Pocket Gopher

Mounds are usually the first visual sign of gopher activity. Unlike mole tunnels, gopher tunnels are not visible above ground. Gophers are capable of creating many fan-shaped piles of dirt or “gopher mounds” in a day and within a year can quite literally push several tons of dirt to the surface.

• Gophers grow to about 10” to 12” in length and may weigh up to one pound.
• They have brown fur that closely matches the color of the soil.
• They have small eyes and a short hairy tail.
• And of course, they have large cheek pouches.

Because they are always underground, gophers are not likely to come into contact with people or pets. However, gophers can and will bite when they feel cornered or scared. A more common concern is that gophers can carry fleas and ticks into your yard Also, like any rodent, gophers can potentially carry harmful diseases such as hantavirus, leptospirosis, and the Monkeypox virus, although there are no known incidences of diseases being spread to humans by gophers.

Gophers can quickly wreak havoc on your lawn, vegetable gardens, flower beds, seedlings, and shrubs. Gophers will chew through pipes and electrical systems associated with wells, pumps, and sprinkler systems. They especially target irrigation systems because they need fresh water to survive. Structural damage to sidewalks, driveways, and roads can be caused by gophers tunneling below. As the gophers remove significant amounts of soil, voids are created which cannot support the concrete or asphalt above, causing cracks and holes. Gopher mounds can also create unsafe trip-and-fall accidents for people in parks and on municipal playing fields; and for farm animals in pastures.

Like you, gophers love a beautiful yard! Because gophers do a lot of digging, they prefer loose, sandy soil that’s easy to move. And they need to eat, so they will go where there is a source of food (and water). They feed on roots and tubers of plants and seeded acorns but sometimes will feed on grass and clover. and other snacks.”

Unlike moles, gophers are herbivores and eat many types of plants, including garden vegetables that grow beneath the ground such as carrots, potatoes, and onions, as well as roots and bulbs.

Gophers in Minnesota typically breed once or twice per year and give birth to 3 to 6 young per litter. By 5 weeks, young gophers are weaned and ready to establish their own burrows. Gophers live about five years.