A Comprehensive Guide to Muskrat Removal and Control

Posted on August 16, 2023 by Budgetanimal

Muskrats might look harmless, but their burrowing habits can cause significant damage to your property and pose a risk to your safety. If you’re dealing with a muskrat invasion, you need reliable and effective solutions.

Welcome to our comprehensive guide on muskrat removal and control. Here, we will delve into proven methods of muskrat control, the use of muskrat repellent, and tips to prevent future muskrat infestations. Equipped with the right information, you can tackle muskrat issues promptly and efficiently.

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What is a Muskrat?

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) belongs to the rodent family and is found throughout North America. A large semiaquatic mammal, the muskrat can grow up to 2 feet in length and weigh over 4 pounds. They have thick fur with hues ranging from dark brown to yellow and black, webbed hind feet for swimming, and a long flat tail.

How to Identify a Muskrat Infestation

How to Identify a Muskrat Infestation Muskrats are social animals that prefer living in colonies with up to 12 members. Even if you don’t spot them scurrying about your property, the telltale signs of muskrat infestations include:

▷ Burrows or lodges near bodies of water
▷ Trails and pathways in the mud or soil
▷ Damaged crops, trees, and plants
▷ Uneaten fish or poultry near the water

Muskrat Control Methods

The most effective way to handle a muskrat problem is to implement control methods. Some of the most popular options include:

▶ Traps

Trapping is one of the most common methods of muskrat removal. Live traps should only be set and checked by licensed Indiana wildlife control operators like Budget Animal Removal. Moreover, traps should be placed in heavily damaged areas near waterbodies or burrows. Never attempt to touch, trap, harm, or kill muskrats in Indiana – you could be penalized.

▶ Repellents and Deterrents

Repellent sprays are a good option for controlling muskrats since they create an unpleasant smell or taste in the surroundings that repels muskrats. Repellents can be used to both deter and remove muskrats from the infested areas, as well as prevent them from coming back.

▶ Fencing

Fencing is another effective way of preventing muskrat activity on your property. Installing a fence along the edge of ponds or other bodies of water can deter muskrats from entering, while also ensuring that your plants and crops are safe.

▶ Professional Wildlife Control

Lastly, of the most effective ways to get rid of muskrats is to hire a professional wildlife control company in Indianapolis. Licensed and insured animal removal companies have the expertise and tools necessary to safely and effectively remove these creatures while preventing them from returning in the future. These services are crucial for maintaining a healthy ecological balance while also keeping communities safe.

Muskrat Prevention Tips

The best defense against muskrats is prevention. Here are some tips you can follow to keep them away:

▷ Keep your yard and garden well-maintained.

▷ Maintain a clean landscape around the pond or waterbody.

▷ Repair or replace damaged fences, gates, and screens that can give muskrats access to your property.

▷ Avoid feeding ducks, geese, swans, and other animals near bodies of water, as it can attract muskrats.

▷ Avoid leaving food around your property, as it might attract muskrats.

▷ Remove all water sources from your yard to prevent muskrat infestations.

▷ Repellents or baits on the property line can also help discourage muskrats from entering.

▷ With these tips in mind, you can keep muskrats away from your property and enjoy a safe, pest-free environment.

By using the right techniques and applying proper prevention methods, you can ensure that your home is safe from damage caused by muskrats. Start by contacting Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for DNR licensed and insured muskrat removal and control in Indianapolis, Indiana, and surrounding counties. Request a free estimate or advice, today!

Facts About Wildlife Control For Nuisance Muskrats

Posted on November 21, 2022 by Budgetanimal

Wildlife control for muskrats is an important part of protecting your property from these pesky critters. Nuisance muskrats can cause extensive damage to lawns, gardens, and water systems by burrowing into the ground and chewing through vegetation. They also carry a number of diseases and parasites that can spread to humans and other animals if they are not properly controlled. Fortunately, there are a few steps you can take to help reduce the risk of muskrats getting on your property and causing damage.

Continue below to learn what you can do to get rid of muskrats, safely and humanely, in Indiana.

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Muskrat Removal and Control

The first step in wildlife control for muskrats is to make sure that any open areas near waterways or wetlands are fenced off. This will prevent them from coming onto your property in the first place. If you have spotted muskrats in your yard, you can use traps to capture and remove them from the area. Live-traps or lethal traps are available for purchase at most hardware stores or hunting supply outlets.

It is important that these traps be checked daily and any muskrats caught should be released far away from your property. Here in Indiana, it is strongly encouraged to hire a professional wildlife control company in Indianapolis that is licensed and insured to perform this kind of work. So, in short, do not try to trap muskrats on your own.

