Animal Rangers, FL Gopher Information - Florida Wildlife Control Services

Gopher Information Sheet
Florida Gopher Removal and Control Services

Gophers are prevalent in North America and south Florida. Gophers can be a nuisance to property owners as they create massive
underground burrows and tunneling systems. Gophers can also carry diseases and parasites such as ticks and lice. A gopher
infestation must be addressed immediately as the population will only grow larger and become more and more difficult to deal with.

Gophers are adept at digging. They create vast underground communities, identifiable from above by large mounds of dirt by the
entrance tunnel to the underground. Gophers can be found in public spaces such as parks. These communities are frequently
referred to as gopher towns or gopher holes. Gophers are very smart and shrewd. Gophers will stand watch at the entrance to the
underground burrow, and make a whistling sound if a predator or human comes near. All of the other gophers in the community will
then run to the safety of the tunnels.

One of these massive gopher communities can spread to a huge area and have a population that numbers in the thousands. This
destroys plant life and causes the area to become arid with dirt. Gophers will commonly ruin landscaping and the environment of
lawns and parks. Gophers will also eat any and all food growing in a garden – any vegetable or juice will be eaten by gophers.

Gopher mounds will commonly appear in human-inhabited areas such as lawns, farms, parks, or vegetable gardens. Gophers may
also damage trees in forests and are considered to be agricultural pests. Although gophers usually attempt to flee, they have been
known to attack pets and humans, and can cause serious bite wounds with their enormous teeth.

Gophers can be carriers of dangerous diseases. If gophers are spotted in an area that usually has small children or pets, they must
be removed immediately and humanely by a professional gopher control and gopher trapping expert.

The rabies virus can paralyze and can kill mammals, including humans. Bites from gophers can contract rabies to pets and people.
Though humans should avoid contact with any gopher, if a gopher seems especially fearless around humans, it could be infected.

Gophers also carry monkeypox, a virus that causes lymph nodes to swell and brings on fever, backache and exhaustion. Eventually,
monkeypox sufferers develop raised bumps on the face and other parts of the body.

Other problems caused by gophers - Gophers will chew up and damage water lines, which can cause flooding and additional flood
damage to property. Gophers chew up and destroy pretty much any line or cable underground, which can damage electrical and
phone systems. Gophers also damage underground sprinkler systems.

Gophers can attract additional types of nuisance animals – such as skunks, weasels, coyotes, snakes and more because they all
prey on gophers.

Call a gopher animal control specialist immediately if signs of gophers appear on your property.