KNOW YOUR ENEMY

INDENTIFICATION:

You need to know what you're up against before taking up the fight! This section will highlight some of the most common questions, tools, terms, and concerns you may have. 

Gophers, moles, or voles?  Gophers are the largest of the three, about 6 to 10 inches long with a short tail and large front teeth.  The burrows are about 2½ to 3½ inches in diameter. Moles are about the same size, but have short dark fur, no noticeable eyes or ears, and distinctive flat, wide front paws. Voles are small and mouse-like, about 4 to 6 inches in body length plus a short tail.

Gophers also have four large front teeth called 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.  

41 different species of pocket gophers are found in the western hemisphere. Of these, 13 reside in the United States.

Here are 4 important facts about gophers:

• Life span up to 3 years
• They can turn their cheeks inside out to empty food that is carried
• They can close their mouth behind their teeth
• They use their tails when navigating backwards

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.

BREEDING:

Gophers become sexually mature at about one year of age and generally live about 3 years. On non-irrigated lands, they have a limited breeding season beginning sometime after the rains start and the landscape starts getting lush and the annual green forage becomes plentiful. 

In urban irrigated areas, reproduction can take place year round with females having as many as three litters. Litters average five to six young, but can vary from as few as one to as many as thirteen. Pocket gophers have a 19 day gestation period and the young remain in the nest for several weeks. 

After weaning, they are expelled from the burrow by the mother. Young gophers can travel overland to start new tunnels in new areas. 

When you see them, gopher removal is needed immediately!

DAMAGE CAUSED:

Pocket gophers can inflict a great amount of feeding damage by invading gardens, lawns, flower beds, and agricultural crops. They can girdle trees and will also gnaw on and damage plastic water lines and lawn irrigation systems. 

How fast can they destroy? A single gopher can dig as many as 3-5 mounds per day and some areas can have 30-40 gophers per acre! Here are some signs to help identify.

 Signs of gopher damage include:

• Gopher mounds: kidney or crescent-shaped piles of soil, marking plugged tunnel entrances
• Girdled/clipped trees or shrubs just above ground level
• Root damage and/or exposure in trees and seedlings
• Gnawed electrical lines or water lines for sprinkler and irrigation systems

Damage caused by gophers is often confused with that of moles, but the difference is indicated by their soil mounds and tunnel visibility. While gopher mounds are crescent-shaped, mole hills are more symmetrical and cone-shaped.

Again, when you see them, act now. The worst thing you can do is ignore them! Trapping and Extermination is the only truly viable solution.