The Live trapping Small Mammals: A Practical Guide Additional

The Live trapping Small Mammals: A Practical Guide

Additional Information

John Gurnell and John Flowerdew

This is a support site for the 4

Edition of The Live trapping Small Mammals: A Practical

Guide Mammals Society booklet written by John Gurnell and John Flowerdew and published

by the Mammal Society in 2019 – it will be updated from time to time.

Those of you who would like to send comments, hints and tips, details of traps, suppliers,

software and references for posting on the webpage, please contact The Mammal Society

Office at info@themammalsociety.org.

Contents

Page

Traps and other equipment

General

Animal marking

Balances

Radiotracking equipment

Analytical software

General

Estimating population size

Estimating home range size and movement

References

Before 2000

After 1999

Hints and tips

Video – what to put in a Longworth trap

Apps

Worked example of mapmakers’ formula

Home range sizes of British small mammals

Licences to trap – useful web sites

Guide to technical competence

1. Traps and other equipment

(a) General

Small mammal traps - NHBS Web: www.nhbs.com - supplies a range of small mammal traps,

including the Longworth trap, and other field equipment.

BioEcoss tube traps – 1 Granary Steps, Bridgnorth, Shropshire WV16 4BL

Tel: 44(0)3300 010716 Web: https://bioecoss.azurewebsites.net/

Havahart traps - Web: http://www.havahart.com/

Heslinga traps - Zilvermeer 47, 9735 BC Groningen, The Netherlands. Email:

tom[at]heslingatraps.nl Web: http://www.heslingatraps.eu

Longworth traps - Penlon Ltd, Abingdon Science Park, Barton Lang, Abingdon, Oxfordshire

OX14 3NB. Tel: 01235 547000. Web: www.penlon.com

Ugglan traps - Grahnab, Glimmervägen 6, 335 32 Gnosjö, Sweden. Tel: +046(0)3709 332480.

Email: [email protected] Web: www.grahnab.se

(b) Animal marking

Eartags - National Band & Tag Company, 721 York St., P.O. Box 72430, Newport, KY 41072-

0430, USA. Tel: 1-(859)-261-2035 Email: tags@nationalband.com Web:

https://nationalband.com/

PIT tags

Wildlabs - Email: inf[email protected]et Web: https://www.wildlabs.net.

Fishtrack - Email: andy@fishtrack.co.uk Web: http://www.fishtrack.co.uk/.

Pesola balance - NHBS - Web: www.nhbs.com

Ourweigh - Web: www.ourweigh.co.uk

(d) Radiotracking equipment

Biotrack Ltd.- The Old Courts, Worgret Road, Wareham BH20 4PL. Tel: 01929 552992 Email:

[email protected]o.uk Contact: www.biotrack.co.uk/enquiry-form.php. Specialist in animal

radio and GPS tracking.

Followit – Followit Sweden AB, Bandygatan 2, SE-711- 34 Lindesberg, Sweden. Web:

www.followit.se Email: info@:followit.se Tel: +46 581 17190.

2. Analytical software

(a) General

Pisces Conservation Ltd. - IRC House, The Square, Pennington, Lymington, Hants., SO41 8GN

UK. Web: http://www.pisces-conservation.com Tel: 01590 674000 Email: pisces@pisces-

conservation.com

Ecological Software Solutions LLC – Web: http://www.ecostats.com/web/ Contact:

http://www.ecostats.com/web/Contact_Us.

(b) Estimating population size

Book: Analysis of capture-recapture data (2014) by McCrea, RS & Morgan, BJT (Chapman

and Hall/CRC 314 pages) with links to useful software at

www.capturerecapture.co.uk/software.html

Mark - www.phidot.org/software/mark/ - provides parameter estimates from marked

animals, developed and maintained by Gary White (Colarado State University).

Density - www.otago.ac.nz/density/ - spatially explicit capture-recapture models.

Home Range Tools (HRT) for ArcGIS Https://www.movebank.org/node/14735

Animal Movement 2.0 extension for Arc View 3.3 - Hooge PN, Eichenlaub B. (2000). Animal

movement extension to Arcview. 2.0 ed. Anchorage (AK): Alaska Science Center, Biological

Science Office, U.S. Geological Survey.

Preastoni, DG & Bisi, F (2013) HRTools: commodity functions for home range calculation.

https://r-forge.r-project.org/R/?group_id=1531.

