Hi,
(I posted this elsewhere on the forum and have now deleted the original post.)
Where I work (Hawaiʻi) we use AT220 traps and and regularly receive “possum” hits in our trap reports. We donʻt have any possums in Hawaiʻi, so it would be useful to know how the trap “decides” what constitutes a possum strike versus a normal strike. This information would be great for helping to understand the differences in what we are catching in the different areas we manage
Apologies if this information is posted elsewhere (or obvious) but couldnʻt find anything in a scroll of related topics in the forum
Cheers,
Alan
1 Like
Alan. The boys at NZ Autotraps could give you a much more technical explanation than me. It’s a feature that is really for the NZ market. A possum will shake the trap more than a rat and built into the trap is a sensor that picks this up. It can be calibrated so possibly could be turned off. I do a bit of lure development work for the boys at NZ Autotraps. It’s was a hobby that has grown into a bit of a venture. Are the mongooses showing any lure preferences? We have developed 5 variants and currently manufacture 2 in commercial quantities and the others in trial batches. Not sure which ones you have been sampled. Cheers John
1 Like
The AT220 has an accelerometer inside that senses when the trap is moved. Cats will definitely register as “possum” hits in an AT220, as the kill is not instant (usually within 30 seconds). Rat strikes can also register as possums if the trap moves inadvertently after the initial strike (trap resettling from an unstable position, being blown by the wind, rats being pulled on by scavenger). I don’t know the exact time frame for motion sensing, but it is at least a minute after the initial strike. Mongoose would probably also register as a “possum” in the AT220.
1 Like
You can test this feature for yourself with the app and any trap. First, wake the trap up and connect with the app. Then on the “Trap” page, scroll to the bottom and press the “DETECT” button. This will initiate a pest detection cycle - the accelerometer is powered up and the X/Y/Z values are displayed on the app. If you shake or tilt the trap (Be Careful! It could accidentally go off!) you can see the numbers changing. Also you can observe the LED on the trap itself - the LED will be yellow if nothing is being detected; it changes to red when the trap movement exceeds the “possum” threshold. The detection cycle will time out about 5 minutes after the shaking stops. In normal operation, if the “possum” threshold is exceeded at all the kill will be identified as possum; otherwise, rat.
Absolutely agree that larger animals like cats would be identified as “possum”. Any animal that struggles - or indeed if a larger predator tries to pull a small animal out of the trap - that will cause enough shaking to be called a possum.
1 Like
