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Rodents

Pocket Gophers

Thomomys spp.

Danger Level: 2/5Updated September 2026 · Boise, ID

IdentificationHow to Identify Pocket Gophers

Quick Answer

Pocket gophers are medium-sized burrowing rodents with small eyes and ears, large front teeth, and external fur-lined cheek pouches (the "pockets") for carrying food. Their front claws are long and powerful for digging.

Full identification notes

You'll almost never see one above ground because they spend their entire life inside the tunnel system.

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Pocket Gophers Behavior & Habits

Understanding how pocket gophers behave helps prevent infestations

Gophers are solitary, territorial rodents that build extensive burrow networks.

More about their habits

They eat roots, bulbs, and vegetation pulled underground from below, and a single gopher can push out 200+ mounds per year across tunnel systems covering 2,000 square feet. One animal means one animal's worth of damage, but a vacated territory often gets recolonized from a neighboring lot within a few weeks.

Pocket Gophers Risks & Dangers

What pocket gophers can do to your health and property

Health Risks

Gophers rarely contact humans directly.

Property Damage

Gophers cause extensive damage to lawns, gardens, and agricultural crops.

Full health and property details

Health Risks

They can carry plague in some regions and may host fleas and ticks.

Property Damage

They eat roots and vegetation, undermine foundations and driveways, damage underground utilities, and their mounds create trip hazards and damage mowing equipment.

Signs of Pocket Gophers Infestation

Look for these indicators in your home

Signs You Have Pocket Gophers

What homeowners spot first

  1. Fan or crescent-shaped soil mounds (not conical like mole hills)
  2. Plugged tunnel openings (unlike open mole holes)
  3. Dead plants pulled partway underground or with chewed roots
More signs to look for
  1. Gnawed drip lines or underground irrigation pipes
  2. Sunken areas from collapsed tunnels under turf

Pocket Gophers in Boise & the Treasure Valley

Pocket gophers thrive across the Treasure Valley anywhere soil stays workable, which is most of our service area once irrigation kicks in.

More on what we see locally

Gophers are heaviest in newer subdivisions carved from old farm ground in south Meridian, Kuna's edge-of-town lots, and the agricultural fringes of Star and Eagle, where sandy loam soils and active irrigation create perfect tunneling conditions. Mound activity surges twice a year: spring (March through May) once snowmelt softens the ground, then again in fall (September through November) when temperatures drop and gophers push fresh dirt to the surface before winter.

Our Solution

How We Handle Pocket Gophers

What our approach looks like

Green Guard doesn't treat pocket gophers.

Our full approach

Gopher control is a trapping job in the active burrow runs, and gophers from neighboring lots can move in fast, so it takes a specialist. Call (208) 297-7947 and we'll connect you with a trusted specialist.

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How to Prevent Pocket Gophers

Steps you can take to reduce the risk of infestation

  1. Install underground 1/2-inch hardware cloth along garden bed edges
  2. Use gopher baskets when planting new trees and shrubs
  3. Clear out bulbs, tubers, and root crops that gophers target
More prevention steps
  1. Cut back irrigation overlap, since gophers prefer consistently moist soil
  2. Walk property edges every 2-3 weeks during spring and fall for fresh mounds
  3. Call us at the first mound rather than after the lawn is checkered with them

Pocket Gophers Questions Answered

Common questions about identification, prevention, and treatment

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How can I tell gopher mounds from mole mounds in my Treasure Valley lawn?

Quick answerGopher mounds are fan or crescent-shaped with a plug of darker soil offset from the center.

Mole mounds are conical (volcano-shaped) with open holes pushed straight up. Gophers push soil out to the side as they dig laterally; moles shove soil straight up as they tunnel.

Will one gopher really cause that much damage to my yard?

Quick answerYes.

A single gopher can push 1-3 fresh mounds per day, move over a ton of soil per year, and chew through enough roots to kill mature shrubs and young fruit trees. Because they are territorial, one gopher means that area is locked down by one animal, and the damage scales fast across an irrigated Treasure Valley lawn.

Do gopher sonic repellers and vibration stakes actually work?

Quick answerResearch shows ultrasonic and vibration devices are largely ineffective for gopher control.

Gophers habituate to the sound and vibration within days and keep tunneling right past them. Targeted trapping in the active burrow runs is the most reliable method. We don't treat gophers ourselves, so call (208) 297-7947 and we'll connect you with a trusted specialist.

Think You Have Pocket Gophers?

Call and we'll talk through your options. We usually get out within 24 to 48 hours.

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