TECHNICAL NOTE Wildl. Biol. Pract., July 3(1): 39-42 DOI:10.2461/wbp.2007.3.5. AN IMPROVED METHOD FOR HANDLING SQUIRRELS AND SIMILAR-SIZE MAMMALS R.A. McCleery*, R.R. Lopez** & N.J. Silvy*** Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA; Tel: 979- 845-5777, Fax: 979/845-3786. * Lecturer Tel: 979-204-6570 ** Associate Professor Tel: 979-324-9636 *** Regents Professor Tel: 979-690-7420 Key words handling; squirrels; safety; plastic funnel. Abstract Trapping and handling animals is an important aspect of wildlife research and management. Safety precautions to minimize the risk of injuries to wildlife researchers and animal subjects are mandated by state and federal laws. Use of a modified plastic funnel aided in researcher safety in a study of fox squirrels (Sciurus niger) on the Texas A&M University campus. Plastic funnels used in conjunction with canvas bags prevented animal bites or other injuries and simplified the handling and tagging of 175 fox squirrels. Studies employing the use of canvas bags with zippers for restraining squirrel-sized mammals should use the plastic funnel as an added safety precaution. Introduction Trapping and handling animals is a critical aspect of wildlife research and management. It is important for students and researchers to develop handling skills and confidence using safe and effective methods. State and federal regulations require the careful attention to the methodologies used in the capture and handling of all vertebrates [1]. Institutions that use animals for research or teaching purposes must receive approval of proposed research methods from the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), which requires minimizing risk of injuries to research personnel while participating in these endeavors [1]. Some small mammals such as squirrels (e.g., Sciurus) and rats (e.g., Neotoma and Rattus) serve as a potential threat to wildlife researchers trapping and handling them. In 2002, we began a study of urban fox squirrels (S. niger) on the Texas A&M University (TAMU) campus to learn more about the general ecology of the species and to us as a teaching tool to wildlife undergraduates. Undergraduates were involved in the capture, handling, marking, and radio-tracking of squirrels. This made student safety of the utmost importance for the project and required by TAMU-IACUC. Initially, chemical immobilization was considered to reduce the risk of injuries to research personnel during capture and handling, but previous studies have shown that chemical immobilization may increase the risk of capture myopathy or holding time [2]. Furthermore, capture drugs require additional training and regulatory approval. For these reasons, we sought alternative measures to reduce safety risks to trapped animals and researchers. Several physical-restraint methods have been used in previous studies in the safe handling of squirrels including wire funnels [3, 4], and tube- or cone-shaped canvas bags [2,5,6,7,8] (Fig. 1A). We found the canvas bag useful when handling squirrels; however, the bag was cumbersome and difficult to manipulate when radio-collaring animals. Moreover, attaching radio-collars was difficult due to limited access to the