Description
Mountain beavers are believed to be the world's most primitive living rodent species. Although, they share some of the same habits such as tree girdling and downing small trees and shrubs, they are not really a type of beaver. Mountain beavers are such a primitive-type species that their closest relative in the animal kingdom are members of the family “Sciurudae” which includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. They are very elusive, damaging to vegetation, and though they are not inherently aggressive, they can bite pretty hard.
Appearance
Mountain beavers resemble large hamsters or a tailless muskrat.
- 12-14 inches long
- Weigh 2-3 pounds
- Small ears and eyes
- Short, barely noticeable tails
- Large, curved front claws used for digging, grasping, and climbing
Habitat
Mountain beavers create extensive burrow systems that consist of 5 chambers and a combination of different entry holes. Their preferred habitat in in areas with moist, shaded slopes and ravines. They are small and easily preyed upon by predators, so they choose to tunnel in areas that are uninviting to other animals such as nettles and thorny bushes.
Burrowing
Burrows created by mountain beavers are quite extensive. The entire burrow will run 6-8 inches in diameter. Special chambers throughout the burrow will be used for nesting, feeding, storing food, storing extra earth material or storing droppings. With 10 or more exits, mountain beavers are able to travel the majority of their distance underground. Unoccupied mountain beaver tunnels may be used by mice, moles, voles, rats, rabbits, weasels, minks, spotted skunks, and salamanders.
Damage
Mountain beavers can destroy expensive and extensive landscaping in or around your yard. Saplings are one of their favorites and they will seek them out and chew them down to nubs. They are strictly herbivorous, meaning they only eat plants, and prefer rhododendrons, sword ferns, skunk cabbage, nettles, willows, and more. Due to their substantial amount of tunneling, they can also cause sink holes and mudslides in areas that have substantial moisture or water runoff. When the damage becomes this severe it will take experts and professionals to resolve the situation.
Mountain Beaver Control
Critter Control of Seattle can trap and remove mountain beavers near your home or business. Our professional team of wildlife specialists are experienced in safe removal and trapping methods. Once the mountain beaver is removed, Critter Control of Seattle will assess the situation and will create a plan of prevention. With severe damage, we will recommend contacting an eco-engineer for advice on how to proceed.
Testimonials
Raymond was very pleasant and knowledgeable. He paid attention to detail. Good Job!! Thankyou!!
I am so glad I had Critter Control come and inspect my house! The problem was located and fixed immediately and since then I have not had any more problems with bats. Money well spent!!!
I connected Critter Control Orlando and was surprised, though elated that an actual person quickly answered. She was pleasant and efficiently scheduled a visit to my house to solve my varmit problem. The appointment was the next day. As arranged, I got a call from Ryan the next morning to tell me his eta. He arrived right on time and after explaining the procedure, got right to work. After a survey of our attic, he told us the problem and gave us a price to fix it. He explained exactly what would be done and an approximate number of visits it would take. I found Ryan to be easy to communicate with and an excellent customer relations person. I will be recommending Critter Control to my friends and neighbors.
We had a raccoon in the attic and this team of professional workers caught him after days of detective work. It was a pleasure working with them and having them at my house. I especially want to thank John and Kenzie!
After months of fighting moles in our yard ourselves and with the help of a landscaper, with no success, Critter Control caught a mole within a week. Very reasonably priced and very thorough. They’re the experts! We should have called them a lot sooner.
Justin was very professional and he and his team did the work quickly and thoroughly. This is a nice company to work with.
I have had Critter Control for years and they are excellent. Recently I had a new roof which made many things need to be resealed. They worked with me since my insurance would not cover it.
Ricky was fantastic and he made sure the critters were gone which we so appreciated.
After having a corner of our home’s foundation dug up by a family of groundhogs, I called Critter Control and met with Bryan. We tried traps but those darned groundhogs were too smart (they even passed up marshmallows—who does that?!). Bryan suggested fencing the area to keep them out, and it was expertly installed today by Dave. Looks neat, very secure and (hopefully) impenetrable! Bryan was always responsive to my calls and I’m a very satisfied customer; I highly recommend Critter Control!
Tom was really helpful and helped me out first thing in the morning to do the inspection and quote.