A resident recently found a bird stuck in a glue trap in their garage and reached out to the patrol office for help, who contacted the Pet Companions Club.
Our resident bird rescuer, Cathy Countryman Cook, went to the resident’s house on March 19 and found a Curved-billed Thrasher stuck to the trap. Glue traps are unfortunately indiscriminate killers of many things, including birds and geckos. They are a terrible way for an animal to die, as they starve to death stuck to the trap. However, an animal found in time can often be saved by something that most of you have in your kitchens: olive oil. A little bit of olive oil applied to the glue of the trap will dissolve the glue and free the animal. Cathy carefully applied a small amount of olive oil (too much will coat the bird’s feathers in oil) and was able to free the bird. Once the bird was cleaned off, it was found to be missing about 10 feathers. This did not prevent the bird from flying; it was released and flew away.
We discourage the use of glue traps by our residents. If you do use glue traps and find a bird or gecko still alive attached to the trap, please do not throw it into the garbage. If you are uncomfortable trying to free it yourself, please give us a call. Geckos in your yard are a good thing, as they eat cockroaches, crickets, spiders, and small scorpions. You want to keep them around! Curved billed Thrashers have the same diet, with the addition of fruit and seeds. This little guy may have been chasing an insect or spider into the garage when it became stuck.
You can send a tax-deductible donation to the Pet Companions Club through Zelle at pcpetcompanions@gmail.com, or send us a check by mail to The Pet Companions Club of PebbleCreek, PO Box 6106, Goodyear, AZ, 85338-0619.