Editing Animal trap

{{Quality|Exceptional}}

{{V50_item

Like cages, animal traps are stored in an animal [[stockpile]]. To set the pile to accept only empty traps, go to its '''Custom''' settings and click '''None''' in the top left to block all items, then click "'''Empty animal traps'''" in the animals tab.

To catch vermin on land, order the task "'''Capture a Live Land Animal'''" from a [[vermin catcher's shop]] or [[butcher's shop]]. A trapper will grab an available animal trap and begin to pursue and capture wild vermin from there. This can cause the dwarves to only pursue certain vermin i.e. [[cave spider]]s if those are the only vermin near the stockpile. Or, to [[captured live fish|catch vermin in water]], order the task "Capture a Live Fish" from a [[fishery]]. A [[fisherdwarf]] will then take a trap and capture an aquatic vermin from a [[activity zone#Fishing zone|fishing zone]] (that has available fish to catch). You may want to put the task on high priority. so that fisherdwarves will prioritize the task over regular fishing.

Animal traps can also be built adjacent to any walkable tile using {{Menu icon|b|r|t|sep=-}} or '''[[building|build]]'''-"'''Cages/Restraints'''"-"'''Animal trap'''". After the trap is placed, it must be baited with [[fish]] or [[meat]] (the "large gem" option is useless at the moment). Click on a placed trap to select its bait type, or set it to not be baited. When a bait is selected, trapper will automatically go and bait the trap (you cannot remove the bait afterwards). In Classic graphics, a baited animal trap flashes between the trap and bait symbols, while Premium requires you to click on the trap to view its contents. When it successfully captures (or fails to capture) a vermin, the game will make an [[announcement]] showing a cage trap icon in Premium and {{DFtext|cd}} in Classic. A trap with caught vermin will automatically be slated for removal, and subsequently be hauled back to a stockpile.

Make sure to build the trap in an area with available vermin, otherwise the trap will be unable to capture anything. If the bait is left for too long, it will begin to [[rot]], and the building must be removed to prevent [[miasma]].

The main advantage of building an animal trap over using a kennel or butcher's shop is the ability to specify the location or [[biome]]. It also allows trappers to perform other tasks while the trap is set up. The disadvantage is that built traps require bait to function, and you cannot set baited traps underwater to capture aquatic vermin (although it is possible to place the animal traps on the surface of the water as long as it is adjacent to an walkable tile).

When a vermin is caught, the trap containing the vermin will be brought to an animal stockpile which accepts vermin of that type by a dwarf with the animal [[hauling]] labor enabled. A caught vermin is treated as if it were an item. Marking it for dumping will send it to a nearby [[garbage dump]], and once dumped, it will disappear back to the wild. Caught vermin are viewable in the animal '''Citizens''' {{Menu icon|u}}-'''Pets/Livestock''' tab. To tame one, go to a kennel and select '''Tame a small animal'''. A dwarf with [[animal training]] enabled will take a trap containing an untamed vermin to the kennel and train it with raw meat or fish (although none is actually consumed). After taming it, a dwarf will haul the animal trap containing the now-tamed vermin back to an animal stockpile.  unless assigned to a constructed [[cage|cage or aquarium]].  

Any captured vermin will remain in the animal trap permanently unless it is assigned to an installed [[cage|cage or aquarium]]  (thus freeing the trap for reuse). Unfortunately, vermin cannot be assigned to a [[pasture]], so a mechanized cage is required to release them into the game world (e.g. for a [[Silk_farming#Cave_spider_silk_farm|cave spider silk farm]]). For [[hateable]] vermin, it is recommended to have any installed cages in a faraway place, to reduce the chance of passing dwarves getting unhappy [[thought]]s.

Vermin with {{token|GNAWER|c}} can break free from wooden animal traps. This does not destroy the trap. The game makes an announcement whenever this happens; if it occurs too often, you are better off getting rid of wooden traps and replacing them with metal ones.

There is a chance that a baited animal trap may be robbed, and the trap will need to be rebaited by a trapper. The [[item quality]] affects the success chance of catching a vermin. To compare, a normal trap has a 50% chance of failing, while masterwork traps will never fail.

| -Well-crafted- || 65%

* [[Terrarium]] and aquarium – used to put vermin on display. Aquariums are required in order to store aquatic vermin, otherwise they will die.