James' UEA Ecology Blog

Last week, we did some small mammal trapping in the conservation area on the UEA campus. The traps were set the night before, and we checked them in the morning to find out what had been caught! Aside from lots of false triggers, we caught 9 wood mice. While we sadly didn't find any of the other species of small mammal present in the area, such as yellow-necked mice, bank and field voles, and common and pygmy shrews, the wood mice were still very cute! In this blog, I want to focus on the process of small mammal trapping, with a focus on ensuring the process is ethical and humane for our furry little friends. Setting the traps There are many different types of trap suitable for small mammal trapping. We used Longworth traps, but other potential traps include  Sherman traps and Lifetraps . There are also less invasive methods of trapping, such as traps which record the footprints of animals that walk through. This removes the need for the animals to remain trapped for sustained peri...