Muskrat growth and litter production

Author

Dorney, Robert S., -1987

Date

• 1953

Publisher

Madison, Wisconsin: Game Management Division, Wisconsin Conservation Department

Summary

• To determine the success of a breeding season, it is necessary to know the number of young produced, when they are produced, and their relative survival rates. For muskrats (Ondatra zibethica), one method used to estimate the number of young produced is to count litters in muskrat houses throughout the breeding season. Litters varying in age from newly born to 30 days old are commonly handled when muskrat houses are opened. To calculate the birth dates of these litters and their relative survival rates, it is essential that accurate aging criteria be developed. Thus a knowledge of muskrat kit growth rates is needed to determine the success of a muskrat breeding season.