losure is too small, fleas, seed ticks, and other parasites are a
great enemy to the animals. In a large enclosure the animals are more
"at home" although at first they are restless and will walk around
seeking a way to escape; that is they try to escape at night. They are
seldom, if ever, seen during the day when first let loose in the
enclosure; they generally go in the first den that has been prepared for
them.

Water is important. If you are raising skunk, fox or opossum, water for
drinking is all that they require; the same is the case with the coon,
although they will do best where they have water to wade, play and
search for food. Muskrat, otter, beaver and mink must have water to swim
and play in, as well as to drink or they cannot be raised. The enclosure
for mink and muskrat should include a stream of running water if
possible, or a pond of pure water. The same conditions apply to otter
and beaver, but of course the wire should be of larger size than for
mink and muskrat. Several different species of fur-bearers can be
successfully raised in the same enclosure. Coon, opossum, and skunk will
all do well together. Beaver and otter, apparently, live peaceably for
weeks in the same beaver lodge or house.

The thousands of small lakes, ponds, etc., offer a splendid opportunity
for the successful raising of muskrat. While many owners of such, today,
in their natural condition, or without any fence, are reaping a
profitable and furry harvest; yet there are additional hundreds that by
building a fence around, would soon have a muskrat lake or pond worth a
great deal. Muskrat are fond of their homes and often remain at the same
location for years. If a wire fence three feet high were built around
this lake or pond, (with one foot underground), it would keep the rats
at home, as some would leave, especially as soon as the increase became
large. Such a fence would also keep out mink, which kill muskrat, often.

Muskrat, in their wild or natural homes, seldom leave the water more
than a rod or two, so that a pond a considerable distance from any
stream, would be a comparatively safe place to raise them, without any
enclosure. The danger would be, mainly, that after the animals became
quite plentiful, some would perhaps leave, for instinct seems to teach
them that some should seek homes not so crowded. This has happened in
their natural breeding places where they became very plentiful.

How large and where to build encl