Skip to main content

Are Ground Squirrels & Gophers the Same Thing?


Question: 
Are  Ground Squirrels and a Gophers the same burrowing rodent?

Answer:
It depends upon who you ask.

It's common for people in Canada, Montana, and Minnesota refer to ground squirrels as "gophers."  Technically, they are wrong, but what matters is that is that the person they are communicating with uses the same term. 

Some others, think that ground squirrels and gophers are the same digging critter or they truly have no idea what they are dealing with and they call them the first word that comes to mind. Often that word or words are not fit to print - especially if the burrowing rodents are causing extensive damage and their holes are a safety hazard.

Ground squirrels and Gophers actually fairly easy to tell apart. The Gopher is chunkier with beady eyes, small ears, and buck teeth. The Ground Squirrel is sleeker with larger eyes, perky ears, and their front teeth don't dominate their face. 
GOPHER


Gophers are underground eaters and love plant roots. Although sometimes they eat above ground.
Ground Squirrels usually forage above ground, eating food producing plants, ornamentals and at times, insects and eggs.

Gophers are nocturnal and can be above ground at night.
Ground Squirrels are diurnal and are above ground during the day.

Gophers have crescent shaped plugged holes. When they dig the push the dirt behind them. In fact, they often leave mounds of dirt throughout an area.
Ground Squirrels do not hide their holes - they do not plug the top. They excavate the excess dirt and pack the sides as they tunnel. 

Unfortunately, both Ground Squirrels' and Gophers' burrows can cause extensive damage to athletic fields and pastures. People, horses and cattle trip in these holes and can be severely injured.
Burrow Blocker Ground Squirrel Control
GOPHER HOLE
Burrow Blocker Ground Squirrel Control
GROUND SQUIRREL HOLE
Gophers are solitary animals and can have up to a 2000 ft. territory.
Ground Squirrels live in colonies that can consist of several dozen animals.

For detailed information on ground squirrels and gophers, visit the following UC Davis, IPM sites:
Gophers
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7433.html
Ground Squirrels
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7438.html

Both of these burrowing rodents can be extremely destructive. Please contact me or visit the Burrow Blocker website, if you'd like to learn more about these diggers and ways to control them.

Quick quiz: What's the name of the burrowing rodent at the top of the page?

~Lisa
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How To Get Rid of Ground Squirrel Holes

It looks simple. There is a ground squirrel hole. Just start shoveling dirt in it and soon the hole will be gone.  Some athletic fields are so riddled with dangerous holes, they bring in tons of dirt and use bobcats to fill the holes.  Surprise! Before the next day, most of the holes reappear! Fill it again and the same thing happens.  Those ground squirrels are persistent little diggers. Why doesn't filling in ground squirrel holes using a shovel work? Shoveling in the holes is often unsuccessful, because the hole is topped off with dirt. The ground squirrel is hiding in a lower portion of the tunnel system and they dig their way out as soon as you leave the area. What is the best way to fill ground squirrel holes? The  Burrow Blocker  machine is a fast, easy, and effective way of filling in ground squirrel holes.The patented machine pumps a slurry of sand and water into the hole. The water is absorbed into the soil and all that remains is the sand. The b...
1 comment
Read more

Is it a Ground Squirrel or a Gopher?

Do you know the difference between a Gr ound Squirrel and a Gopher ? If you are battling burrowing rodents on your property, after awhile you might just start channeling Carl Spackler, Bill Murray's character in the movie, Caddyshack. Remember when Sandy McFiddish, the head groundskeeper of the golf course told Carl, in his rich Scottish accent, "Carl, I want you to kill all the golfers on the golf course."? Carl replied, " Correct me if I'm wrong Sandy, but if I kill all the golfers they'll lock me up and throw away the key." Sandy yelled, " Not golfers, you great fool! Gophers, rodents! THE LITTLE BROWN, FURRY THINGS!" Carl replied, "We can do that. We don't even need a reason." Remember that destructive dancing gopher in Caddyshack? (Be patient...it has a long intro.)     Most of the people that visit this blog, do have a reason. They want those destructive diggers to just stop destroying ...
14 comments
Read more

The Best Way to Fill a Ground Squirrel Hole

Ground squirrel holes! They can destroy beautiful landscaping and make athletic fields and pastures hazardous. Ground squirrel holes are much more than an unsightly nuisance, they can cause serious injuries. How do you get rid of ground squirrel holes?  Often people grab a shovel and start pushing the dirt surrounding the hole back in. That's usually not enough dirt on the outside, so they get more dirt and keep shoveling it in until it looks full. Surprise! The next day the hole is back. After trying dirt, rocks are often the next choice. Again, the next day, the hole is often back.  Why doesn't filling in ground squirrel holes using a shovel work? Shoveling in the holes is often unsuccessful, because the ground squirrel is hiding in a lower portion of the tunnel system and they dig their way out. What is the best way to fill ground squirrel holes? The Burrow Blocker machine is a fast, easy, and effective way of filling in ground squirrel holes.The patented ma...
5 comments
Read more