Looks like a groundhog, but...

[darkmavis]

No, this critter doesn't have that squirrel face. Definitely a gopher.

Anyway, BF doesn't want to kill it either. If we caught it in the Havahart trap, how far away would we have to take it? Of course, there may be a bunch of them, who knows...

 

[darkmavis]

OK, there was an even bigger mound by the bird bath thing this morning!!! I'm going to not move the dirt this time though, maybe that will be enough and they won't dig out more? I wonder how big the network of tunnels is by now.... and if they mess with our roses or the tangerine, lime, or apple trees, then critters might have to die.

I'm already worried about the tangerine tree, it's got some yellow leaves, and hasn't blossomed or anything yet. This time last year there were a bunch of little green tangerines already growing on it. Sigh.

We might set out the humane trap tonight. I'll do some googling on what they might like to eat while getting trapped...

 

[arlyn]

Be careful, and check your local laws.

The idiots up in Washington State wrote anti-trapping laws banning all trapping, including live traps to control any and all native animals.

My brother got a fairly hefty ticket for live trapping gophers in his yard to move them to the country.
Country Club employees on the property behind him turned him in, and you'd think a country club would want them gone as well.

 

[weldrwomn]

Ok, so I might have come across as a cold-blooded gopher killer, but I really do prefer to not kill things. I know about trapping and killing gophers because I used to work for a municipal parks dept and it was part of my job to trap and kill gophers on sports fields where their holes and tunnels can cause injuries to people.

Anywho, if you are looking for something that gophers eat so you might try a live trap - they eat grain.

 

[darkmavis]

Originally Posted by WELDRWOMN

Ok, so I might have come across as a cold-blooded gopher killer, but I really do prefer to not kill things. I know about trapping and killing gophers because I used to work for a municipal parks dept and it was part of my job to trap and kill gophers on sports fields where their holes and tunnels can cause injuries to people.

Anywho, if you are looking for something that gophers eat so you might try a live trap - they eat grain.

Oh, no, I didn't think you're cold-blooded or anything, sometimes critters have to die. I understand that. I prefer to try other means of evicting them if possible though.

So... grain.. would that include birdseed? Or oats? I'm just thinking of things we have.

I haven't seen any laws in Long Beach regarding trapping animals, and I did look up all I could find about it when we had the rats. All I know is that the city will take care of rats and things in public places like parks but not private property. If it gets too bad and we can't get rid of the gopher(s), maybe I can call the city about the mounds on the other side of the fence, since that's a city easement. I'm sure they'd kill them, but if that's what ends up happening, then so be it. I still wonder how far I'd have to take a gopher if I caught it in the humane trap so it wouldn't come back. For some reason I just keep thinking it might stay on the other side of the storm channel. When I relocated the rats, I went a few miles away, I didn't trust them in the park across the channel.

 

[weldrwomn]

The grain to use would be like a rodent treat mix (for gerbils or hamsters, etc). I would take the gopher much further than across the storm channel because gophers are not limited to underground travel. Just please avoid dropping it off in a public park

 

[darkmavis]

Well, I haven't seen any new dirt mounds or activity since Friday... I wonder if the gopher(s) moved on, or if a neighbor 'took care of it'....

I hope they stay away!

That said, this morning around 5:30 I heard something in the attic... again. GRRRR. I can't wait to get our new roof in a few weeks and get all the holes and gaps closed up.