Nutria Control: How To Get Rid of Nutrias

This page is a general Nutria control guide. Using the products and methods suggested you will get control of Nutrias. Follow this guide and use the recommended products and we guarantee 100% control of Nutrias. Consult your local and state guidelines to see if the Nutria is a protected species in your location before applying control and proceed with extreme caution when applying Control as Nutrias can be extremely dangerous.

Nutrias are large rodents that are native to South America. They were brought to the U.S. initially because of the demand for their fur. Since their introduction, they’ve developed into an invasive species that creates significant damage to various crops, vegetation, and wetlands all around the nation.

Nutrias can live in a variety of habitats but are commonly found close to sources of water and areas that offer them with lots of dense vegetation in the land. While Nutrias usually stay in the wilderness and wetlands, they will venture out into urban areas and farmlands when there is a shortage of food.

If Nutrias have ventured upon your property, our DIY Nutria control guide below presents the tools and techniques necessary to overcome this rodent and will share with you our tips and recommendations below.

Identification

Before you can treat you need to make sure you’re dealing with Nutrias and not another kind of rodent. Nutria look like a mixture between a beaver or muskrat as well as a rat. These rodents are semi-aquatic and enjoy swimming. They have been nicknamed Swamp Beaver, Argentine Beaver and American Beaver.

They have coarse yellow-brown to reddish-brown hair on their top coat, while their underfur is gray colored, dense and softer in texture. Nutria can grow to over 2 feet long and weigh over 20 lbs. Nutrias are also distinguished by their large incisors which tend to be yellow-orange to orange-red.

Use the description and image above to help you in correctly identifying Nutrias.

Inspection

Inspection is extremely important for control. Before you can treat you need to know the areas where Nutrias are found. During the inspection, you will focus on finding the indicators of Nutria activity.

Where To Look

Search around your property especially near bodies of water. Look in your yard, in gardens, crops, fields, and where vegetables are planted. Look also in water-retaining levees, in crawl spaces, and near marshes.

What To Look For

You’re looking for signs of Nutria activity. You should focus on searching for their burrows, trails, and slides which often times will be filled with their tracks. The tracks the hind foot leaves, look like 4 webbed toes and a singular toe the side that is not webbed.

Their droppings are another sign of Nutria activity. They look dark green to black in color are cylindrical and are 2 inches long and ½ an inch in diameter. Plants that have been eaten by Nutria have no tooth marks, and in trees where they feed the bark might be peeled. Once you have confirmed Nutria activity, this is where you will apply treatment.

Treatment

Once you have confirmed Nutria activity it is time to begin treatment. Our recommended methods of treatment is live trapping the Nutria or repelling them with an effective Animal Repellent. Remember to read all product labels and follow the application instruction on these labels, and stay safe by wearing personal protective equipment (PPE).

Step 1 - Outdoor Trapping

Since most Nutria are found active outdoors this is where you will place the trap. Use the Solutions Humane Live Animal Trap. This trap is easy to use and should provide you with the control needed.

Solutions Humane Live Animal Trap

The Solutions Humane Live Animal is easy to place and simple to use. To use, release the trigger mechanism open up the door and set the trap.

Once you are aware of the Nutria’s general tendencies on your property you can place the trap down in a high-activity area where you hope the Nutria will be caught. This selected area should also be quiet with little activity from humans and pets to make it more likely for the Nutria to approach the trap. 

Set the trap by opening the trap door and pushing on the door lock and lifting the door plate. While the door plate is lifted, pull the trigger arm forward to set it. When the trigger arms hook catches the door it will be set. Then you’ll want to place an attractive bait inside at the end of the trap, behind the trigger plate. For Nutrias, we recommend using sweet potatoes and carrots. Since Nutrias like to hang around water, you can create a makeshift raft and place the trap on it with hopes the Nutria goes to check it out.

Monitor the trap closely, checking it once in the morning and once in the evening. Once caught, turn the nutria in to animal control or drive into the wild and release the animal.

Step 2 - Apply Animal Repellent

In cases where you can't trap or prefer not to trap, you can instead try to ward the Nutria off by using a repellent such as Nature's Defense: All-Purpose Animal Repellent. Scatter this product on your property and when nutria takes a taste of this repellent it will not want to stick around.

Prevention

If you've captured the offending Nutria or repelled them from your property, you don't want another one to come back. A preventative measure you can carry out to keep them from revisiting your property is to build fences around the crops or vegetables being affected by Nutria damage. These fences should be at least 4 feet tall and buried at least 6 inches from the ground.

If possible, avoid placing species of vegetables that the Nutria has been feeding on or remove them from your fields. If Nutria damage is constant, especially on farms and gardens, new fields or areas should be created away from water sources such as drainages, waterways, and wherever there is flowing water. You can also reuse the Nature's Defense repellent to keep Nutria away.

Key Takeaways

• Nutrias are large rodents known for damaging crops and landscapes like golf courses with their eating and burrowing habits.
• Our recommendations for getting rid of invading Nutrias are live trapping or applying a repellent such as Nature's Defense All-Purpose Repellent.
• Prevent future invasions of Nutrias by building fences and reusing repellents to keep them away.