Muskrat Deterrents and Repellents

You can also make use of deterrents to discourage muskrats from coming onto your property. Repellents such as ammonia, garlic or hot pepper spray can be sprayed around the perimeter of your yard and along waterways. These smells are unpleasant for muskrats and will send them away. There are also other natural repellents such as mothballs or human hair clippings that can be used to keep muskrats away.

Environmental Modification

Finally, it is important to maintain a clean and well-maintained property to discourage muskrats from seeking out your yard as their home. Keep vegetation trimmed and picked up, particularly near water sources and wetlands. Remove any debris or areas of standing water that may be used as a food source. Also, periodically replace any netting or fencing around your yard to ensure it is still effective in keeping muskrats out.

Safe and Humane Muskrat Control

By following these steps, you can help reduce the risk of nuisance muskrats on your property and keep them from causing extensive damage. If you have any further questions about wildlife abatement for muskrats, don’t hesitate to contact your local Indianapolis animal removal and control service for help you can trust. Good luck dealing with these pesky critters!

You can skip the hassle of managing a nuisance muskrat problem on your own by hiring a critter removal professional to do it for you! Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for DNR licensed and insured muskrat removal and control in Indianapolis and its surrounding counties. Request a free estimate or advice, today!

What You Need to Do to Get Rid of Muskrats on Your Property

Posted on May 18, 2022 by Budgetanimal

You live on a stream, lake, river, pond, or creek; don’t you? Otherwise, you wouldn’t have a nuisance muskrat problem on your hands. Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents that maintain habitats near bodies of water, posing all sorts of problems for property owners. Muskrats can cause a lot of aesthetic and structural damages to lawns, foundations, hardscapes, landscaping, pools, decking, bodies of water, and more.

If you are currently dealing with nuisance muskrats, continue reading to learn what you need to do to get rid of muskrats on your property. Landscaping,

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Critter Control Information for Muskrats

Why do you muskrats on your property? It is because your property has something to offer them. All nuisance wild for after two things: food and shelter. If your property is providing one or both of these amenities, then there is your answer. But this is good news! By knowing why muskrats are in your property, you can better divert their activity away from it. Just keep in mind that it is very important to use safe and humane critter control strategies to get rid of muskrats. Under no circumstances should you ever attempt to harm or kill any species of wildlife.

Tips for Getting Rid of Muskrats

Muskrat trapping and environmental modifications are the top two most effective strategies for muskrat removal and control. Although you cannot remove the water source from your property nor the terrestrial crops that grow around it, you can implement certain strategies that will keep muskrats away, nonetheless.

Environmental modification is your go-to method of muskrat critter control. But first, you need to extract the existing muskrats from your property and have them relocated to a faraway habitat that will be safe for them to carry out the remainder of their lives. A licensed and insured wildlife removal and control company is the only source that can provide the service.

Never attempt to trap and relocate a muskrat on your own. There may be laws in your jurisdiction that protect wildlife from public intervention. If you are caught, you could face serious fines in penalties. Now comes changing the property. This is exactly what environmental modification involves. You can set up a barricade for your water source by installing fencing or animal repellent around the perimeter.

Muskrat Animal Repellent Recipe You Can Make Yourself

□ ½ Cup Capsaicin Oil
□ ½ Cup Putrescent Egg
□ 10-20 Drops Menthol Essential Oil
□ 10-20 Drops Castor Oil

▶ Mix into a plastic spray bottle filled with clean water. Spray the repellent around the perimeter of known muskrat territory. Keep pets and children away from treated areas.

Would you be interested in professional assistance with your muskrat problem? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 615-337-9165 for TWRA licensed and insured Nashville, Tennessee animal removal for muskrats and more. We serve commercial clients, too!

Frequently Asked Questions About Muskrats

Posted on November 30, 2021 by Budgetanimal

Is it a beaver? A rat? A rodent at all? Many people are confused about these semi-aquatic animals known as muskrats. If you are one of these people, then you are in the right place!

Continue below to review some of the most common questions and answers surrounding these interesting and misunderstood herbivore animals, including what to do if they have become a nuisance to your residential or commercial property.

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Muskrat FAQS You Want to Know

Are Muskrats Rodents?

Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are semi-aquatic rodents. That’s right; rodents. They are members of the “Rodentia” order, which they share with several other species of rodent. As semi-aquatic animals, muskrats live near bodies of water. This includes rivers, marches, swamps, lakes, canals, and even drainage conduits.