Ranges 9 - Anatrack Ltd Web: www.anatrack.com - software for the analysis and

presentation of ranging behaviour data.

3. References

The following references contain useful information in relation to carrying out field studies

on small mammals or analysing trapping data.

(a) Before 2000

Andrzejewski, R. & Owadowska, E. (1994) Use of odour bait to catch bank voles. Acta

theriologica 39, 221-225.

Attuquayefio, D.K., Gorman, M.L. & Walton, R.J. (1986) Home range sizes in the wood mouse

Apodemus sylvaticus: habitat, sex and seasonal differences. Journal of Zoology, London

210: 45-53.

Avery, R.A. (1974) Identification of animal parasites. Hulton, Amersham.

Bateman, J. (1971) Animal traps and trapping. David & Charles, Newton Abbot.

Boonstra, R. & Krebs, C.J. (1978) Pitfall trapping of Microtus townsendii. Journal of

Mammalogy 59: 136-148.

Bowman J, Corkum C & Forbes G. (2001) Spatial scales of trapping in small mammal

research. Canadian Field Naturalist 115(3): 472-475.

Bright, P. & Morris, P. (1989) A Practical Guide to Dormouse Conservation. Occasional

Publication of the Mammal Society No.11, London.

Brink, F.H.van den (1967) A field guide to the mammals of Britain and Europe. Collins,

London.

Bujalska, G. (1989) Trap line and trap grid as methods of estimation of population

parameters in the bank vole inhabiting Crabapple Island. Acta theriologica.34, 325-337.

Burnham, K. P., Anderson, D, R., White, G.C., Brownie, C. & Pollock, K.H. (1987) Design and

analysis methods for fish survival experiments based on release-recapture. American

Fisheries Society Monograph 5. 437 pp.

Chitty, D. (1996) Do lemmings commit suicide? Beautiful hypotheses and ugly facts. Oxford

University Press, New York.

Chitty, D. & Kempson, D.A. (1949) Prebaiting small mammals and a new design of live trap.

Ecology 130: 536-42.

Churchfield, S. (1990) The natural history of shrews. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, New

York. (also published by Christopher Helm/A & C. Black) 178 pp.

Churchfield, S. (1988) Shrews of the British Isles. Shire Books.

Corbet, G.B. (1975) Finding and identifying mammals in Britain. British Museum (Natural

History), London.

Crowcroft, P. (1957) The life of the shrew. Reinhardt, London.

Davis, R.A. (1961) A simple live-trap for small mammals. Proceedings of the Zoological

Society, London 137: 631-3.

Dickman, C.R. & Doncaster, C.P. (1987) The ecology of small mammals in urban habitats. I.

Populations in a patchy environment. Journal of Animal Ecology 56: 629-640.

Dickman, C.R. (1986) A method for censusing small mammals in urban habitats. Journal of

Zoology, London 210: 631-636.

Fairley, J.S. (1982) Short-term effects of ringing and toe-clipping on the recapture of wood

mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Journal of Zoology, London 167: 295-297.

Flowerdew, J.R. (1976) Ecological methods. Mammal Review 6: 123-159.

Flowerdew, J.R. (1993) Mice and Voles. Whittet Books, London.

Flowerdew, J.R., Gurnell, J. & Gipps, J.H.W. (Eds.) (1985) The ecology of woodland rodents:

bank voles and wood mice. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London, No.55. Oxford

University Press, London.

Fullagar, P.J. & Jewell, P.A. (1965) Marking small rodents and the difficulties of using leg

rings. Journal of Zoology, London 147: 224-228.

Gurnell, J. & Gipps, J.H.W. (1989) Inter-trap movement and estimating rodent densities

Journal of Zoology, London 217: 241-254.

Gurnell, J. & Langbein, J. (1983) The effects of trap position on the capture of woodland

rodents. Journal of Zoology, London 200: 289-292.

Gurnell, J. & Little, J. (1992) The influence of trap residual odour on catches of woodland

rodents. Animal Behaviour, 42: 623-632.

Gurnell, J. (1976) Studies on the effects of bait and sampling intensity on trapping and

estimating wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus. Journal of Zoology, London 171: 458-464.

Gurnell, J. (1980) The effects of prebaiting live traps on catching woodland rodents. Acta

theriologica 25: 255-264.

Hanski, I., Peltonen, A. & Kaski, L. (1991) Natal dispersal and social dominance in the

common shrew. Oikos, 62: 48-58.

