Practical guides, free to use.

Don't try to pull the animal free — this can tear skin, fur, or feathers and cause serious injury. Instead:

1. Keep the animal calm and minimize handling.
2. Slowly apply a cooking or vegetable oil to the area where the animal is stuck, working gently from the edges inward — this helps loosen the adhesive without harming the animal.
3. Avoid soap and water alone, which is less effective, and avoid any solvents or chemical removers, which can be toxic.
4. Once free, place the animal in a covered, ventilated box in a quiet, dark, temperature-safe space.
5. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator immediately — do not attempt to care for the animal yourself.

You can find a licensed Georgia rehabilitator through the Georgia DNR's wildlife rehabilitator directory or through AnimalHelpNow.org by entering your zip code. If the animal is a pet, contact your veterinarian right away instead.

This guidance is general information, not a substitute for professional care from a veterinarian or licensed wildlife rehabilitator.

You don't need a glue trap to deal with rodents. Here's what actually works:

1. Seal entry points — steel wool and foam sealant close gaps rodents use to get inside, stopping the problem at the source.
2. Remove the draw — food sources and clutter are usually why rodents showed up in the first place; secure food storage and reduce clutter near entry points.
3. Use a snap trap instead — research by entomologist Robert Corrigan (1998) found snap traps roughly seven times more effective at capturing mice than glue traps.
4. Consider a natural repellent — essential-oil-based products can make spaces unwelcoming to rodents without killing them.
5. If the problem persists, call a licensed pest control professional, who has access to safer, more targeted tools than a consumer glue board.

The welfare problem. Animals caught on glue boards are not killed by the trap. They remain conscious, immobilized, and exposed — often for hours or days — until they die of dehydration, exhaustion, suffocation, or injuries sustained trying to escape.

A disease risk, not a disease control. The CDC advises against glue traps for rodent control, warning that trapped rodents can urinate and increase the risk of spreading disease.

They also work poorly. Pest control research published by entomologist Robert Corrigan (1998) found snap traps roughly seven times more effective than glue traps at capturing mice.

Veterinary positions. The American Veterinary Medical Association's euthanasia guidelines state that trapping a conscious animal in glue is "not acceptable for euthanasia," though it "may be required for pest control" — a use the guidelines treat as appropriate for insects or spiders, not vertebrates. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association and British Veterinary Association have taken similar or stronger positions, with the BVA actively campaigning for a full ban on both public and professional use.

Georgia's legal gap. Georgia's animal cruelty statute, O.C.G.A. § 16-12-4, excludes pests from its definition of an animal — so the suffering caused by a glue trap falls outside the law entirely, no matter which species is caught.

What's actually being caught in Georgia. Since 2017, a Georgia wildlife rehabilitation center has documented 19 cases of animals caught in glue traps — none of them the intended rodent target. Eighty-four percent survived to be released. Species included Eastern kingsnakes, black rat snakes, ringneck snakes, Northern cardinals, a black racer, and five-lined skinks.

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Boilerplate. The Georgia Humane Wildlife Coalition advances practical, science-informed policies that reduce unnecessary animal suffering and promote humane coexistence between people and wildlife across Georgia.

Founder bio. Lina Elder is the founder of the Georgia Humane Wildlife Coalition. She started the organization after a personal experience with a glue trap in New York City stayed with her for years, and now leads research, coalition-building, and advocacy for a Georgia ban on glue traps against vertebrate animals.

Press contact. hello@gahumanewildlife.org