La Verne Gopher Trapping

Pocket Gopher / Our Service There are five species of gophers, or "pocket gophers" as they are more correctly called, that occur in California, however the most likely to be encountered is the Valley or Botta's pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae ).  Not spelled Gofer like so many people do. Pocket gophers are a small rodent about 5 to 7 inches long not including the tail. They come in a variety of colors but are most often grayish brown to brown. They have a very short tail, tiny ears and eyes, and huge, yellowish front teeth (incisors) which are always exposed. They also have large, curved front claws used for digging.
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How Do I Know if I Have Gophers?
Since gophers spend most of their time underground, they are hardly ever seen so the best identification method is to examine the dirt mounds that almost always accompany their activity. As gophers dig their tunnels, pocket gophers periodically shove dirt out to the surface forming mounds. The dirt is pushed to the surface from tunnels that are at an angle to the surface, so the mounds form in a crescent or horseshoe shape. This helps distinguish them from mounds made by moles which are volcano shaped. Pocket gopher burrows are almost always plugged. This helps to distinguish them from other burrowing rodents like ground squirrels or meadow mice. On average, a gopher makes about 1 to 3 mounds per day which is why you want to get rid of gophers right away.  Gopher removal (not gofer removal )is usually done by a professional pest control company with experience on how to kill gophers.

Gopher Damage
Although gophers can be serious agricultural pests, most of the damage they cause is to landscaping and turf. They feed on many varieties of ornamental plants, and the mounds they make can be unsightly, damaging to turf, and even pose a quite real trip hazard on athletic fields.  That trip hazard is also important around horse stables and livestock.  The facilities feel it is crucial to exterminate gophers to protect their expensive animals from breaking a leg.

Gopher Control
The most effective control methods for gopher extermination are burrow fumigants, poison baiting burrow blasting, Tunnel Fill, and trapping. Trapping, Tunnel Fill and baiting are options that an ordinary property owner can use with limited success. Burrow Blasting is normally performed by the professional exterminator (we have a Varmit Getter for burrow blasting) due to the expense of the equipment.  Burrow fumigants are very effective but are restricted materials, generally only available to and used by licensed professionals. Burrow fumigants are not the same as the commonly available "smoke bombs" which are not very effective. It is illegal in California to use carbon monoxide from car exhaust or other sources to kill animals including to exterminate a gopher.  Baits available to the pest control professional are much higher strength and effective than what is available to a homeowner.  The main reason to hire a gopher expert is the knowledge of what method to use for each situation and proper placement of fumigants and or bait for effective control of gophers.

What about flooding?
Outside of agricultural settings where a large amount of water can be put on an area in a short period of time and left standing for an extended period of time, this control method has very little practical value for residential uses. The old "garden hose down the hole" method tried by almost everyone who has ever attempted to control gophers rarely works and is usually a waste of water and time.  It can also cause erosion problems because you do not know where the water is going underground and you may cause significant property damage.

There are no repellents or scaring devices available at the present time that have been proved to protect lawns or other planting sites from pocket gophers. Several plants, such as gopher purge (Euphorbia lathyrus) and cantor bean ( Ricinus communis), have been purported to offer protection for a limited time from ravenous gophers, but these claims have never been proved.   If they really worked to get rid of gophers we could just simply spray this everywhere and the gophers would just disappear.

Trying to keep gophers out of your yard or garden by using physical barriers can sometimes be effective if done on a small scale. Any large project, such as placing fencing around the perimeter of your backyard would be cost prohibitive and would at best only provide short term control. Raised flower beds can be protected by placing a layer of 1/4 inch galvanized hardware cloth under the bed and securing it to the 2x6 wood frame before filling with soil. In reforestation or orchard situations, a "cage" of hardware cloth lining the hole and extending six inches aboveground can give a young tree room to establish a good root system before being exposed to gopher damage.

Six to eight inches of gravel 1 inch or more in diameter around underground utility cables or sprinkler lines may discourage gnawing by gophers.

Legal Status
Pocket gophers are classified by the California Department of Fish and Game as a nongame mammal. If they are causing damage, they are allowed to be taken using gopher traps and poison bait by the owner or tenant of the property or their employees. Any poison bait used must be registered for use in California for use on gophers.

Rodent Guys Pest Control
We will come out to remove gophers using the best methods based on each situation.  Typically we use tunnel fumigation method to get rid of gophers because of it's effectiveness.  Depending on tunnel locations sometimes poison baits are used instead of fumigation of tunnels.  How to get rid of gophers is a tough job for the novice, we have a lot of experience exterminating gophers and will do a thorough job in doing so.  Please see our pricing page for an idea of the cost to get rid of gophers.


This is owner of Rodent Guys, Nick, holding 2 gophers, one caught in a gopher trap and one killed with strychnine.  Treatment originated on 12-3-2010 and photo taken at customers house on 12-5-2010 when traps were checked.  After just one treatment this yard had no more gopher holes appearing.