I wonder if you guys are calling Muskrats, Beavers. Muskrats really like roots to eat and will dig into the bank to build their den. Beavers will not do that at all. Beavers will build a stick bed and hut.
Beavers will build bank dens also. In my experience, they actually seem to prefer them and only build lodges when banks are too rocky or too flat. Their diet is somewhat dependent on season, similar to most herbivores. Green plant material is typically easier to digest than bark, so this time of year and through the summer their diet consists almost entirely of green plant matter and roots. During the fall when greenery starts to die back they transition to bark and will eat bark from feed beds throughout the winter.
