Connect the base, tunnel, and entrance. Position within 50–75 ft of active burrow openings — not directly on top. Rub soil from nearby burrows onto the trap to eliminate human scent.
Fill the DIY lure basket with in-shell peanuts. Toss a few into nearby burrows to build squirrel confidence before the trap is armed.
Screw in the 16g canister. One canister powers up to 18 consecutive kills — the same proven A18 mechanism inside every TerraTrap.
The trap fires, resets, and local scavengers clear the catch for you. Check monthly, not daily.
Automatic trap with CO2 reset
No poisons or chemicals, CO2 humane kill
Weatherproof housing, stainless components
No snap springs, quick CO2 canister setup
Why TerraTrap
See how the TerraTrap stacks up — including against the A18 trap it's built on
See it in action
Watch the TerraTrap in the field — from setup to results.
Certified installers
Got questions?
With proper setup, squirrels can show activity within a day or two — sometimes even within hours. Most pre-feeding is complete within 3–4 days, at which point you can arm the A18 inside. The key is the dirt bath: rub soil from nearby burrows onto the trap before deployment. This eliminates human scent and transfers familiar squirrel pheromones, making the trap feel like a natural part of the environment.
Unshelled, unsalted wildlife peanuts are highly recommended — California Ground Squirrels are particularly drawn to them. Fill the lure basket generously and also toss 3–4 peanuts down every open burrow within 40–50 feet of the trap. This introduces the food source to squirrels with zero risk, building their confidence before they approach the TerraTrap itself. If peanuts aren't working, try corn or other dry seeds as local preferences can vary.
No. Unlike rodenticides, which often require a pest control license to apply legally, the TerraTrap requires no special licensing. It can be used by homeowners, farmers, golf courses, and commercial property managers without a permit. Always check your local regulations, as some areas may have specific rules around ground squirrel control.
Once scavengers in the area are routinely removing catches, the trap is largely self-maintaining. Plan to check weekly at first, then move to monthly servicing once the system is established. Monthly maintenance involves three steps: refill the bait, replace the CO2 cartridge if needed (one canister powers up to 18 kills), and relocate the trap if squirrel activity has shifted. The Digital Strike Counter tells you exactly how many kills have occurred between checks.
Yes — completely. The TerraTrap uses no poison or toxic chemicals. The CO2-powered A18 mechanism inside is fully enclosed within the rock housing, so there is no exposed strike mechanism that pets or livestock could trigger. Because the system is 100% toxin-free, scavenging wildlife — hawks, foxes, coyotes, bobcats — can safely consume dispatched squirrels with zero risk of secondary poisoning. This makes it ideal for farms, ranches, vineyards, and any property where non-target animals are present.
Place the TerraTrap within 50–75 feet of active burrow openings — this is the typical foraging range for California Ground Squirrels. Do not place it directly on top of a burrow, as squirrels are neophobic and will avoid a new object directly at their entrance. Near bushes or rocks works well as it provides a sense of natural cover. Also dig a small trench a few inches deep at the tunnel exit — this allows the squirrel to fall away from the trigger after being dispatched, preventing CO2 waste from repeated activations without a catch.
Overall rating: 4.5 / 5 from 74 reviews.
Wow! Couldn’t have worked better! Prebaited for a couple of days to get them comfortable. Within a few hours of final setup got two, one literally climbed on top of the other. Got several more to deal with but on the right trajectory. Dale, you have invented a fantastic solution to the problem.
Received and set up in 10 minutes. 1st kill 1 1/2 hours later. Very pleased. I had tried Hava heart, rat traps, bucket traps, These guys were not having it. This is a game changer.
Honestly the best investment i’ve made in order to protect my garage, shed and occasionally my pantry. I live in a semi rural area that seems to have an overpopulation of rodents. The nuisance of single kill snap traps is gone. No more damaged wiring, nests, horrible smells or rodent droppings. So easy to maintain. I have several of these traps around my property and they have likely saved me thousands of dollars from damaged equipment and cleaning. Thankyou
Two down in less than six hours.
Our outdoor trap struck thrice without a clear out this weekend, while our indoor mouse trap struck twice. We’re thrilled with the efficacy.
3 squirrels in 3 days. Nice cover. Nice looks. Quality cover. Quality A18 unit. Mounts in 1 minute. 2 screws. No more digging up the yard, ruining my bird feeders, chewing on car wiring.
We’ve been using the Grey Squirrel devices for awhile and now these mouse devices. Easy to use!
Can’t really say how great it works as of yet as it’s only recently been placed. Love the design and see no reason why it shouldn’t work as advertised. Love the connectivity feature through the app to monitor it.
After spending nearly $1000 on ground squirrel traps and pest control people, the Terratrap solved our problem almost instantly. I followed the directions to a tee, and within one week the kill counter was at 20, scavengers (I think skunks based on the smell) took away the dead bodies and I was able to fill the ground squirrel burrows. If you have a ground squirrel issue and natural predators/scavengers, this trap is a no brainer.
So far has killed one squirrel and two chipmunks. Took a week for them to investigate, because my bird feeders were full, when the feeders were low they started looking other places and found the trap. I need to check to see if CO2 is spent as there haven’t been any kills this last week. It’s pretty loud when it goes off, but I’m just glad it seems to be a very clean kill. It was set off early a few times before the squirrel stuck its head in by just a paw, worried the noise would keep them away but they came back. My tomato plants have been left alone which makes me happy. Only downers: Wish the CO2 lasted longer or the trap didn’t go off before the head is in.
This thing is well worth the money to me! Automatically resets itself and that means I’m trapping even when I’m away on vacation! Love it!