Innes D & Bendell J. (1988) Sampling of small mammals by different types of traps in

northern Ontario, Canada. Acta theriologica 33: 443-450.

Johns, A.D. (1979) A comparative assessment of methods of individual tracking within a

population of Microtus agrestis (Mammalia: Muridae). Journal of Zoology, London 189:

333-338.

King, C.M. (1973) A system of trapping and handling live weasels in the field. Journal of

Zoology, London 153: 546-551.

Krebs, C.J. (1998) Ecological methodology 2nd Edition. Harper & Row, New York.

Lambin, X. & MacKinnon, J. (1997) The relative efficiency of two commercial live traps for

small mammals. Journal of Zoology, London 242, 400-404.

Le Boulenge, E. & Le Boulenge-Nguyen, P. Y. (1987) A cost-efficient live trap for small

mammals. Acta theriologica 32: 140-144.

Le Boulenge-Nguyen. P.Y. & Le Boulenge, E. (1986) A new ear-tag for small mammals.

Journal of Zoology, London 209: 302-304.

Lemen, C.A. & Freeman, P.W. (1985) Tracking mammals with fluorescent pigments: a new

technique. Journal of Mammalogy 66: 134-136.

Little, J. & Gurnell, J. (1989) Shrew captures and rodent field studies. Journal of Zoology,

London 218: 329-331.

Mallorie, H. & Flowerdew, J.R. (1994) Woodland small mammal population ecology in

Britain. A preliminary review of the Mammal Society survey of wood mice (Apodemus

sylvaticus) and bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus), 1982-87. Mammal Review 24:1-15.

McShea, W.J. & Gilles, A.B. (1992) A comparison of traps and fluorescent powder to describe

foraging for mast by Peromyscus leucopus. Journal of Mammalogy 73: 218-222.

Millican, T.R. (1988) Radio telemetry and fluorescent pigments: a comparison of techniques.

Journal of Wildlife Management 52: 627-631.

Montgomery, W.I. (1980) The use of arboreal runways by the woodland rodents, Apodemus

sylvaticus (L.), A. flavicollis (Melchior) and Clethrionomys glareolus (Schreber). Mammal

Review, 10, 189 -195.

Montgomery, W.I. (1985) The effect of recapture and the estimation of populations of

Apodemus spp. Journal of Zoology, London 206: 267-269.

Montgomery, W.I. (1987) The application of capture-mark-recapture methods to the

enumeration of small mammal populations. Symposia of the Zoological Society of London

No.58: 25-57. Oxford University Press, London.

Morris, P. & Whitbread, S. (1986) A method for trapping the dormouse (Muscardinus

avellanarius). Journal of Zoology, London 210: 642-644.

O'Farrell, M.J., Clark, W.A., Emmerson, F.H., Juarez, S.M., Kay, F.R., O'Farrell, T.M. &

Goodlett, T.Y (1994) Use of mesh live trap for small mammals: Are results from Sherman

live traps deceptive? Journal of Mammalogy 75: 692-699.

Ostfield, R.S. (1990) The ecology of territoriality in small mammals. Trends in Ecology and

Evolution, 5: 411-415.

Otis, D. L., K. P. Burnham, G. C. White, and D. R. Anderson. 1978. Statistical inference from

capture data on closed animal populations. Wildlife Monographs 62: 135 pp.

Pucek, K (Ed) (1983) Ecology of the Bank Vole. Acta Theriologica 28, Supplement 1

(3+242pp). Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.

Pucek, Z, Jedrzejewski, W., Jedrzejewska, B. & Pucek, M. (1993) Rodent population dynamics

in a primaeval deciduous forest (Bialowieza National Park) in relation to weather, seed

crop and predation. Acta Theriologica 38: 199-232.

Rodwell, J.S. editor (1991, 1992, 1995) British Plant Communities, volumes 1-5. Cambridge:

Cambridge University Press. Published on behalf of the Joint Nature Conservation

Committee with a research team of C.D. Pigott, D.A. Ratcliffe, A.J.C. Malloch, H.J.B. Birks,

M.C.F. Proctor, D.W. Shimwell, J.P. Huntley, E. Radford, M.J. Wigginton and P. Wilkins.

Ordering information can be obtained from Cambridge University Press.

Rose, R.K., Slade, N.A. & Honacki, J.H. (1977) Live trap preference among grassland

mammals. Acta Theriologica 22: 296-307.

