Behavior

All pocket gophers create a network of tunnel systems that provide protection and
a means of collecting food. They are larder hoarders, and their cheek pouches are
used for transporting food back to their burrows. Gophers can collect large hoards.
Unlike ground squirrels, gophers do not live in large communities and seldom
find themselves above ground. Tunnel entrances can be identified by small piles
of loose soil covering the opening.[10] Burrows are in many areas where the soil is
softer and easily tunneled. Gophers often visit vegetable gardens, lawns, or farms,
as gophers like moist soil (see Soil biomantle). This has led to their frequent
treatment as pests.
Gophers eat plant roots, shrubs, and other vegetables such as carrots, lettuce,
radishes, and any other vegetables with juice.[11] Some species are considered
agricultural pests. The resulting destruction of plant life then leaves the area a
stretch of denuded soil. At the same time, the soil disturbance created by turning
it over can lead to the early establishment of Ecological
succession in Communities of r-selected and other Ruderal plant species. The
stashing and subsequent decomposition of plant material in the gophers' larder can
produce deep fertilization of the soil.
Pocket gophers are solitary outside of the breeding season, aggressively
maintaining territories that vary in size depending on the resources available.
Males and females may share some burrows and nesting chambers if their
territories border each other, but in general, each pocket gopher inhabits its own
individual tunnel system. Although they attempt to flee when threatened, they
may attack other animals, including cats and humans, and can inflict serious bites
with their long, sharp teeth.
Depending on the species and local conditions, pocket gophers may have a
specific annual breeding season, or may breed repeatedly through the year. Each
litter typically consists of two to five young, although this may be much higher in
some species. The young are born blind and helpless, and are weaned around 40
days old