Food is usually carried by this furbearer by mouth, and eating takes place above the water level. Muskrats are often active during the day, as well as night, with peak activites near dawn and dusk. Muskrats commonly stay underwater for five minutes while searching for food and they are capable of holding their breath underwater for 10-12 mintues. Territory sizes vary according to population densities and the quality of the habitat. These territories average about 200 feet in diameter in marsh habitats, and slightly longer along streams.
Dispersals occur when the young are encouraged to leave the dens.
Most of the young muskrats do not move further away than 200 feet in good habitats. Adult muskrats sometimes disburse further distances, particularly in the early spring before mating season begins. In many marshy areas muskrats build dome shaped lodges of vegetation in the water, similar to beaver lodges, but smaller in size, these lodges have one or more underwater entrances, and commonly house an entire family group. These push-ups usually serve a muskrat as a protected feeding and resting area, especially after ice forms on the water surface. Bank dens are common and these usually have underwater entrances leading upwards to hollowed out chambers in the bank above the waterline.