A guide for ecologists to build a low-cost selective trap using radio frequency identification detection

Abstract

Behavioral studies often aim to perform specific actions on focal individuals and could benefit from automated procedures. With this paper, our goal is to demonstrate to ecologists that building a selective, automated device triggered by radio frequency identification detection (RFID) running on a battery is easy and affordable (~ 100 Euros). We provide a step-by-step description of how to build such an RFID triggered trap for small animals. We built and tested our selective traps in a colony of 300 captive bats, flying in a 40-m-diameter dome. Our device proved successful in trapping focal individuals using RFID identification while recording every single visit to the trap-feeder. Our guide not only provides information for building RFID-triggered traps, but also offers a general framework for building any device triggered by RFID and can thus help build tailored setups matching specific studies requirement. Home-made selective device using RFID detection have a great potential in opening-up exciting new possibilities for a wide range of studies on animals, ranging from trapping specific individuals, to automatically monitoring activities at the nest-box, or supplementing specific individuals in a population.