Salamon, M & Klettenheimer, B. (1994) A new technique for marking and later recognising

small mammals in the field. Journal of Zoology, London 233: 314-317.

Schon, I. & Korn, H. (1992) Causes and magnitude of body weight changes in trap-confined

bank voles, Clethrionomys glareolus. Journal of Zoology, London 227: 319-322.

Searle, J.B. (1985) Methods for determining the sex of common shrews (Sorex araneus).

Journal of Zoology, London 206: 279-282.

Shaw, M.W. & Milner, C. (1967) The use of insulating covers for Longworth traps. Journal of

Zoology, London 151:546-551.

Shore, R.F. & Yalden, D.W. (1991) The effects of different lubricant oils on capture success in

Longworth traps. Journal of Zoology, London 225: 659-662.

Shore, R.F., Myhill, D.G., Lhotsky, R. & Mackenzie, S. (1995) Capture success for pygmy and

common shrews (Sorex minutus and Sorex araneus) in Longworth and pitfall traps on

upland blanket bog. Journal of Zoology, London 237: 657-662.

Slade N, Eifler, Gruenhagen N & Davelos A. (1993) Differential effectiveness of standard and

long Sherman live traps in capturing small mammals. Journal of Mammology 74: 156-161.

Smyth, M. (1966). Winter breeding in woodland mice, Apodemus sylvaticus,

and voles, Clethrionomys glareolus and Microtus agrestis, near Oxford.

Journal of Animal Ecology, 35: 471–485. [Seminal work.]

Snow, K. R. (1978) Identification of larval ticks found on small mammals in Britain.

Occasional Publication No.4, Mammal Society, London.

Southern, H.N. (1965) The trap line index to small mammal populations. Journal of Zoology,

London 147: 217-221.

Southern, H.N. (1970) The natural control of a population of tawny owls (Strix aluco).

Journal of Zoology, 162, 197-285.

Southern, H.N. (1973) A yardstick for measuring populations of small rodents. Mammal

Review 3: 1-10.

Southern, H. N., & Lowe, V. P. W. (1968). The pattern of distribution of

prey and predation in tawny owl territories. Journal of Animal Ecology:

37, 75–97. [Links owl pellet and trapping information.]

Southwood, T.R.E. & Henderson, P.A. (2000) Ecological Methods 3rd Edition. Blackewell

Science Ltd., Oxford, UK.

Stapp, P., Yang, J.K., VandeWoude, S & Van Horne, B. (1994) An evaluation of the

pathological effects of fluorescent powder on deer mice Peromyscus maniculatus. Journal

of Mammalogy 75: 704-709.

Steele B, Bayn R & Grant C. (1984) Environmental monitoring using populations of birds and

small mammals: analysis of sampling effort. Biological Conservation. 157-172 (a bit out of

date but raises some interesting points)

Stoddart, D.M. (1970) Individual range, dispersion and dispersal in a population of water

voles (Arvicola terrestris (L.)). Journal of Animal Ecology 39: 403-425.

Sutherland, W.J. Ed. (1996) Ecological Census Techniques Cambridge University Press,

Cambridge UK.

Tew, T.E., Todd, I.A. & Macdonald, D.W. (1994) the effects of trap spacing on population

estimation of small mammals. Journal of Zoology, London 233: 340-344.

Tew, T.E., Todd, I.A. & Macdonald, D.W. (1994) Temporal changes in olfactory preference in

murid rodents revealed by live-trapping. Journal of Mammalogy 75: 750-756.

Twigg, G.I. (1975a) Catching mammals. Mammal Review 5: 3-100.

Twigg, G.I. (1975b) Marking mammals. Mammal Review 5: 101-116.

Twigg, G.I. (1978) Marking mammals by tissue removal. In Animal marking: recognition

marking of animals in research. B.Stonehouse (Ed.) pp 109-118. The Macmillan Press,

London.

White, G. C., and R. A. Garrott. (1990) Analysis of wildlife radio-tracking data. Academic

Press, San Diego, CA. 383 pp.

White, G. C., D. R. Anderson, K. P. Burnham, and D. L. Otis. (1982) Capture-recapture and

removal methods for sampling closed populations. Los Alamos National Laboratory LA-

8787-NERP. 235 pp.

Wilson, W.L., Montgomery, W.I. & Elwood, R.W. (1993) Population regulation in the wood

mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (L.). Mammal Review 23: 73-92.

