Even though gophers might look cute and seem like they’re not all that bad, make no mistake: they can cost you thousands of dollars a year!
These little creatures are amazing diggers and tunnelers. All those dirt mounds you find in your yard are probably created by only one gopher. Each gopher produces 10-30 mounds a month ranging in volume from a glass full to a gallon.
When digging, they find stuff. If it’s edible, they eat it. If not, they chew right through the things they encounter underground. This includes phone or other utility lines and irrigation lines. Small rocks they carry out and add to the dirt pile (Hope you don’t hit one with the mower). If large rocks or other un-chewable objects get in the way, they just dig around them. Do you want to end up with a patched lawn?
Gophers aggressively consume tree roots, even to the point when the tree is no longer supported and falls over…landing where it may.
Weasels, skunks, snakes and other animals prey on gophers and frequent the same areas, causing their own special forms of damage in the process. In the end they destroy lawns, are costly to repair once the damage has been done and once they have appeared above ground there is no doubt that they have already made an extensive tunnel system that could contain dozens of these costly pests.
Did you know:
Even if one is captured, once the tunnels are established there’s a good chance another will move in. No matter what method you use, there is no permanent fix to a gopher problem, especially if your property adjoins open land or parks. The best defense is a consistent offense!
GOPHER FACTS:
Gophers are small, furry rodents of the family Geomyidae that burrow tunnels through yards of North America and Central America. Their full name is pocket gopher because they have external fur-lined cheek pouches, or pockets.
The pockets go all the way back to its shoulders and are used to carry food from one location to another. Gophers can even turn their pocket cheeks inside out, according to the Animal Diversity Web (ADW).
Size
Gophers are medium-sized rodents. They are larger than mice, but typically smaller than rats at around 5 to 14 inches (12.7 to 35.5 centimeters) long. They weigh a few hundred grams (1 lb. or more). A few species of Central American gophers reach almost 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs.).
Gophers also have four large incisors, which continue to grow throughout the gopher’s life. Gophers can close their lips behind them; this keeps the dirt out while they dig.
A gopher’s stout body is built for digging. They have small ears and eyes, and no distinct neck. Their legs are short and powerful end, and their broad feet have large claws.
Habits
Gophers are active during the day and are fossorial, which means they live most of their lives underground. They eat, forage, sleep and have their babies underground.
They do all of this alone, though. Gophers are not social creatures, at least with their own kind. Often, gophers will share their burrows with other creatures.
Gophers are active all year long and don’t hibernate.
Diet
Gophers are herbivores, which means they eat vegetation. Though they eat the tops of plants sometimes, they are mostly interested in the roots and tubers of the plant.
When they eat top-side, the gopher will poke itself out of a “feed hole” just enough to grab a nearby plant. Then, they pull the entire plant into their burrow or nibble off some of the vegetation before popping back into their hole.
For this reason, some species are considered agricultural pests. They may also damage trees in forests. Although they will attempt to flee when threatened, they may attack other animals, including cats, and can inflict serious bites with their long, sharp teeth.
Offspring
Gophers reach sexual maturity about 1 year of age. How many babies a female gopher has each year depends on how much water the area where she lives gets. In non-irrigated areas, females will have one litter per year; in irrigated areas, females may have up to three litters per year, according to the University of California. Each litter typically has five to six young and a gestation period of around a month.