Moistened seeds increase rodent trap success

Authors

John C. Tull, University of Nevada, Reno
Michael W. Sears, University of Nevada, Reno

Abstract

Seed moisture has been shown to influence the rates of seed cache removal by rodents. Although the precise mechanism is not known, this knowledge might prove useful in field applications. We examined whether moistened bait would increase trap success in desert rodent populations. We placed traps 15 m apart in grids within a 500-ha study area and randomly baited traps with either dry or moistened seeds. We found that traps baited with moistened seeds had 34.9% higher success than traps baited with dry seeds (n = 190, χ² = 5.389, df = 1, P = 0.020). Our results suggest that application of water to dry seed bait can lead to increased trap success for desert rodents.

Recommended Citation

Tull, John C. and Sears, Michael W. (2007) "Moistened seeds increase rodent trap success," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 67: No. 4, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol67/iss4/5