The Texas Pocket gopher has a very prevalent presence in Mexico and in southern Texas, but is difficult to see, as they are such good hiders. Texas Pocket gophers live almost entirely underground, including underground in your Atascocita yard. These burrowing rodents are well adapted to living underground, with developed strong forelegs and incredibly strong, curved claws which make them perfect for digging.
Texas Pocket gophers feature huge teeth and puffy external cheek pouches where they can stash food, like gerbils or hamsters. Because these gophers have poor eyesight, their other senses are sharp and well-developed to the point that they can use their tails as “sensors” when they back up into their underground burrows.
Pocket gopher presence can usually be detected in your yard because of the mounds they create. Do not confuse these gophers with moles, which can create tunnels and mound damage similar to gophers, and which consume insects as their main food source.
What Do Gophers Look Like?
Gophers are usually light to dark brown, stocky and with short legs, and can grow up to be from 6 inches to over a foot in length. Adult gophers usually weigh up to a pound. They don’t have large litters (usually 1 to 6 baby gophers, with 2 surviving, on average), and may have up to two litters annually, usually in the spring to midsummer. Gophers usually don’t live to be more than a year or two old.
Gopher Mounds
Their mounds are usually horse-shoe-shaped when viewed from above, with the hole off to one side of the mound, and usually covered over. The mounds differ from mole mounds, which are distinctively more volcano-shaped and round when seen from above.
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How Do You Get Rid of Gophers In Your Yard?
Efforts to control gopher activity in your yard are best done in the spring and fall when Pocket gophers are more active up near the surface. You’ll notice their surface activity when you are seeing fresh mounds of dirt.
You can use baits, traps, and rodent control products labeled to be effective against gophers. Follow all label instructions carefully.
You can do quite a bit to help control gophers in your yard. But if you spending inordinate amounts of time dealing with gophers and other pest problems as you’re trying to keep your yard beautiful, it might be time to call in the experts. Save time, money, and stress by calling our Atascocita, TX pest control experts today at 832-898-0190 for a consultation. You can also email us at [email protected]. We can help you manage your gopher, mole, and other pest problems at home and in your yard, and we can show you what you can do to help prevent future infestations.
