Do Gophers Eat Grass: What Their Diet Actually Includes (And What They Avoid)

Gophers are primarily herbivores, and their diet is about 70% plant-based, with grass being their top choice. 🌱 Their powerful front teeth and strong jaws let them chew through tough stems and roots, making them lawn and garden pests.

Interestingly, they store food in underground chambers, which can further damage your yard. In winter, they rely more on stored roots and bulbs since fresh grass is scarce, but they'll still dig up lawns if needed.

This burrowing behavior isn't just about eating—it's also how they create their underground homes. Their tunnels can stretch 10-20 feet per burrow system, leaving behind unsightly mounds and weakened grass patches.

The conflict with lawns happens because gophers prefer tender, young grass shoots, which they find by digging shallow tunnels just beneath the surface.

Gopher diet breakdown: why grass is a staple

Gophers have evolved as obligate herbivores, meaning their digestive systems are perfectly adapted to process fibrous plant material like grass. Their large, ever-growing incisors (which never stop growing) are specialized for gnawing through tough grass stems and roots.

The secret lies in their hindgut fermentation system—similar to cows—where microbes in their cecum break down cellulose, the tough structural component of plant cell walls. This allows them to extract maximum nutrition from grass, which contains only about 10-20% digestible protein compared to animal flesh.

Their grass consumption isn't random—gophers target young, tender shoots that are easier to digest and higher in moisture content.

In spring and summer, when grass grows rapidly, gophers can consume up to 15% of their body weight daily in fresh vegetation. 🌱 During winter, they rely more on stored roots and bulbs (like dandelion and clover roots) because surface grass becomes scarce and harder to access.

Interestingly, their diet shifts seasonally: in summer, they eat more leaves and stems, while winter brings increased root consumption.

Grass provides more than just calories—it's packed with the fiber and roughage gophers need to keep their digestive systems functioning properly. Without sufficient fiber, they'd suffer from digestive blockages, a common issue in captive gophers fed processed foods.

The act of chewing grass also helps wear down their continuously growing teeth, preventing overgrowth that could lead to painful jaw misalignment. This dual benefit explains why gophers will always prefer fresh grass over other plant options when available.

What's fascinating is how gophers select their grass. Studies show they prefer cool-season grasses like Kentucky bluegrass and fescue over warm-season varieties like Bermuda grass. This preference likely stems from the higher moisture content and softer texture of cool-season grasses, which are easier to process.

They'll even avoid grass treated with certain herbicides, demonstrating their ability to detect chemical changes in plant tissues. 🌿 This selective eating behavior makes them particularly problematic for lawns, as they'll target the healthiest, most desirable grass patches first.

Gophers don't just eat grass—they engineer their food sources. Their burrowing creates ideal growing conditions for grass by aerating compacted soil and bringing up nutrients from deeper layers. This paradoxical relationship means gophers can actually improve soil quality while simultaneously destroying lawns.

The underground chambers they create become natural composting sites where partially digested plant material mixes with soil, creating nutrient-rich pockets that benefit plant growth—just not the plants you want growing in your yard.

Here's what makes their grass consumption particularly damaging: gophers don't just nibble—they systematically excavate entire root systems. A single gopher can create 50-100 feet of tunnels in a season, each just inches below the surface where grass roots are most vulnerable.

The damage isn't just from consumption but from the physical disruption of the root zone, which can kill grass even if the gopher moves on. This explains why lawns often show patchy die-off rather than uniform damage—gophers target specific feeding zones.

Protecting your lawn: gopher-proofing grass and gardens

If gophers are ravaging your lawn, the first line of defense is physical barriers. Install buried wire mesh fencing at least 2 feet deep and extend it 1 foot above ground to block their tunneling and jumping.

Use 1/4-inch hardware cloth—this fine mesh prevents gophers from chewing through while allowing water and air to reach the soil. For existing damage, create a trap tunnel system using galvanized steel traps baited with fresh grass clippings near their mounds. 💫

Natural repellents can complement fencing by making your yard less appealing. Plant gopher-resistant alternatives like creeping thyme, marigolds, or daffodils around lawn edges—their strong scents deter gophers. Spray castor oil-based repellents (like Bonide Repels-All) on grass and garden beds monthly, as gophers avoid the taste.

Another trick is to place predator urine granules (fox or coyote) near active tunnels—gophers rely on their keen sense of smell to detect threats. Rotate repellent methods seasonally, as gophers can become accustomed to single scents over time.

Long-term solutions focus on habitat modification. Gophers seek soft, loose soil for easy digging—so compact your lawn annually with a roller or foot traffic to make tunneling difficult. Plant deep-rooted ground covers like clover or vetch in high-risk areas, as their dense root systems disrupt gopher burrowing.

Consider introducing natural predators like owls or snakes by installing birdhouses or creating brush piles near your property. Even a single barn owl can eat 5-10 gophers weekly, providing free pest control. 🦉

For severe infestations, combine methods for maximum effectiveness. Start with fencing along property borders, then add repellents to hotspot areas, and monitor with tunnel markers**—popsicle sticks inserted vertically in the ground will show if gophers are digging nearby.