Pond Boss Forums INTRO Questions & Observations Muskrat

Hey guys long time no see. I have 2 year old pond at my fathers that has a liner in it. Last winter I thought I saw a muskrat in there. I waited and waited and always kept an eye out but never saw it again. I was keeping my pond open with an ice eater at the time.
Anyways this spring after the ice melted turns out there was a muskrat in there. I found a big hole in the liner and saw where he burrowed into the bank. I have not seen the muskrat since the one sighting last winter.
Did he just use the pond for the winter or was the damage done as soon as the ice went? Why is he gone now? Will he be back?We set 2 traps but now all different kinds of waterfowl are using the pond as they return north so we pulled the traps so no birds will get caught in it. Should I be concerned about a return visit from that muskrat?
I have been doing some reading on muskrats but figured I would ask for some advice about the situation. That liner was expensive and I cant have muskrats eating holes in there. I will patch liner once/if the water level goes down to that point.

Here are 2 pics of my pond. Its nothing special by any means but its serving it's purpose. We enjoy that lil pond. You can see where he burrowed in the 1st picture. Just left of the wood pile.

My guess is that the muskrat won't leave if he's got a good gig going in your pond.

Granted, he could have gotten aced by some other predator.

If there is one, there are likely more. They can multiply rapidly, and like Sunil said, if there's forage, they will likely remain.

Since you have a liner, considering the cost, I'd err on the side of caution, go Def Con 5, and make trapping the rats a priority. Seek a professional if necessary.

Colony traps deployed in runs/den entrances have worked for me in the past, and won't harm waterfowl or anything else except Mink who are hunting them and will suffer the same drowning fate.