What Types of damage can Gophers cause?

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Gophers are one of the most destructive nuisance wildlife types you can get, often with the damage going unseen for many, many months. Deep underground tunnels are the biggest reason behind the destruction, and you can imagine the problems that arise as a result. It is when the gophers personally attack the plant life in your garden or yard that you realize that something is going on, although your first thought might not initially be that the gopher is the culprit. In fact, many homeowners initially jump to accuse the humble mole of the destruction.



Getting rid of moles and getting rid of gophers require two very different methods of attack, so you will need to know which one you’re up against before you start making a plan. You’ll know if it's a gopher. The holes will be from where the gopher comes up and steals food. They’ll also eat plant matter that’s hanging out below the ground too, as they build their aptly-named “gopher towns”, consisting of intricate burrows and tunnels quite deep underground.

Moles do not eat the plant matter as they’re creating those tunnels.
Both creatures are capable of wreaking havoc as they go about their underground business, often undetected for long periods of time too. If you have cables for utilities running underground, they can chew right through them, cutting power and other things to the home or building. Water lines are also at risk, which can cause flooding. If this causes underground flooding, you might not even be aware of the problem for a little while. This will obviously create huge destruction across your home, particularly with the structural safety and foundations.

It is when the weather is warmer that these creatures do the most damage, and that’s usually in the late spring, across the summer, and sometimes into the early part of fall too. You will see small hills in the lawn and ground, hills that look a bit like mole hills. You will actually see signs of the tunnel if it is a mole causing the problem. With a gopher, the tunnels are virtually undetectable. That’s aside from the little hills that pop out from the top, of course. One way that you can use these tunnels to your advantage is to dig a hole in one of them, should you manage to locate a part of it. If the gopher uses that particular tunnel, it won't be long before they fill the gap. At least then you’ll know where the critter is hanging out, and that it has been to that spot at least once. Many wild animals are creatures of habit.

Read the How to Get Rid of Gophers page.
For more information, you may want to click on one of these guides that I wrote:
How To Guide: Who should I hire? - What questions to ask, to look for, who NOT to hire.
How To Guide: do it yourself! - Advice on saving money by doing wildlife removal yourself.
Guide: How much does wildlife removal cost? - Analysis of wildlife control prices.