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
This company has been great. The technician Kensi was very through and checked everywhere to make sure all access points were found. After a skunk was found in the trap on a Saturday morning they came to pick it up very quickly.
Michael was super friendly and knowledgeable. He checked my entire house and recommended and installed the solution within an hour.
We are under contract with your company and so far they are doing a fine job. Many thanks.
Excellent work environment full of presence of God. Professional and dedicated staff. A good place if you want to have your children in a place where Christian values are protected and encouraged.
Great company and amazing service, the staff is extremely knowledgeable and friendly! Thank you to the staff and especially to Bubba for taking care of my property and giving it that "personal touch" to rid and maintain it from pests and bugs! Appreciate you guys and look forward to continuing business together!
Thank you!
So when I went to have my insulation replaced I figured out that I had a critter problem that was beyond anything I was aware of. Not wanting to waste time I decided to call a professional and these guys were really good from day one. From the gentleman who gave the estimate to both of the guys that came out and did the work there was great communication and they were very effective at what they did. One little thing got missed and all it took was one text message and somebody was out the next day to take care of it. They always text me when they're on their way or going to be at the house and they let me know what they found along with photographs. My first thought when they gave me the quote was wow that was a lot of money and I didn't want to spend that much and now that I've had them do the service I feel like it's worth every penny and it's actually pretty damn reasonable considering the number of times that they come out and all the things that they do take care of.
I had an issue with squirrels getting into a small section of roofing without access from the attic or inside of the home. Critter control was a huge help in solving the issue, especially thanks to Brandon and Nate. Ended up catching 3 squirrels living in the roof plus they seal the entrance point after all is said and done. I would absolutely recommend critter control, Brandon and Nate did a stellar job.
Dominick was very friendly and he consistently put on his shoe covers each time he entered the house. He looked over every inch of the storage room where we thought the animal was and did a walk around the yard to see if there was evidence of entry. He was very thorough. He did not find any animal at that time. He said he would leave a trap and review the outside area of the house over the next week. It was the next day that the smell in our storage room indicated that the animal had died. We followed the small and discovered a dead bird in an open storage bin. I would highly recommend Dominick for 'Critter Control'.
Thank you,
Valerie
Great explanations regarding findings, friendly, quality work! Each encounter with their tech has been professional and educational.
your representative (Dominic) was very friendly and quickly removed the dying raccoon from our outdoor window-well. He also shared information with us regarding raccoons on their behavior, what they liked/disliked, and provided information on how to disinfect the area the raccoon had been trapped in for a couple of days. I'd rate him 9 stars if I could. -pja