A gopher is a fur-lined external burrowing rodent that spends most of its life underground. It rarely comes to the surface, especially during the day. It spends most of the time burrowing as it searches for food from roots and grasses. It can cause a lot of destruction from the many tunnels it digs and with time it can destroy a garden completely. If you are wondering how to trap a gopher, this article will guide you on the best practice that will eliminate it before it completely destroys your garden or well-manicured lawn.
Because of the nature of the rodent and the damage it can cause, it is best to detect it early enough. This minimizes the damage it can cause to your garden. It also improves your chances of trapping it before it digs too many tunnels. To successfully trap a gopher, you need to detect its main tunnel or burrow. This is where most of the short lateral tunnels connect to. You get more success by setting traps or baits on the main tunnel.
Traps are the most common and effective ways of trapping them. The market has several types available that you can use. The box type traps are the most commonly used. They usually have triggers that the gopher has to push to get caught.
Between the two traps, the box trap is the one recommended for a beginner as it is easy to set up and use. It requires some extra excavation to be done so you may be cautious if you do not want to destruct your lawn further. The trap is set facing opposite directions to ensure the gopher is trapped whichever side it comes from.
After you set the trap, you will need to cover the tunnel and prevent light from entering it. You can use a soft material to cover and seal it properly using fine soil around the edges. The gopher may try to bury the trap with soil if it can see it.
Monitor the trap regularly but preferably after three days. If there is no gopher that has been caught, consider setting the trap in another location. Sometimes the human scent on the trap can have an effect on the success of trapping the gopher.
Trapping a gopher is the most effective way of catching it and is also friendly. If one has other pets such as dogs and cats, baiting is not recommended. The bait is usually poisonous and is not advisable to be used as it can be exposed to children or other animals. Even though they are placed underground, some animals especially dogs are able to dig them out.
The best time to set the traps is during the spring and fall seasons. You can easily trap a gopher on your own if it just one or two in your garden. However, if you have a gopher community, you should seek professional help. In such a case a lot of time and experience is needed to successfully remove the colony from your property.
Because of the nature of the rodent and the damage it can cause, it is best to detect it early enough. This minimizes the damage it can cause to your garden. It also improves your chances of trapping it before it digs too many tunnels. To successfully trap a gopher, you need to detect its main tunnel or burrow. This is where most of the short lateral tunnels connect to. You get more success by setting traps or baits on the main tunnel.
Traps are the most common and effective ways of trapping them. The market has several types available that you can use. The box type traps are the most commonly used. They usually have triggers that the gopher has to push to get caught.
Between the two traps, the box trap is the one recommended for a beginner as it is easy to set up and use. It requires some extra excavation to be done so you may be cautious if you do not want to destruct your lawn further. The trap is set facing opposite directions to ensure the gopher is trapped whichever side it comes from.
After you set the trap, you will need to cover the tunnel and prevent light from entering it. You can use a soft material to cover and seal it properly using fine soil around the edges. The gopher may try to bury the trap with soil if it can see it.
Monitor the trap regularly but preferably after three days. If there is no gopher that has been caught, consider setting the trap in another location. Sometimes the human scent on the trap can have an effect on the success of trapping the gopher.
Trapping a gopher is the most effective way of catching it and is also friendly. If one has other pets such as dogs and cats, baiting is not recommended. The bait is usually poisonous and is not advisable to be used as it can be exposed to children or other animals. Even though they are placed underground, some animals especially dogs are able to dig them out.
The best time to set the traps is during the spring and fall seasons. You can easily trap a gopher on your own if it just one or two in your garden. However, if you have a gopher community, you should seek professional help. In such a case a lot of time and experience is needed to successfully remove the colony from your property.
About the Author:
Get advice on how to trap a gopher, today. You can also view our selection of high-quality gopher traps at http://www.traplineproducts.com/pestidguide.html right now.
No comments:
Post a Comment