If you live in a desert, you’re not likely to have to worry about muskrats, but here in Missouri, there aren’t a lot of deserts. Check out these 5 reasons you do not want muskrats on your property and tips for controlling them.

5 Reasons Why Muskrats Are Bad For Your Home!

If you live in a desert, you’re not likely to have to worry about muskrats, but here in Missouri, there aren’t a lot of deserts. Check out these 5 reasons you do not want muskrats on your property and tips for controlling them.

1. This is a creature that likes to live near ponds, lakes, and other natural bodies of water. If you have a decorative pond, these pests can be a pain. Their tunneling efforts can cause embankments and water barriers to weaken, and flooding to occur. If you’re seeing erosion or water seepage, muskrats may be the reason.

2. Rabies. While muskrats are not considered a major threat for the spread of rabies, they are known to carry the virus. The greatest threat is for a muskrat to bite a dog that doesn’t know enough to leave it alone. When a dog gets rabies, it can spread the virus to humans. You can guard against this by making sure your dog is up to date on his rabies vaccinations.

3. Like other animals, muskrats are able to spread diseases. They can carry tularemia, as well as the kidney-related disease known as Leptospirosis. Humans can get tularemia from drinking contaminated water or by touching infected animal tissue with an open wound.

4. Muskrats don’t just attack animals. They can also attack humans, especially children. Kids spend more time running around outside than adults do, as a general rule. So, if your kids like to be outside instead of playing video games and watching YouTube, let them know that muskrats can be unpredictable and dangerous.

5. If you have a vegetable garden, muskrats will love you for it. They eat a wide variety of foods but actually prefer vegetables. In your garden, they can cause quite a lot of damage. Putting up a fence can deter these pests from their prize.

What Do Muskrats Eat?:

If muskrats discover your property as a suitable place to eat and seek cover then they are their for a reason, generally this is because of a food source. Muskrats are prodominately herbivores so they love natural semi aquatic plants such as:

• Cattail
• Pickerelweed
• Bulrush
• Smartweed
• Duck Potato
• Horsetail
• Water Lily
• and More

Along with these natural plants, if you have crops on your property that could be near a muskrat home then they will do their best to share your crops. So if you grow any of the following this could be what the muskrats are eating:

• Corn
• Soybeans
• Wheat
• Oats
• Grain
• Sugarcane
• and More

Are Muskrats Aggressive / Will Muskrats Bite?

Yes muskrats are aggressive and can be dangerous and can carry rabies! Generally speaking muskrats are pretty aggressive when it comes to other animals, but they are also known to be aggressive towards humans as well. They are particularly aggressive when they believe they’re protecting their home or their family. This means if you get too close there’s a good chance a muskrat will try to bit you. This can be especially worrying if you have young children or pets that are playing outdoors near these muskrats because they could get territorial. It’s advised that you let the professionals remove of them when spotted.

How To Get Rid of Muskrats:

As mentioned earlier, muskrats usually will make a home on your property due to them finding a food source. So your first line of business is to remove their access to the food source. This could mean protecting your crops by wiring them off. This can also mean getting rid of some of the natural food sources such as cattail or pickerelweed.

This might be enough to discourage them to find a new home, but more than likely you’ll have to hire a professional like Rottler to help bait and trap these muskrats to get rid of them once and for all. Getting rid of muskrats can be a difficult process, so it’s best to leave it to the professionals.

Professional Muskrat Control

Trapping is the most effective way to control muskrats, but trying to trap muskrats can be an exercise in futility if you don’t have the education and experience required.

If you’re dealing with muskrats on your property, the St. Louis, MO pest control and wildlife specialists here at Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions are trained in the humane capture and removal of muskrats and other wildlife. We offer a free quote and continued monitoring throughout your service to ensure your muskrat issue is resolved.

Protect yourself, your family, your pets, and your property from the threat of muskrats. Get expert wildlife control you can trust, from Rottler Pest & Lawn Solutions.