Pocket gophers and outdoor tortoise pens...

[Greg Knoell]

Hey fellow tortoise lovers!

Well I was stoked to build some new tortoise pens at our new property out here in Phoenix. My plan was to build early winter, plant seeds, and introduce the tortoises (testudo) into their new homes once they awake from brumation feb-march. Everything is going to plan, but little did I know how much pocket gophers LOVE clover and weeds! Our new pens have fantastic growth heading into spring, but the pocket gophers are reeking havoc.

Anyone have experience with these rodents and tortoises? The first concerns that came to mind were obviously the destroying of the food growth. But also will the gophers threaten any tortoises/eggs/nests?

Thoughts...?

I have removed one gopher but there's more tunneling about and once spring arrives I could have a bigger problem as that's pocket gopher breeding season.

 

[Yvonne G]

Well, that's just rude! I hate those little critters. I don't have gophers, but I DO have ground squirrels. I poison them. I realize that lots of folks are against poison, sorry.

I would worry that you might lose your little tortoise down in those holes.

I have heard that if you put human hair down into the hole it makes them go away. But I wonder if you really have a gopher. They usually pack the hole with dirt so you can't run the hose down it and open it up.

http://www.wikihow.com/Get-Rid-of-Gophers

 

[zzzdanz]

 

[Greg Knoell]

Heck I may have a ground squirrel or two as well! But the one I caught was for sure a pocket gopher. Also, the more I read about them the more I realize I need them gone. Come to find they breed THROUGHOUT the year here in Arizona. I thought that poison would be the easiest option, but I'm hesitant due to my concern about placing poison into the pen where my tortoises will be grazing. In any case the poison would be placed in the underground rodent tunnels as I understand. I was hoping to avoid that option if at all possible. The car exhaust idea was the one I may try first. Thanks for the link!

 

[gummybearpoop]

You need to go get a couple gopher snakes and let them loose.

Sucks to hear about this issue

 

[Angi]

I have not had any luck getting rid of gophers. I have tried poison, but there is no end. I plan to bury rabbit wire under Trudy's new enclouser. Would a gopher snake eat a little tort? I got thoughs too. I have heard of a thing called a verminator, but they are expensive. They explode the hole and kill anything in it. The guy that told me about it thought it was fabulous and a great investment. I think the website was something like www.verminator.com

---

That wasn't it. This was a gas powered thing. Maybe it was rodenator.

 

[Tom]

I have major problems with them too. I have not found a good solution yet. Always looking though.

 

[Greg Knoell]

I read somewhere that burying dog stools a few inches deep all around the area works as to deter them from entering an area, that would make sense. I never see gopher mounds in the yard where the dogs are let out to do their thing. If such a method works cat stools may work as well.

 

[Tom]

I have them in the yard, and right in the area, where my dogs do their "business". Maybe it will work where you are.

 

[jackrat]

I don't know about gophers,but we have an armadillo problem.I throw a hadful of calcium carbide down the hole,pour in some water and cover the entrance with dirt.The acetylene gas fills the tunnel and kills them.

 

[Tom]

Ooh! That sounds worth a try. Do you have a source you'd recommend for it that I might be able to find in CA?

 

[jackrat]

Ooh! That sounds worth a try. Do you have a source you'd recommend for it that I might be able to find in CA?

It works great.I buy mine at a local hardware store.A lot of folks still use carbide miners lights for night hunting around here.Here's a link.Hope it helps.By all means keep it dry and stored out of the weather.

http://www.enasco.com/product/KM00561M

 

[Maggie Cummings]

I have a gopher problem too. I've tried the poison they recommend, that didn't work, then I tried opening down to the hole and putting Bob poop in it and that has seemed to work for a while. I thought they were gone but have another mound today. So more digging and more Bob poop altho he's not pooping very much lately...

 

[PoisonOrchid]

We had gophers in my front yard.
THE WERE HORRIBLE!!!
My mom had some VERY expenisve roses that they ruined...
So we used this
http://www.gardenfun.com/solar-gopher-control.html?productid=solar-gopher-control&channelid=FROOG

After about a week or two, all the gophers were gone
Try it.

 

[armandoarturo]

Yvonne... have you tried anything else besides poisoning them?
Im always against poisoning animals...
(I only make little exceptions on cockroaches, as they are plague and carry parasites and bacteria....)
But when it comes to rodents, I usually get special tramp cages...
and when I caught them, I let them free far away from home xD

I have never had problems with gophers tho...

 

[Millerlite]

this.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OODwz6idiw&feature=related

 

[Angi]

Try this website www.rodenator.com

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

We had gophers in my front yard.
THE WERE HORRIBLE!!!
My mom had some VERY expenisve roses that they ruined...
So we used this
http://www.gardenfun.com/solar-gopher-control.html?productid=solar-gopher-control&channelid=FROOG

After about a week or two, all the gophers were gone
Try it.

This really works well, and seems to be totally harmless to tortoises...bought one last year and haven't had to shoot any varmints near or in the tortoise/box turtle enclosures. The noise it makes is ignored.

Try this website www.rodenator.com

That's insane, but amusing!

 

[Yvonne G]

Yvonne... have you tried anything else besides poisoning them?
Im always against poisoning animals...

The only other thing I've ever tried was running the hose down the hole for hours on end. Didn't deter them in the least.