Wolton, R.J. (1985) The ranging and nesting behaviour of wood mice, Apodemus sylvaticus

(Rodentia; Muridae), as revealed by radio-tracking. Journal of Zoology, London 206: 203-

224.

(b) After 1999

Anthony, N. M., Ribic, C. A., Bautz, R. & Garland, T. (2005) Comparative effectiveness of

Longworth and Sherman live traps. Wildlife Society Bulletin 33(3): 1018-1026.

Baker, S. E. S., T.M. (2015) Welfare in commensal rodent trapping: one step forward, two

steps back. Animal Welfare 24(3): 369-371.

Baker, S. (2017) A voluntary traps approval scheme to end trap welfare inequalities in the

UK. Animal Welfare 26(1): 131-133.

Bartolommei, P., Gasperini, S., Bonacchi, A., Manzo, E. & Cozzolino, R. (2018) Multiple

captures as indicator of social tolerance in a guild of terrestrial rodents. Mammalian

Biology.

Bovendorp, R. S., McCleery, R. A. & Galetti, M. (2017) Optimising sampling methods for small

mammal communities in Neotropical rainforests. Mammal Review 47(2): 148-158.

Brouard, M. J., Coulson, T., Newman, C., Macdonald, D. W. & Buesching, C. D. (2015)

Analysis on population level reveals trappability of wild rodents is determined by previous

trap occupant. PloS one 10(12): 1-15.

Bush E.R., Buesching, C.D., Slade, E.M, & Macdonald, D.W. (2012) Woodland recovery after

suppression of deer: cascade effects for small mammals, wood mice (Apodemus sylvaticus)

and bank voles (Myodes glareolus). PLoS One, 7(2):1-9. doi:

10.1371/journal.pone.0031404. Epub 2012 Feb 8.

Churchfield, S., Rychlik, L. & Taylor, J. R. E. (2012) Food resources and foraging habits of the

common shrew, Sorex araneus: does winter food shortage explain Dehnel's phenomenon?

Oikos 121(10): 1593-1602.

Conard, J., Baumgardt, J., Gipson, P. & Althoff, D. (2008) The influence of trap density and

sampling duration on the detection of small mammal species richness. Acta theriologica

53(2): 143-156.

De Bondi, N., White, J.G., Stevens,M. & Cooke, R. (2010) A comparison of the effectiveness

of camera trapping and live trapping for sampling terrestrial small-mammal communities.

Wildlife Research 37: 456-465.

Dell’Agnello, F., Mazza, V., Martini, M., Bertolino, S., Capizzi, D., Riga, F. & Zaccaroni, M.

(2018) Trap type and positioning: how to trap Savi’s pine voles using the tunnel system.

Mammalia. 82: 350.

Do, R., Shonfield, J. & McAdam, A. (2013) Reducing accidental shrew mortality associated

with small-mammal livetrapping II: a field experiment with bait supplementation. Journal

of Mammalogy 94(4): 754=760.

Dracup, E. C., Keppie, D. M. & Forbes, G. J. (2015) Woodland mouse and vole response to

increased structural diversity following midrotation commercial thinning in spruce

plantations. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 45(8): 1121-1131.

Eccard, J. & Klemme, I. (2013) Reducing mortality of shrews in rodent live trapping — a

method increasing live-trap selectivity with shrew exits. Annales Zoologica Fennici 50: 371-

376.

Flowerdew, J. R. & Ellwood, S. (2001) Impacts of woodland deer on small mammal ecology.

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Flowerdew J.R., Amano, T. & Sutherland, W.J. (2017) Strong "bottom-up" influences on small

mammal populations: State-space model analyses from long-term studies. Ecol Evol.

12;7(6):1699-1711. doi: 10.1002/ece3.2725. [Good for methods and results.]

Flowerdew, J.R., Shore R.F., Poulton, S.M.C., & Sparks, T.H. (2004). Live trapping to monitor

small mammals in Britain. Mammal Review 34: 1-167.

Gentili, S., Sigura, M. & Bonesi, L. (2014) Decreased small mammals species diversity and

increased population abundance along a gradient of agricultural intensification. Hystrix,

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Heroldova, M., Bryja, J., Zejda, J. & Tkadlec, E. (2007) Structure and diversity of small

mammal communities in agriculture landscape. Agr. Ecosyst. Environ. 120: 206-210.

