as distinct from possums) will not naturally immediatly enter a strange situation such as a trap just because it contains some potentially nice food. They are naturally wary and avoid threatening situations like a trap with inability to see a ready exit, especially when human smells arouse suspicion, when vision of surrounding areas is limited, and when they have previous unpleasant experiences with humans.
2. Pre-feeding is the key to successful wallaby trapping. Trapping is always much more successful when traps are locked open and loaded with abundant food (1 - 3 kg crushed or rolled grain is our preferred food) for a few days (3 - 7), prior to activating the traps to actually catch them. The naturally wary animals thereby become accustomed to entering the traps and appreciating the free food provision.
3. A high catch rate is the economic key to successful trapping. Travel time to access the trapping location is often significant and hence using multiple traps in a general locality, rather than just a few, allows economies of scale and time. Catch effectiveness and prefeeding routines are not so important where traps are set near the residence of a trapper, but become increasingly critical as travel distance increases.
4. The really critical factor in so far as cheaply maintaining relative pest browser free status is to initially get pest browser numbers to a low number by shooting &/or trapping, and then keep them low via regular repeated trapping. This can catch new arrivals from adjacent land, which is inevitable in situations where atractive pasture is available on the constantly browser controlled farm, but where adjacent areas are not pest wallaby controlled.
Recommended specific trapping guidelines: -
1. Position traps where access is easy, rather than specifically where animal tracks might be abundant. Attract the animals to your preferred location, via abundant food provision for several days, rather than endure hardship in lugging traps to less easily accessed sites.
2. Preferably set up traps semi-permanently in sites where livestock cannot interfere with them (especially when loaded with food as a pre-feeding aid) e.g beside fences inside paddocks with crops, vineyards etc. Otherwise avoid setting traps in paddocks where livestock are present.
3. Concentrate on trapping late autumn until late winter. Appreciate that the need for and cost of supplementary food like grain or hay is at its maximum in winter, when alternative food for wallabies is least available and when the pest animal invasions are certain to be at their maximum intensity.
How to set traps:-
1. Position trap with front facing into prevailing wind and hammer peg into ground.
2. Lift up top section and ensure by feel through fabric that trip plate is facing to rear with its back raised about 75 mm above ground. Then simply pull forward the arm on the side to set it.
3. Adjust for weight needed to spring trap if necessary by turning the adjusting screw in (for more sensitivity) or out. (Do this when trap is partially sprung). Test for appropriate tension by pushing down on trip plate through fabric with right hand while holding left hand near top of trap to catch the top trap section as soon as it starts to close.
How to lock traps open:-
This is recommended for pre-feeding to accustom animals to entering traps and after any trapping session.
1. Disconnect spring where it is attached to trap via being looped over small bolt. (This is easy using the provided wire hook or a pair of pliers)
2. Open trap and insert nail in the hole between the two arm sections.
Handy hints: -
1. Never leave traps closed for extended periods with food inside or rodents can eventually gnaw their way through the fabric.
2. Simply repair any holes which very occasionally develop by sewing hole closed with a bag needle and (e.g) 2 - 3 mm polyester or nylon thread, or with cable ties.
3. Nylon fabric is too tough for the sharpest claws but any small holes which develop such as from bullet holes or mice can be enlarged by possums. Replacement fabric is available for $35 or damaged traps can be swapped for repaired ones for $45.
For more trap details - click HERE
Animal feeders. - Click HERE
Euthanasia and examination aids: More details HERE
Read about trap limitations HERE
Read about trapping feral cats HERE
Economic argument justification HERE
Features are: -
* Open on 3 sides and top when set. Minimal entry needed to trigger trip mechanism great for catching the most trap wary animals.
* Super humane with only soft fabric for animals to impact against and contained animals in bag like structure in semi-darkness.
* Trip weight adjustable via a simple screw
* Very easy to set and adjust.
* Peg provided to anchor to ground.
* Very tough yet light weight at 3.5 kg
* Collapse flat when sprung for easy transport and storage
* Strong nylon fabric covering readily replaced
* Cost $A140 each 1 - 4 traps, $A130 each 5 - 9 traps or $120 each for 10 or more (Incl GST and delivery anywhere in Tasmania)
The key to sustained economic pest browsing animal control with the traps is to first get the wallaby/possum numbers down to a manageable number by shooting or trapping. The pest animals then need to be maintained at low numbers and this is where trapping really becomes the best control option. The special value of trapping relative to shooting is that browsing numbers can much more readily be maintained at low numbers. Shooting is economic when browser numbers are relatively high, but cannot cheaply remove the last 10 - 50% of wallabies (especially pademelons) from sites because they quickly become gun shy and scurry to the cover of bush at the slightest sound of human activity.
