How to Make a Rattle Snake Trap

Rattlesnakes, like most any other snake, like to hole up in dark and confined places. They love to be underneath things such as rocks and logs, so some of the most successful rattlesnake traps give them what they want. You need to be trained in handling rattlesnakes before you try to catch them. Do not simply set up a rattlesnake trap and start handling or baiting the snake. It is unkind and extremely dangerous.

Things You'll Need

• A shallow long box or poster tube
• 2 pieces of 3-foot-long 2 by 2s
• A screw gun
• 4 2-inch self-threading screws
• 4 sticky-glue mousetraps

Instructions

1. Determine if the environment is a good habitat for rattlesnakes. To catch a rattlesnake, you first must be sure they are living in the area. Rattlesnakes can live in deserts, pine forests, sandy areas and even have been seen swimming in the ocean miles offshore.

2. Make a 3-foot-long funnel runway for the snake. Attach both pieces of wood to your box with the screws using your screw gun. You want to make a giant "V" that will act like a funnel to entice the snake into the box. The pieces of wood should be resting against the ground and form a "V" wall that is 2-inches high. Arrange the outer points of the "V" so they are open to the world. You will attach them to the box at an angle. This will provide a wide area for the snake to explore. As the snake gets closer to the mouth of the box, the "V" should narrow so the snake is guided toward the entrance to the box and notices the dark opening. This dark, dry area should entice the snake to enter.

3. Load up the back of the box with the sticky-glue mousetraps. As soon as the snake makes contact with the first sticky trap, it will begin to coil about, therefore contacting more of the traps and entrapping itself completely.

4. Put your snake trap in an area where there are presumed to be rattlesnakes. This can be an area where people have seen snakes or been bitten, or just an area that is conducive to snake existence, such as a dry area near a source of water.

5. Check your trap every morning, but be careful--rattlesnakes are poisonous.

6. Relocate your rattlesnake once it has been caught. If it was your intent to merely catch and relocate the snake, you will be able to free it from the sticky pads by pouring vegetable oil on top of the snake. The oil will slowly counteract the sticky glue and eventually allow the snake to go free unharmed.

Tips & Warnings

• Rattlesnakes can be deadly. Never catch them for fun or to be pets.