Hopkins, H. & Kennedy, L. (2004) An assessment of indices of relative and absolute

abundance for monitoring populations of small mammals. Wildlife Society Bulletin 32(4):

1289-1296.

Jacob, J., Yloumlnen, H. & Hodkinson, C. G. (2002) Trapping efficiency of Ugglan traps and

Longworth traps for house mice in south-eastern Australia. Wildlife Research 29(1): 101-

103.

Kettel, E. F., Perrow, M. R. & Reader, T. (2016) Live-trapping in the stalk zone of tall grasses

as an effective way of monitoring harvest mice (Micromys minutus). European Journal of

Wildlife Research 62(2): 241-245.

Klinger, R., Cleaver, M., Anderson, S., Maier, P. & Clark, J. (2015) Implications of scale-

independent habitat specialization on persistence of a rare small mammal. Global Ecology

and Conservation 3: 100-114.

Leimgruber, P., McShea, W. J. & Songer, M. (2014) Vertical habitat segregation as a

mechanism for coexistence in sympatric rodents. Mammalian Biology - Zeitschrift für

Säugetierkunde 79(5): 313-317.

Łopucki, R., Mróz, I., Berliński, Ł. & Burzych, M. (2013) Effects of urbanization on small-

mammal communities and the population structure of synurbic species: an example of a

medium-sized city. Canadian Journal of Zoology 91(8): 554-561.

Macdonald, D.W., Harrington, L.A., Gelling, M., Tattersall, F.H. & Tew, T. (2015) Small

mammals on lowland farmland. In: Macdonald, D.W. & Feber, R.E. (eds) Wildlife

Conservation on Farmland. Volume 1. Managing for Nature on Lowland farms, pp 65-92.

OUP, Oxford. [Good review – available:

https://books.google.co.uk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=HQoWCgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA65&dq=t

attersall+fran&ots=tawmsHqrFn&sig=nVd83bhjtBWMFVHAJ5AMt5-

STeI#v=onepage&q=tattersall%20fran&f=false.]

Malo, A. F., Godsall, B., Prebble, C., Grange, Z., McCandless, S., Taylor, A. & Coulson, T.

(2013) Positive effects of an invasive shrub on aggregation and abundance of a native small

rodent. Behavioral Ecology 24(3): 759-767.

McDevitt A.D., Montgomery, W.I., Tosh, D.G., Lusby, J., Reid, N., White T.A., McDevitt, D.,

O'Halloran, J., Searle, J.B. & Yearsley, J.M. (2014) Invading and expanding: range dynamics

and ecological consequences of the greater white-toothed shrew (Crocidura russula)

invasion in Ireland. PLoS ONE 9(6): e100403.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0100403

Moore, N. P., Askew, N. & Bishop, J. D. (2003) Small mammals in new farm woodlands.

Mammal Review 33(1): 101-104.

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small mammals to food supply and predators: a global meta-analysis. Journal of Animal

Ecology 82: 927-936.

Redon, L., Le Viol, I., Jiguet, F., Machon, N., Scher, O. & Kerbiriou, C. (2015) Road network in

an agrarian landscape: Potential habitat, corridor or barrier for small mammals? Acta

Oecologica 62: 58-65.

Rendall A.R., Sutherland D.R., Cooke R. & White, J. (2014) Camera trapping: a contemporary

approach to monitoring invasive rodents in high conservation priority ecosystems. PLoS

ONE 9(3): e86592. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.008659. [Note: New Zealand

study for black rat and Mus.]

Santos-Filho, M. d., Silva, D. J. d. & Sanaiotti, T. M. (2006) Efficiency of four trap types in

sampling small mammals in forest fragments, Mato Grosso, Brazil. Mastozoología

Neotropical 13(2): 217-225.

Slade, N. A., & Blair, S. M. (2000). An empirical test of using counts of individuals captured as

indices of population size. Journal of Mammalogy,

81, 1035–1045.

Stepankova, J. & Vohralik, V. (2009) Vertical activity of the yellow-necked mouse (Rodentia:

Muridae) at edge of a mixed forest. Folia Zoologica 58: 26-35.

Stuart, P., L. Mirimin, T. F. Cross, D. P. Sleeman, Neil J. Buckley, S. Telfer, R. J. Birtles, P.

