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Until they have actually trapped a wild animal in a cage, many property owners who attempt DIY pest control methods don't really think about what to do next. It's all very good and well actually trapping the animal, but by not doing your research and working out the right kind of approach for the specific problem you have, you might actually cause yourself more problems. Here's why …



In most places, it is actually legal to kill a squirrel that you have trapped. You are also permitted to use lethal methods — kill traps. Squirrels, in most places, are considered pest animas, causing problems to local homes, businesses, and public areas. In areas where squirrel populations are high, killing the animal is the best outcome all-round. If you were to release a squirrel back into the wild, it would soon come under attack from the already-heaving population, forcing fights for food, territories, and more. Squirrels that have been born into and only lived in urban territories will not have the best resources to live in wild ones.

In almost all cases, trapping and releasing of wild animals proves fruitless. Trappers may release the animal into the wrong kind of habitat, at the wrong time of day, or when the animal has been injured or is sick. Trapped animals are also more stressed than non-trapped animals, and stress plays a massive role in how the rest of the body works. Pair that with a brand new territory that is unknown, unexplored, and teeming with predators, and you have a very vulnerable animal that no longer has its family and support group to rely on. It is not unusual for squirrels to come together in hard times, despite being usually solitary animals.

So … how do you kill a trapped a squirrel?
The most humane way is the quickest and most painless way, so that usually involves a gun. You are permitted to just shoot that gun towards your squirrel enemy in any old haphazard fashion, however; you will need to do your won research into whether or not using a gun is the best approach for you.

Poison is never a good idea, whether you're trying to eliminate squirrels, rats, or any other wild animal. Poison almost always causes more problems than it solves and could potentially put the lives of kids, pets, and other animals in grave danger too. We'll conveniently forget about the whole not-working thing too … and that you can't actually buy a legal poison for squirrels.

As well as doing your research into the best methods of destroying a squirrel that you have trapped, you should also ensure that you are doing your research into whether or not you need a permit or license to trap, hunt, kill, transport, or release squirrels. This information will usually dictate the entire approach you take, and may just lead you to wildlife rehabilitators — your best shot at getting the job done legally and humanely.

Squirrel Trapping & Legalities - What You Should Know

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With the exception of a few states across America, you are usually permitted to use trapping methods to get rid of squirrels that are proving to be a pest. Sadly, that is not the last answer you should go looking for. There are restrictions in place for trapping and killing animals like squirrels, because they are game animals — trapped for their fur and flesh (to eat) usually.



This means that squirrels come under the same restrictions as other game animals — licenses, permits, and perhaps even set hunting months or periods of the year. These hunting periods will change from one year to another, and may also change from state to state. You should also do your own research with regard to squirrel trapping in your home state, unless you choose to put your faith in wildlife rehabilitators. They'll already know the law, and they'll already have the right permits to do the job. If they don't, use a different company.

What happens when you don't want to trap the squirrel to kill it, however? Live trapping is generally considered to be the most humane approach to pest animal removal, but this comes with problems all of its own. If you attempt to release a squirrel — an animal that is known to carry the rabies virus (although rare) — back into the wild, you may find that you could face legal action because of it. Again, just as with trapping-to-kill, you will need to make sure you know the right laws and regulations for your specific state before you take any squirrel trapping action.

Wildlife rehabilitators are the best to call when you have a squirrel control problem, or problems with any other pest species. Sadly, as difficult as removing the animal(s) itself is going to be, that is only half the problem. The rest of the problem always comes with its own special set of problems, such as researching whether or not you can live-trap the creature, snap-trap (kill) the squirrel, transport it, release it, etc. When you hire in the professionals, you know you are hiring in the right person for the job … and that they'll do the job lawfully too.

What To Do When Squirrel Trapping Doesn't Work

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Trapping squirrels is actually quite easy, although, using live cage traps isn't exactly the best approach to get rid of a squirrel problem. If you have a small furry family of squirrels — a mother and her young — trapping one animal will only resolve a small fraction of the problem. If you do successfully manage to trap one or all of your new squirrel friends, you then have the responsibility of figuring out what to do next, and that can be the hardest task of all. The humane approach is usually euthanasia, using a carbon dioxide chamber.



The least-humane approach, in some cases, is to release the solo animal back into the wild. Trapped-and-released wild critters don't usually live for long when they are introduced to new habitats or territories, especially if you don't release the animal into a territory that it would have chosen for itself. (In case you were wondering, this is somewhere with plenty of trees, lots of undergrowth, and with a good, fresh source of water nearby.)

If squirrel-trapping isn't working, it might be time to look at exclusion, rather than trapping. When you start looking into the topic, you may even find that squirrel trapping is illegal in your state, or that you need a permit in order to lawfully do it. If you decide to relocate the animal somewhere else, you will then need to look into the laws surrounding transporting and releasing, and if you're crossing state lines, you may even need to look into two sets of laws.

In many cases, squirrel trapping fails because the trap isn't right, the trap hasn't been put somewhere that the squirrel would naturally come across it, or because the squirrel has already been trapped and released once and has already learned its lesson … Yet another reason why trapping and releasing isn't always the best approach.

You could try moving your trap. Investigate for a couple of days — where does the squirrel go? Is it alone? When does it leave the nest? And then go back to it again? The information you collect will help you create a plan. If you know that a squirrel uses one particular route regularly, you can place your trap or traps along that route to hopefully have better results.

If you know that the trap has been placed in an area that the squirrel visits regularly, it could just be that the squirrel really has learned its lesson. In this case, you will need to look at putting the trap down and not setting it for a few days, allowing the animal to become comfortable with what appears to be just a new piece of the furniture. Add your bait, but don't set the trap. Let the squirrel take the bait too, no matter how frustrating it might be. It just takes a couple of days — once the squirrel is happy enough to take the bait, you can then set the trap and, hopefully, capture yourself a squirrel.

For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How much does squirrel removal cost? - get the lowdown on prices.
How to get rid of squirrels - my main squirrel removal info guide.
Example squirrel trapping photographs - get do-it-yourself ideas.
Squirrel job blog - learn from great examples of squirrel jobs I've done.
Squirrels in the attic - what to do to solve the problem.