Pocket Gophers

Identification

• 6 – 13 inches long
• light brown to brownish-black fur
• short, hairless tails
• incisor teeth always visible in front of mouth

Nesting Habits

• construct underground burrows and leave fan-shaped mounds of excavated soil at the surface with a soil plug in the middle of the fan
• active year round
• usually only one individual per tunnel system except during mating season or when females have offspring

Diet

• prefer dandelion roots, alfalfa, grasses, shrubs, roots and trees

Significance

• damage lawns, gardens, sports and agricultural fields
• damage underground utility cables and irrigation pipes
• harm trees by stripping bark and chewing on roots

IPM Recommendations

• Trap pocket gophers using two-pronged pincer traps in lateral burrows and closed box-style traps in main burrows.
• Surround trees and shrubs with 3/8-inch hardware cloth.
• Consider flood irrigation to help control gopher populations, if applicable.
• Bait larger populations by placing bait directly into burrows using a probe applicator.
• Monitor problem areas to assure trapping and baiting were successful and to quickly control new populations.