Are canned sardines or dry cat food more effective as bait for capturing Northwestern Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)?

Authors

Alexandria M. Fulton, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620; University of Oklahoma, Department of Biology and Oklahoma Biological Survey, 111 E. Chesapeake Street, Norman, OK 73019Follow
Jonathan P. Rose, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Santa Cruz Field Station, 2885 Mission Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95060Follow
Brian J. Halstead, U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon Field Station, 800 Business Park Drive, Suite D, Dixon, CA 95620Follow

Abstract

During an occupancy study of Northwestern Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) in California’s Sacramento Valley in 2018, we tested the relative effectiveness of 2 bait types: sardines packed in soybean oil and Meow Mix^® Original Choice dry cat food. We sampled 116 sites with 2 traps each: one baited with sardines and one baited with dry cat food. Sardines were 1.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.2–2.6) times more effective than dry cat food at capturing turtles in our study, and 63% of all captured turtles were caught in traps baited with sardines. Despite the slightly lower capture rate in traps baited with dry cat food, the significantly lower cost of cat food (about one-tenth the cost of sardines) makes it an appealing alternative bait if cost-effectiveness is a primary concern.


Durante un estudio de ocupación de las tortugas de poza occidental (Actinemys marmorata) y tortugas de orejas rojas (Trachemys scripta elegans) en el valle de Sacramento, California, en 2018, probamos la eficacia relativa de dos tipos de cebo: sardinas envasadas en aceite de soja y comida seca para gatos Meow Mix^® Original Choice. Muestreamos 116 sitios con 2 trampas cada uno: uno cebado con sardinas y otro cebado con comida seca para gatos. Las sardinas fueron 1.7 (intervalo de confianza del 95%, 1.2–2.6) veces más efectivas para capturar tortugas en nuestro studio que la comida seca para gatos, y el 63% de todas las tortugas capturadas fueron capturadas en trampas cebadas con sardinas. A pesar de la tasa de captura ligeramente inferior en las trampas cebadas con comida seca para gatos, el coste significativamente menor de la comida para gatos (aproximadamente una décima parte del coste de las sardinas) la convierte en un cebo alternativo atractivo si la rentabilidad es una preocupación primordial.

Recommended Citation

Fulton, Alexandria M.; Rose, Jonathan P.; and Halstead, Brian J. (2022) "Are canned sardines or dry cat food more effective as bait for capturing Northwestern Pond Turtles (Actinemys marmorata) and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)?," Western North American Naturalist: Vol. 82: No. 3, Article 14.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/wnan/vol82/iss3/14