Muskrats are common and live in every county in Illinois.  Muskrats live in rivers, streams, drainage ditches, marshes, lakes, and ponds.  Muskrats burrow into the banks, beginning underwater and angling upward until the tunnel clears the water level, which they then hollow out a living chamber. These tunnels can often cause the ground on the bank to errode and cave-in, especially when walked on or driven over.  Burrows dug into the dams of man-made ponds can wash out during high water, causing the ponds to drain. They may also chew on irrigation lines and fountain heads. In ornamental ponds muskrats can chew holes through the liners, destroy pond plants, and when hungry enough, will even resort to killing and eating expensive pond fish like koi (as seen in photographs in our muskrat photo gallery.)

When muskrats decide to take up residency in a human environment, they can become a nuisance with their destructive habits. We offer services to trap and remove muskrats.  Please contact us for a quote, and if you are unsure what type of animal is causing your wildlife problem, we will be able to tell you upon our thorough and expert inspection.