On Feb 22, 10:23 am, Bonnie NJ wrote:
What did the tail look like? Muskrat's have smooth hairless tails. If i
t
is
a little one I'd fish it out with a net, if possible, dump in a pet car
ri
er
and off to the river we would go. They eat almost anything in the pond
fr
om
plants to fish. Here's a good website w/pictures:http://www.nhptv.org/N
at

ureWorks/muskrat.htm



Are you close to a body of water or canal? ~ jan
------------
Zone 7a, SE Washington State
Ponds:www.jjspond.us

There is a small river less than a mile behind our house. I thought
this time of year the animals wouldn't travel.

I didn't see the tail. The water level hasn't gone down but the pond
looks like coffee with cream, all muddy. Last week it was clear and
you could see the fish, now you can't see anything. We kept a close
watch yesterday but didn't see the animal. I think it is digging in
all the pots. Much of the ice has thawed overnight and I will
continue to watch. At this point it's all I can do.

Update: It's a muskrat. Ralph said that the critter has dug a hole
in the liner and
that is why the water is so muddy. He bought a trap and it is set and
baited with
veggies.
The ground is frozen and most likely that is why the pond's water
level hasn't dropped.
I guess we'll be doing the pond over in the Spring. Hopefully the
hole is not too deep
and the water level will be high enough for the fish to survive.