One year I had to stop trapping mink. every mink was chewed up by shrews. I posted on here about it somebody told me to make my mink traps on willow so they shoot up in the air when caught. It was a good idea but i never tried it.

Is there such a think as water shrews? I have caught several of something like that in my underwater mink boxes?????? I don't know what they were

yes their name is Sorex palustris quite common around waterways, caught during muskrat trapping, and they chew into trapped animals starting usually at the face.
Caught in submarine muskrat traps if using 1/3 inch mesh size. Size of a meadow vole but the long nose is a give-away. Have caught one that did have a tick on it, but cant remember species of tick ( was a Ixodes spp)

Summer 1996. Driving a boat up the Yuki River to rescue another boat. On a river bank was a pole set with a marten hanging in a trap. Trapper must have failed to close all his sets and had caught the marten. Drove over and grabbed the long dead animal. It was mostly hollow. Voles/shrews had chewed in thru the anus and dined on the insides. Legs and head had freeze dried. Took the marten and trap. Made for an interesting decoration!