Kotlík, & J. B. Searle. (2007) The origin of Irish bank voles Clethrionomys glareolus assessed

by mitochondrial DNA analysis. The Irish Naturalists' Journal 28 (11): 440-46. [Note: bank

voles now recorded in County Sligo – see https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ireland-

nature-notes-bank-vole-ventures-further-north-vfpg0kmfj.]

Sundell, J., Church, C. & Ovaskainen, O. (2012) Spatio-temporal patterns of habitat use in

voles and shrews modified by density, season and predators. Journal of Animal Ecology

81(4): 747-755.

Takács, S., Musso, A. E., Gries, R., Rozenberg, E., Borden, J. H., Brodie, B. & Gries, G. (2018)

New food baits for trapping house mice, black rats and brown rats. Applied Animal

Behaviour Science 200: 130-135.

Thomas, S., Varnham, K. & Havery, S. (2017a) Current Recommended Procedures for UK (bait

station) rodent eradication projects: Annex 1: Eradication techniques in the UK: Planning

and implementing a ground-based bait station operation (Version 4.0). Royal Society for

the Protection of Birds, Sandy. [Not directly relevant, but of interest - available at:

www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1552.]

Thomas, S., Varnham, K. & Havery, S. (2017b) Current Recommended Procedures for UK (bait

station) rodent eradication projects: Annex 2: Rodent Trapping and DNA Sampling. (Version

4.0). Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy. [Not directly relevant, but of interest

- available at: www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1553.]

Thomas, S., Varnham, K., & Havery, S. (2017c). Current Recommended Procedures for UK

(bait station) rodent eradication projects: Annex 3: Rodent Surveillance and Identification

(Version 4.0). Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sandy. [Not directly relevant, but of

interest - available at: www.nonnativespecies.org/downloadDocument.cfm?id=1579.]

Torre, I., Arrizabalaga, A. & Flaquer, C. (2004) Three Methods for Assessing Richness and

Composition of Small Mammal Communities. Journal of Mammalogy 85(3): 524-530.

Torre, I., Freixas, L., Arrizabalaga, A. & Díaz, M. (2016) The efficiency of two widely used

commercial live-traps to develop monitoring protocols for small mammal biodiversity.

Ecological Indicators 66: 481-487.

Torre, I., Raspall, A., Arrizabalaga, A. & Díaz, M. (2018) SEMICE: An unbiased and powerful

monitoring protocol for small mammals in the Mediterranean Region. Mammalian Biology

88: 161-167.

Trout, R.C., Moore, N. & Jinks,R. (2004) Damaging agents or biodiversity: small mammals and

young trees. In: Quine, C., Shore,,R. & Trout, R. (eds).

Managing Woodlands and their Mammals. Proceedings of a symposium organised jointly

by The Mammal Society and the Forestry Commission. Forestry Commission, Edinburgh.

See: https://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/FCRP006.pdf/$file/FCRP006.pdf#page=94

Villette P, Krebs CJ, Jung TS, Boonstra R. (2016) Can camera trapping provide accurate

estimates of small mammal (Myodes rutilus and Peromyscus maniculatus) density in the

boreal forest? Journal of Mammalogy 97(1):32-40. DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyv150

Vogel, P. (2012) New trapping method to survey for presence of the Etruscan shrew Suncus

etruscus, the smallest mammal. Mammal Review 42(4): 314-318.

Vogel, P. & Gander, A. (2015) Live trapping design for the harvest mouse (Micromys minutus)

in its summer habitat. Revue suisse de zoologie 122(1): 143-148.

van Boekel, W. (2013) Reducing shrew mortality in Longwoth traps. Lutra 56(2): 121-127.

van Boekel, W. H. (2014) Damage to Longworth live-traps by shrews. Lutra, 57(1): 39-42.

van Boekel, W.H.M. (2015) From meadows to marshland – response of the small mammal

populations. Lutra 58, 57-71. [Did not fur clip shrews because of water-repellent

requirements.]

Ylönen, H., Jacob, J. & Kotler, B. (2003) Trappability of rodents in single-capture and multiple

capture traps in arid and open environments: why don't Ugglan traps work? Ann. Zool.

Fennici 40: 537-541.

4. Hints and tips

1) New traps can be ‘seasoned in’ to lose their ‘new smell’ by placing them in the back

garden or somewhere similar and rinsing them out with cold water before use.

2) If a trap feels unusually heavy when inspecting it with the door closed, then smell it

before opening. It may contain a weasel (Mustela nivalis)!