If the area has 4 to 6 feet of slow-moving, calm waters and abundant vegetation, you are likely to find evidence of muskrat activity. In marshes, they build dome-shaped lodges made of plants that can span up to 6 feet across or more! These lodges can have inner chambers, portals, and underwater access holes. In other habitats, like rivers and lakes, they dig burrows in the banks for shelter.

What Does a Muskrat Look Like?

This style of tail works like a rudder on a boat, helping them swim through water with speed and agility. Their rear webbed feet are a big help with this too. They also have long sharp front teeth that allow them to rip through meat and plant fibers with ease. They can even use their chompers effectively under water!

What Do Muskrats Eat?

In detail, they eat snails, crayfish, mussels, clams, frogs, fish, cattails, and more. Once they find their food, they take it to a communal platform (made of mud and plants and usually out in the water) to store it there for later. This is their feeding station where they can enjoy their meals without fear of predators or thieves.

Do Muskrats Have Predators?

Like many animals, muskrats have to watch out for predators preying on them. Although minks and otters are the most common predators of muskrats, other species of wildlife also hunt them, including flying predators like eagles, hawks, owls, and osprey, as well as grounded ones like raccoons, coyotes, and foxes.

How Do I Get Rid of Muskrats That are a Nuisance?

Muskrats can become a nuisance animal on your property in many ways. Mostly, they burrow excessively around or along riverbanks and reservoirs, damaging shorelines, dams, and levees. This can lead to property flooding, excess water runoff, and ecological and agricultural implications.

To get rid of muskrats that are disturbing your property, you will need to hire a professional Indianapolis critter control company to implement some strategic environmental modifications. Such modifications may include lowering the water level of your pond and live animal trapping and relocation.

Are you looking for a safe and humane way of dealing with nuisance muskrats on your Indiana property? Contact Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for professional critter control for muskrats in Indianapolis and its surrounding regions. We serve residential and commercial clients.

Basic Facts About Muskrats That Can Help You Protect Your Property From Damage

Posted on June 30, 2020 by Budgetanimal

Muskrats are quite the confusing animal. Many people assume they are beavers, while others mistake them for large rodents. The truth is, muskrats are interesting semi-aquatic animals, but they can be quite destructive to your property if not properly managed. Continue reading to learn some educational facts about muskrats that will help you better understand how to deal with a nuisance muskrat problem.

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Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus)

Muskrats are semi-aquatic rodents. That’s right; rodents. They are members of the “Rodentia” order, which they share with several other species of rodent. As semi-aquatic animals, muskrats live near bodies of water. This includes rivers, marches, swamps, lakes, canals, and even drainage conduits. If the area has 4 to 6 feet of slow-moving, calm waters and abundant vegetation, you are likely to find evidence of muskrat activity. In marshes, they build dome-shaped lodges made of plants that can span up to 6 feet across or more! These lodges can have inner chambers, portals, and underwater access holes. In other habitats, like rivers and lakes, they dig burrows in the banks for shelter.

Traits

They are an average of 1 to 2 feet long, with stocky bodies, round heads, thick fur, and long black scaly tails. Their tails can reach lengths between 7 and 12 inches long! And more interestingly, their tails are laterally-flattened, meaning they are vertically flat. This style of tail works like a rudder on a boat, helping them swim through water with speed and agility. Their rear webbed feet are a big help with this too. They also have long sharp front teeth that allow them to rip through meat and plant fibers with ease. They can even use their chompers effectively under water!

Diet

Muskrats, as semi-aquatic animals usually do, eat mostly an aquatic-based diet. They are crepuscular foragers, meaning they are active during the dawn and dusk hours of the day; and they are omnivores as well, eating fish, shellfish, and amphibians, as well as, cattails, sedges, and other aquatic vegetation. In detail, they eat snails, crayfish, mussels, clams, frogs, fish, cattails, and more. Once they find their food, they take it to a communal platform (made of mud and plants and usually out in the water) to store it there for later. This is their feeding station where they can enjoy their meals without fear of predators or thieves.

Indianapolis Muskrat Removal And Control You Can Trust

Call Budget Animal Removal at 317-875-3099 for fast and affordable animal removal and control for muskrats in Indianapolis, Indiana and its surrounding areas. Our DNR licensed and insured wildlife rescue and control specialists offer nuisance wildlife abatement services, clean up and minor restorations for animal damages, 24 hour emergency service, free estimates, and much more! Get started by requesting a free estimate or advice, today.