Muskrats & Pond Damage

Muskrats cause a lot of damage to ponds in our area.  The primary way they do damage is through tunneling.  Seeking shelter and protection, muskrats tunnel into the banks of ponds in many places.  With rain and water fluctuation, these tunnels often collapse.  The result of muskrat tunnel collapse is bank erosion.  It can be extensive.

The way to reduce the damage muskrats cause in pond banks is to reduce the number of muskrats present.  It is hard to prevent muskrats from coming to a particular pond.  But, it is possible to keep the number of muskrats using a particular pond at a given time very low.  Many fewer muskrats means a lot less damage.

To the right, you can see some holes that have been made in a pond’s bank from muskrats.  Given the opportunity, a group of muskrats will make many such holes in a pond’s banks.  What results is something many pond owners do not like at all.

Trap & Remove Muskrats

When called to reduce the number of muskrats in a particular pond, trapping with colony traps is effective.

A colony trap is simply a wire cage with two doors that open inward when pushed on.  This cage is placed in a path the muskrats are using.  The tunnels they place into the banks and small channels are great places to set them.

As a muskrat swims along and tries to go through a channel or into a tunnel, they bump up against a pivoting wire door.  The door rises up to let them past and pivots down after they are inside.  Then they are stopped and held in the cage.  The muskrats can’t open the second door or go back the way they came as they are unable to lift the doors.  They expire.

Here is a picture of a typical muskrat colony trap.  Brian can easily pivot up each other two slanted doors with his fingers just as a muskrat would do with its body as it swam into one.

Muskrat Removal Video

Please watch this video to better understand the process of muskrat trapping with a colony trap.  What is explained above is clearly visualized at a recent job Brian went to at a golf course.

Muskrat Trapping | Pond Management | Akron, Canton, Kent OH Area

If muskrats are giving your ponds banks trouble and you have had enough, give Frontline Animal Removal a call.

We can remove muskrats on a one-time or regular basis as desired.

We can also set you up with some training and equipment if you’d like to manage the muskrats yourself in the future.  We’d be happy to show you how it’s done.