What Do Gophers Eat?

Understanding gopher diet helps explain why they target your lawn and garden.

Pocket gophers are herbivores that feed primarily on plant roots, bulbs, and tubers they encounter while tunneling underground. This feeding behavior is what makes them so destructive — they eat plants from below, causing them to wilt and die without any visible above-ground pest activity until the damage is done.

FAVORITE FOODS

Vegetable garden roots (carrots, potatoes, beets, and other root vegetables)

Ornamental plant roots and bulbs

Tree and shrub roots, particularly on young plantings

Lawn grass roots consumed while tunneling beneath turf

Drip irrigation lines, which gophers chew through to access moisture

WHY IRRIGATED PROPERTIES ATTRACT GOPHERS

Southern California's dry climate means irrigated properties stand out as oases of plant growth. Lawns, gardens, and landscaped areas with regular watering support lush root systems that gophers seek. Properties near open space or hillsides are especially vulnerable as gophers move from natural habitat into maintained yards.

SIGNS OF GOPHER FEEDING DAMAGE

Because gophers feed underground, signs of damage are often indirect. Look for plants that wilt or die suddenly, fan-shaped soil mounds near affected plants, and soft or sunken areas in the lawn where tunnel systems have collapsed. Drip irrigation lines that stop working may have been chewed through underground.

STOPPING GOPHER DAMAGE

The most effective way to stop gopher feeding damage is professional trapping. Rodent Guys uses chemical-free methods to remove active gophers with a 60-day guarantee — if activity returns, we come back at no charge.

Call 909-599-4711 to schedule gopher control in Southern California.