Have you ever been told to get rid of Nutrias on your land?
If you do, do you know how? If you’re not sure how to get rid of Nutrias from your property, all the posts I’ve done on how to do lawn maintenance should help you.
But if you’re still not sure how to deal with Nutrias, I’m going to show you how in this post. If Nutrias have taken up residence on your property, the first step is to trap and kill Nutrias.
Remember that Nutrias carry diseases that you don’t want in your yard. They can also cause damaging destruction to your land and crops.
So you need to get rid of Nutrias as soon as possible.
What are Nutria Rats?
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You must first confirm that you possess a true Nutria before treating it.
Although it resembles many rats, it shares distinct similarities with other kinds of rodents. Nutrias exhibit some unique behaviors.
The bite of this rat is characteristically painful, but it is tender and does not generally pose a health threat.
Nutria resembles a cross between a rat and a beaver in appearance. Because Nutrias share similar characteristics to rats but display unique traits of their own, it’s best to consider their presence as a pest.
These rodents like to live in areas near water, including marshes, lakes, levees, creeks, and rivers.
Swamp Beaver, Argentine Beaver, and nutrias are all from the same family, Castoridae.
Though they were originally intended to be fur-bearing fur traders, their popularity has grown due to market demand.
Nutrias are commonly found in wetlands, swamps, and ponds, but are also known to live in places like water storage areas and disposal sites.
Their upper coat is coarse yellow-brown to reddish-brown , while their undercoat is thick and short.
Nutria may reach a length of around 250 cm and a weight of up to 30 kgs.
Nutrias may also be identified by their long ears, which allow them to hear sounds up to 15 decibels louder than humans.
How to Get Rid of Invasive Nutria Rats Naturally
Now that you’ve learned all there is to know about Nutria rats, it’s time to get started.
Releasing Predators
If your property has a significant population , consider releasing a pack of coyotes. Coyotes are extremely effective predators of Nutria rats, and will promptly go after them and destroy them.
The most efficient approach to get rid of them is to release predators, such as snakes that eat them and bring in new ones.
The snakes will go after the Nutria rats for a couple of weeks, and after that, the Nutria rats will leave your land and you won’t have to worry about seeing Nutria rats around anymore.
Some other options you have are to hunt down and kill them. This is the only surefire way to get rid of Nutria rats.
Poisoning
It is possible to kill a nutria rat with old rat poison.
Use your creativity in finding creative ways of placing rat poison in areas the Nutria rats frequent. Nutria rats are active at night, so make sure to place your rat poison where it won’t be disturbed while it’s sleeping.
This implies that you may poison nutria rats by putting poison near their homes or in locations you don’t want them to go.
The poison, on the other hand, must be carefully placed since you don’t want it to harm any other animals in the vicinity. Basically, you must make sure that the rat doesn’t ingest the poison.
However, since you don’t want to harm other creatures , it’s highly advisable to use traps.
Snares
Snare setups, which essentially consist mostly of cable and wire loops, are another way.
And, snares are useful only for collecting nutria and could be difficult to operate, so use snares only if you are familiar with them.
You might not be able to nab your nutria with a single snare, so plan on using more than one.
When dealing with nutria, patience and persistence are your friends. They rarely come within range without realizing they are there.
However, they may be difficult to use, so if those aren’t options for you, then treat the rats as you might any other wild animal.
Furthermore, when snared, the animal might injure itself trying to escape.
Setting Traps
The most efficient technique to getting rid of Nutria rats is trapping them. Setting traps using live double door traps and leg hold traps will help to get rid of Nutria rats quickly.
However, if the number of Nutria rats in the region is strong, setting a trap may be a challenge.
To capture nutria rats, use a live double door trap and the leg hold trap. Dump traps should be checked daily, and baits should be changed every couple of days.
When it comes to trapping Nutria rats, you’ve got to be strategic in the deployment of traps. If the traps are strategically placed, the Nutria rats will be caught.
Remember to check on these traps every day and remove any dead Nutria rats right away. You may also water the bait before you set it, which helps it attract the Nutria rats in your area.
How to Prevent Nutria Rats From Entering Your House
You don’t want another Nutria racts to return once you’ve eliminated the first one.
Building fences around the crops or vegetables harmed by nutria is a great way to keep them from returning.
These fences should be at least 20 feet apart.
If at all possible, avoid planting a wide variety of crops in the same place.
Nutria are species-specific, so plant only those plants that they like to eat in that particular area. Planting crops that are too close together allows Nutria to prey on your neighbors’ crops as well.
If the Nutria population in an area that they produce food is big, it will cause them to spread out looking for food sources. They tend to take over areas pretty quickly because Nutria reproduce quickly.
Nutria breed like areas with dense vegetation.
If Nutria damage continues to occur, particularly on farms and gardens, it may be time to consider installing an electric fence.
This method can be difficult to install, but some farmers will have an electrician work with their unique land so they can construct an electric fence.
You may also keep Nutria away by planting certain plants or trees that will block them out.
Also Read: How to Get Rid of Rats Without Poison?
Final Words
Nutria should be viewed as a menace instead of food and destroyed as soon as possible.
Before you try to get rid of Nutria rats yourself, thoroughly research how to prevent Nutria rats from infesting your yard or other property. Doing these things will save you a great deal of time and effort, not to mention money.
If you have no other option but to do it yourself, make sure these methods are the ones you take.