Got the sucker the same night I set it up.
Before this, I tried many other items to thin out the number of squirrels (they caused $20k damage to solar panels and caught the roof on fire when they bit into the wires). This is easy to mount to a tree and easy to bait. Just remember it's loaded once you add the CO2. This is not a toy!
It works! Just need to find the right bait! I used crumbled cheese instead of the included chocolate bait. Placed it out last night and this morning we woke up to two dead rats. I ordered another trap for the back porch today! Very pleased after switching baits!
A little on the expensive side but is far less expensive than fixing the damage these rodents create. Once the squirrel has figured it out, this is the most humane way to get rid of these damaging pests.
This is one cool trap! Got it as a novelty � the piston is loud when it goes off! How cool is this thing!
10 squirrels in 17 days. Took about 3 or 4 days for them to get confident enough to stick their head in there but it works well.
We have killed 17 squirrels instantly with this device. We did have an issue with leaking CO2 canisters. We resolved this by using plumber tape around the new canisters. Each canister holds a charge a lot longer with the plumber's tape.
Goodnature is the best: A simple trap, most effective. This machine is very kind to the animals. They sleep quickly without pain. My squirrels and rats never know what happened. I spent thousands on devices and poisons before this. For bait I use a variety of natural nut paste - smear it in a line below the machine and on the tree. The squirrel will follow, eating merrily. It is impressive and effective.
It works. Probably have about 30+ kills so far.
Works great. This is my second A24. Had the first one for a few years. I recommend for the regular home owner.
Worked! Had it set up for approx 1 month. Had its first kill. The app alerted me.
Expensive Trap! But Works Great! In the first 3 days of operation it has already dispatched 18 mice! Clearing the trap is an easy task for my wife and daughter, who otherwise despise removing mice from standard mousetraps. The A24 trap is completely automatic � all we have to do is toss dead mice over a fence for the magpies and crows to clean up. The app has a kill counter that gives us the date and time of each kill.
Best dam trap ever!! Got a rat problem? Put this trap outside and your rat problem is solved. I got 5 in one night.
Effective. Brilliant idea, easy to deal with and robust. Worth the money because it's effective, humane and re-sets for multiple catch. Good job.
Dinner Bell. It's fast and humane. The bang that it makes is like ringing the dinner bell for the cats. Works great but you need the counter to know it's working.
Works great. We are using peanut butter it works to attract the squirrels better than the attractant that came with the trap. If you have squirrel problems it will definitely help get rid of them.
"7" count in the first 24 hours! ... Impressed overall with the build and functionality of this unit. The only drawback is that the counter has a malfunction. It arrived with "13" hits on the unit and I thought maybe product testing before shipping. Tried resetting it a few times, per instructions, but it would not return to "0". Maybe taking the battery out and restarting it might help, but I just made a note and "13" became the new "0" for now. Also, glad I bought the metal cover because the footprints all over it shows they were trying to get to the bait station on top. Only a few more pests left. Thanks again for an awesome trap.
I really like the quality of structure and the way it operates. I’ve had it in play for about a week. I’ve not caught anything yet and have been moving it around. Still working on finding the proper location. I have high hopes it will actually provide the results I’m looking for. May need to use the lure scent better. We shall see.
So effective! Easy to assemble and install - already had 5 strikes in the first week.
We had two squirrels climbing a tree, getting into our attic, and ruining our important keepsakes. After trying other unsucessful efforts, I was desperate and started researching other options when I came across the A18 device. I immediately ordered it, installed it the day it arrived, and within 36 hours (probably because the following day had a heavy rain all day long), it had taken care of both squirrels. Money well spent! Thank you!!
Major issue with packrats in my community in Santa Fe, NM. The A24 will work and has worked but its size is better for mice. The A18 should be more effective with some testing. The A24 is in use throughout the community as a viable, logical, efficient, and intelligent to the snap traps, other zappers, and the dangerous use of rodenticides in a community that should know better.
Set up and deployed to known areas of presence in a shed, but no strikes in a weeks time. Maybe the rodents around here do not get enticed by the chocolate paste bait supplied with the A24. There were no alternative baiting methods supplied with rat and mouse home trapping kit.
two mice in two days- hopefully the pack rats will discover the trap
Just unboxed and set the trap up this afternoon-placed it on my patio where I have observed pack rats over the past couple of weeks, hopefully they will check out the trap
The A18 Squirrel Trap is a well made product that installs easily.
Just one squirrel dispatched so far but he/she was my primary offender….littering the ground with heavy unopened pine cones landing like atomic bombs from a 50ft pine tree, partially gnawed for sap & seeds & looking like macerated cobs of corn! Just obnoxious littering and actually dangerous if they hit you on the way down or are thrown out of a riding mower at high velocity! Don’t have to worry about him/her anymore & I was alerted to the kill by the sudden appearance of 2 vultures, lured by the smell of a day old body in the TX heat. Outstanding hassle-free mechanism & only a few other squirrels roaming at a much greater distance, but it will stay up & ready for action…I love it!
Purchased it a month ago. Caught several rats. Highly recommend it.
Set up was easy. The trap is sturdy and looks well made. So far I’ve caught 1 mouse. Will see how we do the next few days.
I live in the desert and my yard is a natural ecosystem, live and let live… that is until the pack rats start destroying things like wiring and insulation and such. I’ve tried everything- live traps, deterrents and spent hundreds of dollars and countless hours only to have propagate and thrive while causing a lot of damage. By the end of the first week I put out this trap there were 9 less pack rats. If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes I would not have believed it.
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