Gopher Facts

When you’re not sure about what may be creating havoc with your lawn, you might consider gophers who have found their way to your yard and are at work creating tunnels and burrows underground.

You can identify a gopher by its round body covered in a light coat of soft fur. The top of their head is flat, and they have a noticeably short neck. You may see protruding pockets on each side of their mouth. The fur-lined pockets are filled with food and then taken back to individual burrows. They also are equipped with long incisors, which are easy to see, a set of thick whiskers, long claws, small eyes and ears, and a short tail.

Gophers in Arizona live underground and why they vigorously create an extensive network of tunnel systems to handle their needs. Tunnels are their home base designed with drainage tunnels and runs for them to travel back and forth. These tunnels also have several chambers to accommodate a gopher’s needs such as a place to eat, living area, caching area to store food, and a place for waste. Some tunnels are shallow, and others run deep to accommodate large food storage, latrines, and secure nesting areas.

Gophers prefer porous soil that is moist and provides good drainage. They also like to be near sources of vegetation to ingest as food and to use for structural support and protection. Food-wise, gophers in Arizona specifically, feed strictly on plants and roots, consuming an estimated 60 percent of their bodyweight daily. Gophers are masters at yard aeration, which is a plus for the environment, but too many tunnels lead to serious yard damage.

Signs of Gophers in Your Yard

Since gophers live underground and only come out of their burrows to gather food to take back to their storage chamber, any time in any season is open season. Foraging and burrowing are usually the cause of damage to a yard. Thankfully there are plenty of signs to let you know gophers might be living underground in your yard.

Gophers are prolific diggers using their powerful forearms, claws, and teeth to get the job done. Some things to look for that indicate damage in your yard include crescent-shaped piles of soil that have been pushed up from underground, root damage in trees, a decrease of irrigation in your yard. Other signs include a change in yard drainage, chewed or damaged plants and landscaping, and signs of chewing on water lines and electrical lines.

There are a few options for getting an Arizona gopher to leave your yard such as the use of natural or ultrasonic gopher repellents, granules, and ready-to-spray liquids. A gopher’s tunneling network can cover an expansive area that can reach up to 2,000 square feet. That is a lot of ground to cover on your own. For the best results, using the professional services of a company like SOS Exterminating, can inspect, plan, treat, and remove the problem quickly, efficiently, and safely.

Professional Services

SOS Exterminating has been the go-to company for pest control services since 1937. During our time serving customers, we have maintained our focus of providing excellent and reliable service. We want what you want – a healthy and pest-free home.

We make getting the help you need with problem pests an easy process. You can call us directly for information and answers to your questions about gopher control in Arizona or use the convenience of our online form and we will contact you. Our customers can also schedule a free inspection and get a free estimate so there are no hidden surprises about the cost. With an inspection and quote in hand, one of our professional representatives will help you get the ball rolling with a plan to remove gophers from your yard. Our services are 100 percent guaranteed. Contact us today.