Kent Stein, Senior Cruelty Caseworker for PETA, an animal protection organization, offers the following suggestions for non-lethal wildlife control:
“Successful long-term wildlife control requires targeting the environment (vs. the animal) by making it unappealing and/or inaccessible to unwanted wildlife. In order to effectively deter muskrats, residents should curtail food sources by spraying vegetation with rodent repellents such as Ropel® on a monthly basis; flagging treated vegetation will condition animals to avoid the plants after repellents have worn off. Protect saplings using corrugated plastic or Kevlar tubes/sleeves and/or cage plants with 3-foot tall wire mesh/hardware cloth offset by at least 6 inches. Install chicken wire or hardware cloth (pre-treated with automobile undercoat paint or other rustproof paint to prevent corrosion) flat against the soil and extending three-feet above and below the water line to prevent burrowing/excavating on banks.”