Have you seen any bite marks yet? I just put up 30 rats today and not a single bite mark. They were all caught Friday out of the same location. Seems strange to me. 27 of those rats were males.

Stopped trapping rats 3 week ago too many bit up.

I had the least slights I have ever had since I shipped to know what slights are. This year out of 160 xl, 2xl, 3xl rats I had 1 slight! I think in my area at least it is a sign of just fewer rats total and thus less fighting etc. Could be other causes, but for me I think it was just fewer rats on the landscape in my area.

Bryce

They are starting to get bit up now.

I have a job I have to set up on Monday I'll let you know how It goes.

I had 2 out of 102 with noticeable bites but mine were all caught behind beaver dams, its the only place we have water this spring. ........the mike

Less than normal/ usual for this time of year. Must be connected to water levels. Lol

This time of year is a skewed statement. Typically we are experiencing the thaw now. This year it never really froze and full blown open water is on for weeks already. Bright side if water returns this spring we could get an extra litter.

Look at these beauties!

Bite marks on large or older rats caught last fall would have come from the spring of 2023 mating and travel season, as there won't be another of those until now. So what were the conditions last spring that may have caused less fighting and biting? Now with many areas with no water maybe there will be more fighting as fwer rats concentrate into smaller areas. Those with spring seasons in low water areas may be able to add data for all of us.
I had a higher percentage of fall caught rats this year due to less area to trap through the ice and less ice to travel on.

Bryce

All the rats I'm trapping are spring rats. I don't think I ever caught to many fall rats with bite marks. Unless they died above the water line then they get hammered.

I had one time when I trapped a new marshy area early in the fall season and there were a lot of rats and there were a lot of the older, bigger rats with scars and bite marks from the spring before. None of the younger rats were bitten up. There turn would come the next spring. We have a lot of small ditches that run intermittenly depending up on rain and rats move up and down those all year if there is water and especially after big rains. We have not had near the rain and many of these ditches and small sloughs are dry for a couple years. Wondering rats are not moving into new territories in our area and less fighting etc. from my experience.

Bryce

Two pair of glands on one rat, you hit the jackpot.

I think were looking at two rat hides.

Keep in mind that there can be several mates over the “growing “ season. I believe that heavy rain events stimulates the muskrats instincts for reproduction and dispersal . It is natures way to recognize and fill habitats capacity. So to the contrary lack of rain (water) hinders reproduction. Just a theory.

I guess what I’m getting at is your bit fall rats could have been participating in a fall mate. Which sometimes happens as occasionally we capture “mice” under ice, which can’t be more than a month old, based on their small size. Otherwise bites heal quite quickly and late spring molting changes the leather of our little buddies.

Picked up a 3X rat in beaver trap yesterday full glands but 4 holes to go along.

I'll be checking rat traps today I'll let you all know what they look like.

They're starting to get bit up here real bad in some areas but others are perfectly clean skins. If I have the time in April again, I'm going to set a few floats out and see how they look.

I trapped In ND until April one year and had very few bit up rats.

Caught 20 rats today they are still wet so I don't know If there are any bites. But just looking at them I don't see any bad damage.

Toilets are drying up, looks like the run is dun. Here

Same here but I can't use any foot holds In the park so no toilet trapping.

I caught another 12 rats today and they were pretty much dry by time I got home. Open truck beds are great for drying wet fur. I have a rack In the back of the truck bed so they kind of drip dry.
Out of those first 20 rats only one was bit up pretty bad. None of the 12 rats I caught today had any bites.