Professional Muskrat Removal & Control

At Evict 'Em, we specialize in the humane trapping and removal of nuisance muskrats throughout Jackson, WI, Washington County, and the surrounding 30-mile radius.

The Evict 'Em Approach to Muskrat Removal

If muskrats have moved into your retention pond, drainage ditch, or waterfront property, they can compromise the structural integrity of your banks in a matter of weeks. Here is how our professional muskrat control program solves the problem.

1. Thorough Shoreline Inspection

We start by surveying the edge of the water to locate active underwater burrow entrances, feeding platforms, and travel channels. Finding all the active dens is critical, as muskrats are prolific breeders (producing several litters a year) and colonies can grow quickly.

2. Targeted Trapping and Removal

Because their burrows are underwater and highly inaccessible, specialized trapping is the only effective way to remove a muskrat colony. We utilize professional-grade, humane water traps set directly at the burrow entrances or along active travel channels to quickly and effectively eliminate the population.

Associated Diseases & Health Risks

Like most aquatic rodents, muskrats can carry several waterborne pathogens and parasites that pose a risk to humans, pets, and livestock.

• Tularemia: Often called "rabbit fever," this bacterial infection is heavily associated with muskrats. It can be contracted by handling infected animals, drinking contaminated water, or through the bite of an infected tick or deer fly.

• Leptospirosis: A bacterial disease transmitted through the urine of infected animals, which can contaminate pond water and soil.

• Giardiasis & Cryptosporidiosis: Muskrats can shed these microscopic parasites in their feces, heavily contaminating local water sources and causing severe gastrointestinal illness if ingested by humans or pets.

Muskrat Biology & Behavior

Signs of a Muskrat Problem

Because muskrats spend most of their time in the water or underground, the damage they cause is often noticed before the animal itself. Look for these key signs:

• Collapsing Banks: The most dangerous sign of a muskrat infestation is the sudden caving-in of shorelines, pond dams, or retaining walls. As they hollow out the earth beneath the surface, the ground above weakens and collapses underfoot or under the weight of lawnmowers.

• Cloudy Water: Excessive digging activity near the shoreline stirs up mud, leaving the water near the bank looking noticeably murkier than the rest of the pond.

• Chewed Vegetation: Look for large swaths of clipped or missing aquatic plants (especially cattails) along the shoreline.

• Feeding Platforms: Muskrats often create small, flat areas of compacted mud and discarded plant debris near the water's edge where they sit and eat.

• Floating Debris: You may see chewed stems and roots floating on the surface of the pond.

Ready to Evict 'Em?

Don't let muskrats cause further damage to your most valuable investment. Trust the experts to handle it safely and professionally.

• Local Expertise: Proudly serving Jackson and the greater Washington County area. We know the local wildlife and how to handle them.

• Technology-Driven: We use thermal imaging and endoscopes to find the animals that others miss.

• Humane Methods: We respect the wildlife we handle and prioritize safe, ethical trapping.

• Long-Term Solutions: We don't just treat the symptom; we fix the structural vulnerabilities to keep your home secure.

• Prompt Response: Text us and you will get a response quickly.

• 24/7 Service: Emergency service available

• Reasonable Rates: We will beat anybody's price.

The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is a medium-sized, semiaquatic rodent native to North America. Frequently mistaken for small beavers or large rats, muskrats thrive in wetlands, marshes, ponds, and slow-moving streams. While they are a natural part of aquatic ecosystems, their prolific burrowing habits can cause severe structural damage to shorelines, dams, and retaining walls, making them a significant nuisance for property owners.

Muskrats are perfectly built for life in the water, spending the vast majority of their time swimming and foraging. holes across their territory.

• Distinctive Tail: Unlike the wide, horizontally flat tail of a beaver, a muskrat has a long, hairless tail that is flattened vertically (side-to-side). They use this tail like a rudder to steer through the water.

• Waterproof Fur: They have a dense, soft undercoat protected by long, dark brown guard hairs. This fur traps a layer of air to keep them warm and buoyant in freezing water.

• Lips Behind Teeth: Like beavers, muskrats can close their lips behind their front incisors, allowing them to chew on roots and underwater plants without swallowing water.

• Diet: Muskrats are primarily herbivores, heavily favoring aquatic plants like cattails, water lilies, and arrowheads. They will eat the entire plant, including the roots and stems. Occasionally, they will supplement their diet with small fish, frogs, or freshwater mussels.

• The "Musk": They get their name from two scent glands near their tail that produce a strong, musky odor used to mark their territory

Nesting Habits: Lodges and Bank Burrows

Muskrats build two distinct types of homes, depending on their environment:

1.Bank Burrows: In ponds, steep-banked streams, and drainage ditches, muskrats dig extensive burrow systems into the soil. The entrance is typically underwater, with the tunnel angling upward into a dry nesting chamber above the water line. This is the primary cause of property damage.

2.Vegetation Lodges ("Push-ups"): In shallow marshes or swamps where banks aren't available, they pile up mud and chewed vegetation (like cattails) to create small, dome-shaped lodges that protrude above the ice and water in winter.

Don't wait for your pond bank to collapse or your dam to wash out. If you are noticing burrow holes along your shoreline or suddenly losing your aquatic plants, contact us today for a professional inspection and expert muskrat removal!

Why choose us?