A trap closure device for use in combination with an open ended container or cage, for trapping animals alive, comprises a plate having an access opening therethrough for animal entry and first and second door members pivotally mounted on the plate, operable to resiliently overlap the access opening in response to actuation by the animal of an over-center trigger latch on the container side of the plate. A slot is formed between the plate and an offset portion of the plate for receiving the ends of the door members overlapping the access opening. Suitable slots are provided on the peripheral edges of the plate for receiving and aligning the rim of the open ended container.

A trap has a body having an end formed with a first opening. Rotatably mounted on the end is a closure shaped with a second opening. The closure has an open position with the openings aligned so the animal may enter the body and a closed position with the closure blocking the first opening to prevent escape. The closure is releaseably held in open position by a pin slideably mounted in the end passing through a hole in the closure. Bait in the body is connected by a cord to the pin so that when an animal attempts to carry off the bait the pin is pulled out of the hole and the closure pivots to closed position. A treadle may be mounted inside the body and connected to the cord. When an animal steps on the treadle it pivots to pull the cord away from the end to pull the pin as an alternative way to close the trap. Counterbalancing of the closure and of the treadle make the triggering of the closure very sensitive.

A disposable rodent trap is formed of an aluminum beverage can comprising an internal chamber, a bottom end wall with an opposite end wall including an entry opening therein of sufficient size to permit a rodent to pass into the internal chamber. A door member in the form of a can end is positioned externally of said end wall and movable into a closed position covering and blocking the entry opening by a rubber band. A latch means normally holds the door open by engagement with an edge surface of the entry opening but is movable by rodent contact inside the chamber to unlatched position to permit the rubber band to move the door member to its closed postion to trap the rodent in said internal chamber.

An animal trap in the form of a closed container having side walls, a bottom wall, and a top wall wherein the side wall has a door opening and a mating inwardly opening door hingedly mounted to the side wall with a bias spring urging the door to a normally closed position providing a closed trap. The door has inwardly flaring bevel edges to provide for a tight closure and prevention of the animal inhabiting the trap from opening the door. The top wall has at least a generally transparent portion to ascertain whether or not the trap is inhabited. The trap has an inner partition forming a pathway greater than the overall length of the animal to be trapped from the door opening to a bait position to induce the animal to fully enter the trap, allowing tight closure of the door. The trap of this invention provides an inexpensive, completely disposable, sanitary animal trap which may be adapted for a wide variety of sizes of animals.

A live animal trap (20), having a trap wall (22), a closure mechanism (24), and a trip mechanism (26) is utilized to trap animals. The closure mechanism (24) includes a slicing closure door (56) which closes in a slicing direction (65) substantially perpendicular to an entry direction (67) into an internal chamber (28) defined by the trap wall (22). The trap wall (22) and the door (56) are substantially continuous to limit a trapped animals view thereby reducing agitation when the trap (20) is approached. The trap wall (22) is sized to inhibit a skunk from lifting its tail to spray.