Not very romantic, most gophers mate just twice a year. However, other gopher species breed all year round.
Not very sociable, gophers rarely surface above the ground.
A gopher digs its runways up to 18 inches beneath the surface in a burrow system.
A gopher's home range can take up to 700 yards.
Endlessly active, these guys are neither nocturnal nor diurnal. They do not hibernate, either. They're just active all throughout their lives.
When a gopher abandons its home, it will usually be taken-over by ground squirrels, mice, snakes or other backyard animal.
Not very picky, a gopher may live in the coastal area and even in the highlands.
The gopher's cheek pouches are lined with fur.
The Plains Pocket gopher breed can run both forwards and backwards, with almost similar speed and agility.
The Plains Pocket gopher can do somersaults to make a quick escape from their enemies while inside their burrows. Well, somersaulting plus scurrying sure doubles the chance of getting away.
That gopher in your yard has a lifespan of merely 1-3 years.
Gophers have long teeth which rest outside its lips, and which they use to cut roots and loosen soil. This being done without even opening its mouth!
Their front teeth can actually grow up to 14 inches per year and they grow continuously. But, with all those diggings and pushing, the teeth wear down.
Since they can't carry grocery bags around, their cheeks have pouches which they use for carrying food.
They can weigh about 6-14 ounces, that's just about the weight of a can of soda or not even a 10th of a newly-born human baby! Some full-grown gophers can weigh up to one kilo.
A baby's cheeks don't open until about 39 days after it was born.
A teen gopher needs to wait 6 to 12 months before it becomes ready for mating.
A baby's eyes and ears does not open until about 26 days after it was born. Sort of blind and deaf until then.
As you probably know, gophers actually belong to the family of rodents.
These rodents do not take in water directly. Their daily dose of fluid come from their food's moisture.
If you want to catch these critters before they breed, stalk them out in the spring.
A mama gopher's pregnancy period lasts 18-19 days before giving birth to 3-4 babies, each weighing only about an ounce.
Gophers are often called "salamanders" by Southerners.
Although they prefer to live alone, gophers actually interconnect their tunnels and post guards on the tunnel entrance. When danger is sensed, these guard gophers produce a whistling sound to warn the others.
The gopher's cheeks can be turned all the way inside-out, thus easily pouring out the collected food and yes, cleaning their cheeks thereafter.
Gophers are very choosy with their soil. Clay and overly-wet soil are just not their type. The soil should just be strong enough so that their tunnels will not collapse on them once they start digging.
These rodents are heavy eaters. They actually consume 60% as much food as their body weight.
Gophers are mostly vegetarians. Their diet consists mainly of grass, roots and bulbs.
Far from looking like one, but "gopher" actually means "tortoise."
The first thing people notice about your front yard is your driveway. Why not make it as great as it can be? Lean more at Driveway Helper.
Oh those moles and read some interesting stuff about the common garden mole.
www.GopherGuide.com is our homepage on options for controlling those backyard rodents.
Sound and vibration deterrents and see if these non-invasive and easy-to-use solutions really work.
Pellets and baits and how to apply them for best results.
Thinking out-of-the-box to check out more options people sometimes use to get these pests out of your property.
Mechanical traps are one of the oldest devices for stopping your lawn pests.
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