Muskrat Removal in Neptune, NJ

Challenge

I went out on a service call for a building inspector in Neptune, NJ who was having an issue with muskrats causing property damage. After a thorough inspection, we discovered that the muskrats were traveling through the pipes and digging burrows. They were eroding the ground that led to Shark River and were causing considerable damage to the landscape.

Muskrats are rodents related to rats, mice, voles, and beavers that live on or near still or slow-moving water. Adult muskrats are 22 to 25 inches in length, weigh approximately 2 to 3 pounds, have a stout body, and an 8- to 12-inch tail that is flattened vertically, and scaly. Muskrats build houses called lodges or burrow into stream banks and dams, causing considerable damage. Both lodges and burrows have underwater entrances and above-water living quarters that are built out of vegetation, linked together with mud and weeds. They may be 8 to 10 feet across and 2 to 3 feet above the water.

Solution

In order to successfully and safely capture the muskrat, we need to obtain a special permit from the Division of Fish and Wildlife which explains what procedures are required. After obtaining the permit we set up trapping, as required by the Division of Fish and Wildlife and in no time at all, we safely captured the muskrats.