Nationally, the average price to get rid of gophers is $325. However, factors such as infestation level and removal method affect the cost of permanent gopher removal. Costs can range from as little as $100 up to $1,000 depending on your situation.
| National Average | Average Cost Range | Minimum Cost | Maximum Cost |
| $325 | $150–$500 | $100 | $1,000 |
Gophers are rodents that dig tunnels for protection from predators and as a means of foraging for food. However, the network of tunnels they dig can create a huge mess deep beneath lawns and gardens. Gophers can leave holes throughout your yard and destroy your gardens and landscaping.
If trying to exterminate gophers on your own becomes too challenging, we recommend Orkin, Terminix, and Aptive. These exterminators have some of the best-trained professionals that are able to use traps, baits, and other chemically treated solutions that are often more effective than standard DIY methods.
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What Influences Gopher Removal Costs?
Exterminators and wildlife removal companies set their prices using several key determinants. Below, we list the essential ones along with the price differences.
Infestation Level
It costs around $50 to $100 to place bait stations into a single tunnel system to remove one pocket gopher. Add an extra $75–$100 for a follow-up service visit to remove the dead animal.
However, gophers can build vast tunnel networks reaching over 200 feet, and with multiple gophers, the price shoots up even more. For that reason, expect to pay anywhere from $300 to $500 as a starting point to eliminate more than one gopher.
Service Frequency
Many pest control providers now offer several plan options for gopher removal. Keep in mind that most contracted plans require an initial cleanout fee of between $150 and $300. Below are some of the most common examples of these service agreements.
Monthly Plans
Monthly service plans require a one-year contract. You’re guaranteed not to have gophers come back between monthly visits by the technician. Payments run anywhere from $40 to $60 per month for this specialized service, and the contract doesn’t cover any other pests.
Quarterly Plans
Quarterly contracts include four technician visits per year, but companies don’t always guarantee that you won’t see any gophers between visits.
The majority of customer complaints come from quarterly gopher service. They often point to the technician not showing up to reset traps or remove dead animals.
If you can still find a quarterly wildlife removal plan, they generally run from $150 all the way up to $400 per visit. However, most companies offering gopher removal are shying away from this option.
Seasonal Plans
Although most gopher species don’t hibernate in winter, they are more active in the spring and summer months. For that reason, many exterminators offer seasonal plans.
This option includes somewhere between three and six service visits per year, and it typically depends on the region you live in.
The technician visits monthly during the contract duration to set traps, place bait stations, and inspect for new activity. The cost for this service generally ranges from $100 to $200 per month.
This site receives compensation from the companies featured in this listing, which may impact where and how products appear. This listing doesn’t feature all companies, products, or offers that may be available.
Methods Used
Exterminators use several methods to get rid of gophers around your property. Each one has its unique attributes. Here, we list them in order of cost.
Baiting
Gopher baiting generally costs between $50 and $100. Rodenticide baits are the easiest method to eliminate gophers.
Older formulations contained strychnine poison that killed gophers almost instantly. Newer generation anticoagulant baits take up to two or three weeks to take effect and often require follow-up applications. Additionally, the technician has to locate the tunnel. The more experienced professionals utilize a probe for this purpose.
Trapping
Trapping gophers costs $125 to $500. It involves more work for the pest control tech, and most reputable exterminators will guarantee their work and include at least one follow-up visit.
They have to locate the tunnel using a probe or other device, and then decide what type of trap to use. The cost comes down to safety requirements and the length of the tunnel system.
Popular trap types include the quick-kill choker box trap and the pincer trap. Either type requires opening the tunnel, which is time-consuming. Most exterminators also cover the tunnel once each trap is set. Some prefer to leave it open, hoping the gopher will be more likely to visit it. Gophers hate the light and will try to enclose the tunnel and trigger the trap in the process.
Fumigation
Gopher fumigation service costs $300 to $1,000, although the price is expected to drop within the next few years thanks to newer handheld fumigators entering the market.
Fumigation is the latest gopher eradication technique. It involves using a small gasoline engine to send lethal carbon monoxide exhaust fumes through a hose and into a gopher’s tunnel system. The technician packs down all entrance areas to create a tight seal and prevent exhaust from escaping.
Studies show that when carbon monoxide fumigation is done correctly, the efficacy is over 80%, which is a much better success rate than most other methods for controlling gopher populations.
Mechanical Exclusion
Mechanical exclusion for gophers and other tunneling pests costs $100–$300. It involves burying hardware cloth or 1/2-inch steel mesh to limit the gopher’s ability to tunnel. Exclusion services are not included in most pest control contracts, so you may have to hire a landscaper to perform this task.
Repair Costs
After gophers are removed, you may need to pay for complex yard repairs. This often involves removing soil from the entire tunnel system, filling the tunnels with a layer of gravel, replacing the soil, then installing a layer of topsoil for reseeding. The repairs cost $100 to $600, while reseeding costs $1,000 on average.
If gophers have damaged your sprinkler system, expect to pay $125 to $400 for sprinkler repair costs.
Signs & Causes of Gopher Infestation
It isn’t always clear-cut that you have a gopher problem. It could also be moles or voles, and it’s easy to get them all confused. We’ve listed all the identifying factors for you here, including the damage and causes of gopher infestations.
Gopher Identification
Gophers are burrowing rodents that live underground. Their lifespan is around one to three years. They have the following characteristics:
- Around 8 inches in length and weighs about 0.5 pounds for male gophers
- About half that size for females
- Mostly brown fur matched well with their local soil color
- Large cheek pouches
- Small eyes
- Short hairy tail
You’re unlikely to see a gopher since they are mostly solitary creatures. However, you might catch an occasional glimpse of one during breeding season or when they begin digging a tunnel.