3) When checking traps be sure to look into the tunnel and check the treadle for fouling.

Traps with open doors may still be blocked by a slug, rearranged bait, leaves or earth.

Wood mice in particular often block up inviting openings with leaves, earth, stones or

even potential food such as haws or acorns.

4) Cover traps with leaves or grass in hot or cold weather but make sure you can find them

again.

5) Vigorous, large and noisy mice are likely to be yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis).

6) Field voles usually have a strong musky smell which clings to the clothes if used to calm

the animal down.

7) If young mice or voles are found in the trap disturb them as little as possible and leave

the trap in position and the door locked up with the prebait catch. The female will

usually return to collect them as they squeak using audible and ultrasonic sounds. Young

rodents can survive for long periods at low body temperatures.

8) The Mammal Society has a ‘Full Species Hub’ at http://www.mammal.org.uk/species-

hub/full-species-hub/discover-mammals/ where you can see photographs of British

mammals and click links for further information.

5. Video – what to put in a Longworth trap.

See The Mammal Society video at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C952Riv6Pgc

6. Apps

Individual distribution records may be recorded via the Mammal Tracker App -

http://www.mammal.org.uk/science-research/record-submission/ that has a link to the

App and other web-based recording sites

Distribution records on the move are monitored by the Mammal Mapper at:

App - http://www.mammal.org.uk/volunteering/mammal-mapper/

U-Tube Tutorial for the Mammal Mapper App see -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJaaXxUwpSg

For other Apps for work with wildlife – see: https://blog.nhbs.com/subject/geology/ten-

favourite-free-apps-wildlife-lovers/

7. Worked example of mapmakers formula

To calculate the area of any polygon use the mapmaker's formula (Jennrich and Turner,

1969).

Formula:



−= )(

11 iiii

yxyxArea

Map of 60 m by 60 m grid; red = capture points; blue – lines connecting points.

To use the mapmaker's formula, order the peripheral capture points anti-clockwise about

their geometric centre to form a polygon. Units are meters.

Point

i + 1

- x

i + 1

)

6,4

(6*6)-(4*4)

36- 16

4,6

(4*6)-(3*6)

24-18

3,6

(3*5)-(2*6)

15-12

2,5

(2*4)-(2*5)

8-10

-2

2,4

(2*2)-(4*4)

4-16

-12

4,2

(4*3)-(5*2)

12-10

5,3

(5*4)-(3*6)

20-18

*0.5

Area

9.5 m

8. Home range sizes of British small mammals

Approximate home range sizes (m

) for some common British small mammals (from various

sources using various methods of calculation). R-track = radio-tracking.

Species

Method

Season

Habitat

Males

Females

Wood mouse

Trap

All

Decid.wood

2200

1800

Trap

Winter

Conif./Decid.wood

230

240

R-track

Summer

Decid.wood

10800

4000

Trap

Summer

Arable

12200

6300

Bank vole

Trap

All

Decid.wood

1700

1300

Trap

Winter

Conif./Decid.wood

380

260

Trap

Summer

Conif./Decid.wood

930

270

Field vole

Trap

All

Grassland

300-700

200-400

Males + females

Common shrew

Trap

Winter

Dune grass/scrub

900-1850

Trap

Summer

“

530-800

Trap

All

Grassland

800-1100

Trap

All

Decid.wood

2800

Pygmy shrew

Trap

All

Grassland

1400-1700

Water shrew

R-track

Winter

Streamside

80-170

R-track

Summer

“

100-370

Netherlands

Switzerland

9. Licenses to trap – useful web sites

Natural England

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/shrews-licence-to-take-them

Natural Resources Wales

https://naturalresources.wales/permits-and-permissions/protected-species-licensing/uk-

protected-species-licensing/small-mammal-licensing/?lang=en

Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/articles/wildlife-licensing

Scottish Natural Heritage

https://www.nature.scot/professional-advice/safeguarding-protected-areas-and-

species/licensing

10. Guide to technical competence

Crawley, D. & Yalden D. (2013) Competencies for Species Survey: Shrews. CIEEM, Technical

Guidance series. Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management,

Winchester. 4 pp. Web: www.cieem.net

Download at:

https://www.cieem.net/data/files/Resource_Library/Technical_Guidance_Series/CSS/CSS_-

_SHREWS_April_2013.pdf

(See also Hazel dormouse and Water vole in the same series.).