Rodents

Rodent control safety notice

To protect other animals and children from exposure, always use a bait station for edible poisons intended for rodent control. A bait station is a plastic box with holes on either side; it can be found in disposable or refillable options.

Always follow the label on all toxicants and control devices.

Last modified: June 24, 2024, 3:43 p.m.

On land or in water, in rural or urban areas, rodents can be present throughout Strathcona County. Identify some of the common rodents you may find around your property, along with some tips for preventing, controlling or eliminating them.

Mice and voles

Populations of mice and voles fluctuate from year to year. A wet summer can provide extra food sources and may result in higher populations of these species in the fall and through the winter.

Images shown from top to bottom:
House mouse, field mouse or vole, and white-footed mouse or deer mouse.

Behaviour: Mouse signs

Scampering or scratching sounds in the walls at night
Signs of gnawing or chewing
Droppings
Burrows or holes around foundation walls
Tracks on dusty surfaces
Sighting of a mouse

Bark removed from base of a tree
Tunnels on lawns in the spring (see picture)
Small piles of brownish droppings

Management

Populations of these species can grow very quickly, so control measures should be used as soon as an infestation is suspected.

Check local hardware stores or farm supply stores for various options to control rodents.

If using traps, raisins are the best bait to use for traps. The raisin can be jammed into the trigger of a trap and the mouse will have to work at getting it out. Set the trap perpendicular to the wall with the trigger closest to the wall for best results.

Protect your property

To help prevent or limit mice and voles on your property follow these helpful tips.

Take away hiding and nesting places

Tall grass along sheds, houses or other buildings should be mowed to remove nesting and hiding opportunities specifically along buildings
Remove excess vegetation and debris from the base of trees and shrubs on your property
Seal holes and cracks in building foundations
Keep boxes away from walls in storage rooms

Remove potential food sources

Store pet food and bird seed in sealed containers
Remove spilled bird seed from beneath feeders
Remove fallen fruit and garden items

More information: Download our Brochure (1.5 MB) for more details on identifying and managing mice and voles.

Muskrats

Muskrats are typically 40 to 60 cm long and weigh anywhere from 680 grams to 1.8 kg. They have a thick cover of short brown fur and flat, scaled tails that make up almost half of their length. Muskrat tracks are easy to identify because their tail drags through the dirt behind them.

Behaviour

Muskrats have a semi-aquatic life, and are often found near wetlands, lakes, rivers and ponds.
They typically live in groups within extensive underground burrows.
Muskrats tend to feed on aquatic vegetation, but occasionally eat small marine animals; in turn, muskrats are an important food source for a number of other animals, including foxes, coyotes and birds of prey.
They are most active at dusk, dawn or during the night.
Muskrats can mate several times a year between March and September, giving birth to litters of three to seven kits a month after mating.

Coexistence strategies

Wire netting can be used to protect vulnerable water banks. Simply lay the netting across the banks, at least four feet beneath the waterline and two feet above, to prevent muskrats from tunnelling into the shore. Trapping is a labour-intensive, but potentially effective method of managing muskrats.

Trapping

The County assists residents by offering live traps, depending on the time of the year, and remove animals affecting agriculture and infrastructure. A fee of $50.00+GST is charged for a two-week trap rental period. The trap is delivered to the residence, set and maintained by small animal control specialists, with the resident observing and reporting a capture.

Note: Residents require a damage control permit licence issued by the Fish and Wildlife Enforcement Branch should they endeavour to remove these species themselves.

Pocket gophers

Alberta's only species of pocket gopher—the northern pocket gopher—varies in size from 15 to 25 cm. Their fur is fine and soft, usually steel grey in colour on their back and slightly lighter on their belly.

Pocket gophers are vegetation consuming, burrowing rodents that are generally confused with moles, though insect-eating moles are not present in Alberta.

Behaviour

Pocket gophers live in a burrow system that can cover an area of 18 to 185 square metres (200 to 2,000 square feet). Short, sloping lateral tunnels connect the main burrow system and are created to push the dirt to the surface when they are building the main tunnel.

Mound of dirt that is a sign of pocket gophers

Mounds of fresh soil are the best sign of pocket gophers’ presence. Typically, mounds are kidney-shaped when viewed from above. The hole, which is off to one side of the mound, is usually plugged.

Pocket gophers do not hibernate and are active year round.