The North American gopher typically only has two to five young per litter. So, it has a slower reproductive rate than other rodents. The ones that survive can create enormous destruction in a very short amount of time.
Yard & Garden Damage
Most gopher species don’t hibernate during the winter. They are most active during the spring and summer months, so you’ll see the bulk of the yard damage during the warmer seasons.
Gophers construct vast tunnel systems underground to carry and forage for food. Their diet mainly consists of:
- Plant roots
- Shrub roots
- Saplings
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Radishes
Gophers often visit gardens, lawns, and farms for their abundant, available food sources, and these areas are also ideal locations to tunnel since they provide moist, loose soil.
The most obvious evidence of gopher infestation is the tunnel entrances. When a gopher begins to dig, it leaves a large, crescent-shaped mound behind, and it usually isn’t just one. They can create several in your yard on a single day.
Gophers also chew through flexible plastic irrigation lines. So, when the water gets rerouted, it causes soil erosion and other kinds of lawn damage.
Health Risks of Gophers
All rodents, including gophers, are potential disease carriers. Below are three diseases gophers can pass to humans.
Plague
The plague bacteria is typically transmitted by infected fleas that feed off of dead rodents. Pets can also spread the disease to their owners after coming into contact with it. Plague symptoms in humans include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Extreme weakness
- Abdominal pain
- Shock
- Internal bleeding
- Tissue necrosis at the extremities
Tularemia
Tularemia is caused by handling infected animal carcasses. Here are the common symptoms of this bacterial infection:
- Sore throat
- Mouth ulcers
- Tonsillitis
- Swelling of lymph glands
- Skin ulcers, in some cases
Leptospirosis
This illness is primarily transmitted by ingesting food or water contaminated with urine from infected rodents. It can also spread through the skin or mucous membranes with water that’s contaminated with urine from infected gophers. Symptoms of the disease include:
- Fever
- Chills
- Muscle aches and pain
- Headache
- Diarrhea
- Vomiting
- Yellowing of the skin
- Abdominal pain
- Rash
- Redness of the eyes
Meningitis and kidney failure may set in if the disease is not treated promptly.
DIY Vs. Hiring a Professional
DIY gopher management can be difficult, but it’s possible with the right tools and patience. Here, we show you the difference between doing it yourself and hiring an animal control professional.
DIY Gopher Control
Several methods can get rid of gophers from your yard. The following are some ideas to get you started.
Kill Traps
Before using gopher traps, know where the tunnels are located. Trapping is more effective around areas where there’s a high level of gopher activity.
This includes locations close to sprinkler systems. Also, you want to look for obvious signs such as tunnels and mounds to set your traps.
Poison Baits
There are many gopher baits to choose from. The ones that list the gopher as the first pest on the label are best, since these products have ingredients specifically designed to lure gophers.
Exclusion Measures
Use 1/2-inch wire mesh around trees, shrubs, and vegetable plants to keep gophers from tunneling near them. Place it about 2 feet into the soil and about 3 feet above it. This technique will ensure that no burrowing pests can tunnel through to your ornamental plants and trees.
Repellents
There are several varieties of natural gopher repellents suited to different conditions. For example, granules can be used in regions where it rains frequently. Use spray repellents in dry climates. Almost all gopher repellents contain castor oil, but a few have natural essential oils as their active ingredient.
Hiring a Professional
High-quality professionals can help get rid of your gopher problem and keep your home free of these pests. Here are our top picks:
- Terminix technicians have specialized training to handle any wildlife problem around your home or business.
- Aptive utilizes the latest technology for getting rid of gopher infestations. With its customer-driven focus, it continues to be one of the fastest-growing pest control companies in the U.S.
- Orkin has over 100 years of experience in the industry, so its technicians know how to eliminate gophers and unwanted pests.
What Is the Standard Gopher Removal Process?
Here’s a look at the step-by-step process of gopher removal.
Step 1. Scheduling
Most pest control service companies have a website where it’s easy to get their address and phone number. It takes a little longer than usual to schedule the first visit because you’ll need to provide:
- Your address
- A phone number
- Type of pest
- Other details that can help the technician
After the appointment is set, you’ll get a call from the company confirming it. In most cases, if you opt-in, you’ll receive a text message as well.
Step 2. Inspection
When the technician arrives, they will inspect the yard and outdoor areas for signs of gophers such as tunnels, obvious damage, and gopher mounds.
They use probes to discover how far the tunnels go. They may mark tunnels by placing flags around the yard, which will be removed once trapping operations are finished.
Step 3. Removal Process
Once your technician locates and marks each tunnel, they’ll place traps. To do so, they may need to expose the tunnel by removing the topsoil.
If they do, there’s no need to worry. It will be replaced as a final step in the process, and you’ll know where the traps are because the tech will keep the flags in place until the gophers are caught.
If your technician decides to use poison baits, they will take great care to install them where pets and children will not gain access. However, remember that you’re in charge and can gently remind them to consider your family’s safety.
Step 4. Follow-Up
The top exterminators will always perform a follow-up, even if they are not as competitive price-wise. That means they will come to your home a second time to check the traps and ensure you are satisfied with the service.
This site receives compensation from the companies featured in this listing, which may impact where and how products appear. This listing doesn’t feature all companies, products, or offers that may be available.
