Pet-Safe Gopher Control: How to Protect Your Dogs & Cats

If you have pets and a gopher problem, you're facing a dilemma that thousands of Southern California homeowners deal with every year: how do you get rid of gophers without putting your dogs and cats at risk?

The Problem With Standard Gopher Control

Most gopher control companies use bait containing zinc phosphide or anticoagulant rodenticides like diphacinone. These poisons are placed inside gopher tunnels, where a gopher eats them and dies. The problem? Dogs love to dig. A dog who uncovers a bait station — or finds and eats a dead poisoned gopher — is at serious risk of secondary poisoning.

Symptoms of rodenticide poisoning in dogs and cats include lethargy, internal bleeding, neurological symptoms, and death. Emergency veterinary treatment for rodenticide poisoning can cost $2,000–$5,000 or more.

What Is Chemical-Free Gopher Trapping?

Chemical-free gopher control uses only mechanical traps placed inside active gopher tunnels. A trained technician locates tunnel systems using a probe, sets professional-grade traps, and returns to check and reset them. No bait. No toxins. The gophers are removed without any chemical entering the soil or posing any risk to pets.

This is the only method Gopher Guys has ever used. It's more labor-intensive than bait, which is why many companies don't offer it — but it's the only truly pet-safe solution.

Signs of Active Gopher Damage

• Fresh mounds of dirt shaped like a horseshoe or crescent (gopher mounds are asymmetrical)
• Wilting or dead plants with roots chewed off underground
• Soft spots or depressions in lawn areas
• Chewed irrigation lines or electrical conduit (rare but possible)

How to Protect Your Pets During Gopher Season

• Never use poison bait yourself — over-the-counter rodenticide bait is extremely dangerous around pets
• Avoid gopher companies that won't disclose their methods — ask specifically whether they use any rodenticide bait
• Choose mechanical trapping from a licensed pest control company
• Supervise pets in areas of known gopher activity until control is complete

Gopher Guys serves all of Southern California including Los Angeles County, Orange County, Riverside County, and San Bernardino County.