Recommended strategy for maintaining low pest browser numbers by trapping is to first set up a number of traps (5 - 50, depending on area), semi permanently, at positions easy to access. Then attract animals to locked open traps loaded with grain food for up to about a week. This enables the wallabies and possums to become used to entering traps and eating an attractive food to which they have not previously been accustomed. The animals quickly learn from each other that a feast is available and learn to travel to convenient trapping locations. By just actually setting traps to catch animals for a few days every 1 - 3 months a high catch efficiency in the order of 50% of traps with pest animals per night can be obtained, and a high very proportion of local animals can be caught. Traps can then be left locked open for a couple of months (or moved to another site) and the process repeated to catch the inevitable arrivals of new animals from neighbours (often crown land or National Park).
Wallabies can account for large pasture and crop losses. Approximately 2 - 3 Bennett's wallabies or 4 - 5 rufous wallabies consume as much as a sheep, and hence a single rufous wallaby can reduce farm income a sheep farm by approximately $10, per year. (especially in winter). For more valuable pasture on dairy farms the equivalent figure is in the order of $20 per year per rufous wallaby (pademelon). Not controlling wallabies in any year means that a lot of income is lost and the problem is compounded by nearly 50% for each subsequent year because of natural breeding, quite apart from constant immigration of animals from adjacent areas.
Recommended general trapping approach:
For trapping to be effective, we have learned that a number of things are important to appreciate: -
1. Wallabies (as distinct from possums) will not naturally immediatly enter a strange situation such as a trap just because it contains some potentially nice food. They are naturally wary and avoid threatening situations like a trap with inability to see a ready exit, especially when human smells arouse suspicion, when vision of surrounding areas is limited, and when they have previous unpleasant experiences with humans.
2. Pre-feeding is the key to successful wallaby trapping. Trapping is always much more successful when traps are locked open and loaded with abundant food (1 - 3 kg crushed or rolled grain is our preferred food) for a few days (3 - 7), prior to activating the traps to actually catch them. The naturally wary animals thereby become accustomed to entering the traps and appreciating the free food provision.
3. A high catch rate is the economic key to successful trapping. Travel time to access the trapping location is often significant and hence using multiple traps in a general locality, rather than just a few, allows economies of scale and time. Catch effectiveness and prefeeding routines are not so important where traps are set near the residence of a trapper, but become increasingly critical as travel distance increases.
4. The really critical factor in so far as cheaply maintaining relative pest browser free status is to initially get pest browser numbers to a low number by shooting &/or trapping, and then keep them low via regular repeated trapping. This can catch new arrivals from adjacent land, which is inevitable in situations where atractive pasture is available on the constantly browser controlled farm, but where adjacent areas are not pest wallaby controlled.
Recommended specific trapping guidelines: -
1. Position traps where access is easy, rather than specifically where animal tracks might be abundant. Attract the animals to your preferred location, via abundant food provision for several days, rather than endure hardship in lugging traps to less easily accessed sites.
2. Preferably set up traps semi-permanently in sites where livestock cannot interfere with them (especially when loaded with food as a pre-feeding aid) e.g beside fences inside paddocks with crops, vineyards etc. Otherwise avoid setting traps in paddocks where livestock are present.
3. Concentrate on trapping late autumn until late winter. Appreciate that the need for and cost of supplementary food like grain or hay is at its maximum in winter, when alternative food for wallabies is least available and when the pest animal invasions are certain to be at their maximum intensity.
How to set traps:-
1. Position trap with front facing into prevailing wind and hammer peg into ground.
2. Lift up top section and ensure by feel through fabric that trip plate is facing to rear with its back raised about 75 mm above ground. Then simply pull forward the arm on the side to set it.
3. Adjust for weight needed to spring trap if necessary by turning the adjusting screw in (for more sensitivity) or out. (Do this when trap is partially sprung). Test for appropriate tension by pushing down on trip plate through fabric with right hand while holding left hand near top of trap to catch the top trap section as soon as it starts to close.
How to lock traps open:-
This is recommended for pre-feeding to accustom animals to entering traps and after any trapping session.
1. Disconnect spring where it is attached to trap via being looped over small bolt. (This is easy using the provided wire hook or a pair of pliers)
2. Open trap and insert nail in the hole between the two arm sections.
Handy hints: -
1. Never leave traps closed for extended periods with food inside or rodents can eventually gnaw their way through the fabric.
2. Simply repair any holes which very occasionally develop by sewing hole closed with a bag needle and (e.g) 2 - 3 mm polyester or nylon thread, or with cable ties.
3. Nylon fabric is too tough for the sharpest claws but any small holes which develop such as from bullet holes or mice can be enlarged by possums. Replacement fabric is available for $35 or damaged traps can be swapped for repaired ones for $45.
For more trap details - click HERE
Animal feeders. - Click HERE
Euthanasia and examination aids: More details HERE
Read about trap limitations HERE
Read about trapping feral cats HERE
Economic argument justification HERE
FabricAnimalTraps.com.au
Set trap
Trapped possum
Rufous wallaby in transfer net
Feral cat about to be trappedi
Trap locked open
Pademelon in transfer net
Feral cat about to be trappedi
Setting trap
Trap trip mechanism