Gophers

Physical Characteristics

Pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) are thick bodied rodents with short legs and long claws. They have long teeth that grow back into their skull and are reddish brown in color. The significance behind their name is due to the pockets or pouches in their cheeks. These pouches are on the outside and serve to hold seed picked up for feeding or storage. They range from 6-12 inches long, have small eyes and ears but a keen sense of smell.

Pocket gophers burrow underneath the surface of the ground, they use their teeth and sharp claws to dig the tunnels through sometimes extremely hard ground. Gophers can close their lips around their four large teeth that are used to not only eat but assist in digging their tunnel systems. Their tunnel systems can be from 2-4 inches in diameter usually located anywhere from 3-18 inches below the surface of the ground. These numbers can vary slightly depending upon the condition of the ground and availability of food.

Burrowing Tendencies

Gophers rarely travel above ground, they are slow animals and very easily taken by predators above the ground. Most of their visits above ground are for feeding or pushing dirt from either cleaning or expanding their tunnel system. These dirt mounds make gophers quite noticeable, they usually are located near the end of a runway and help serve in treatment of this rodent pest.

Gophers are solitary animals, they are only found together during mating or raising of young. They mate 2-3 times a year, which may also vary due to availability of food sources. They are very territorial but will take over the burrow system of another gopher if the system is vacant.

Gophers will feed on pretty much any kind of plant material; they mainly feed below the ground on the roots systems of small plants, shrubs and grass. They will though feed on the plants above the ground when the root systems or food supply become depleted. There are plants such as ivy and ice plant that are not preferred but will be fed upon if they are the only available food source.

Damage Caused by Pocket Gophers

They destroy plants not only by feeding off them, but covering them with the dirt they remove from their system. Gophers will feed off of whatever type of plant material is present at the time of infestation.

They do have preferences and that is why you will see gophers infesting turf and Gazania at a much higher rate than in ground cover such as red apple. Also, any type of ivy or vine plant material can provide some type of barrier to pocket gophers. However, if no other food supply is near, gophers will feed off of those plants as well. Because gophers do not like to be above ground, burrowing through the ground cover makes them vulnerable to predators.

They will however, burrow from underneath it more readily if they can access the ground cover through already existing tunnels. These types of plants are also highly conducive to rats and mice which makes planting this type of material for repelling gophers unfavorable.

Gophers usually re-use old tunnel systems, making areas that have had activity more prone to be re-infested over time. Regular inspection and treatment programs will easily keep their populations down regardless of what type of landscape or open native areas surround a community.

Control Methods

There are several ways to control pocket gophers, ranging from trapping and baiting to the most effective way: fumigation of the tunnel system. Gopher control is about knowing the rodents’ habit and proper placement of whichever method is used, traps, baits or fumigation.

Trapping is an arduous process that may yield little or slow results which can be an up hill fight if the area of control is large or near open native space. This is because of the gophers’ migratory tendencies and that they re-infest old systems as well. Traps must be checked frequently. Often having only caught a clump of dirt, This is caused by the gophers’ pushing the dirt in front of them before pushing it out of the end of the runway.

Baiting is a more effective method and can yield very good results when placed inside the tunnel system properly. There are many types of baits but some are what are known as secondary baits. An example of this is strychnine. This bait is very effective but can also pose a threat to non-target animals, domestic or wild. Using other types of baits, such as anti-coagulants, will work over time but at a slower rate. Baits must be used though in cases where gophers are within 15 feet of a structure.

Fumigation is the most complete and reliable form of gopher control. It works quickly and is over 90% effective when placed properly in the burrow system. This type of control comes in the form of a tablet and is placed in the tunnel system. When it comes in contact with any type of moisture it turns into a gas.

This is why this product is so highly effective. It is also better for non-target animals because it will not harm those outside the system. Gophers that die above ground are rare but do occur. When fumigating the tunnel systems gophers breathe in the gas and do not consume it. This means that an animal eating a gopher is not harmed by the fumigant because there is no poison in the gopher. After approximately 72 hours the only thing left of the fumigant is clay.

Each situation may vary slightly, which can alter what product or method of control is used.