A trigger mechanism for an animal cage having a door that can be closed by linking to hanging bait comprises a frame for mounting to that cage. The frame includes a first support pivotally mounted at its base end, a second support fixedly mounted substantially perpendicular to the frame and a door actuation bar pivotally mounted to the frame at one end. That actuation bar connects to a latch on the cage door and pulls on that latch to close the door when an animal inside the cage engages bait hanging from a strike arm pivotally mounted at one end to the second frame support. A link arm pivotally mounted at one end to the first frame support connects at its opposite end to an intermediate point along the strike arm with varying levels of tension. A kit for converting animal cages from floor pedal actuation to this hanging bait improvement is also disclosed.
