Gophers

Gophers are small burrowing rodent that comes in many varieties. Gophers weigh about 1/2 pound, with the head and body about 6 inches long, a tail of 3 inches and have a 2-3 year lifespan (assuming no diseases or predation).

All gophers have in common, the digging of tunnels, subterranean chambers, and the association with the rodent order, Rodentia. Disruption of such human plans for the surface as commercial agriculture, garden plots, and some landscaping, by their underground activities, leads to their frequent treatment as pests. In contrast, North American entertainment culture and non-technical literature tends to anthropomorphize gopher characters as "non-threatening".

Gophers will create a large community of tunnels with large mounds of dirt at their entrances - these are frequently referred to as "towns". Adult gophers will frequently stand watch at the entrance to a tunnel and whistle when predators are spotted, causing all the other gophers to run for the safety of the tunnels.

House Mouse

House Mouse are smaller than Drywood termites, approximately one-fourth inch long. They create colonies in the soil and require moisture to survive. Unlike Drywood Termites, they do require a direct connection to soil. They build tubes up the side of concrete foundations or straight out of the ground, making highway tunnels for traveling to their food source and back. They eat all types of wood and occasionally other cellulose material like cardboard or books. The most common evidence of Subterranean Termites is the presence of mud tunnels along the foundation of the house inside or out.

Norway Rats

Norway Rats, also know as brown rats or sewer rats, are a destructive pest found in urban and suburban neighborhoods. These rodents eat and contaminate food, damage buildings and other property by their gnawing and burrowing, and may spread diseases that affect people and pets. Norway rats are husky, brownish rodents that weigh about 11 ounces. They are about 13 to 18 inches long including the 6 to 8 1/2 inch tail. Their fur is coarse and mostly brown with scattered black on the upper surfaces. The underside is typically grey to yellowish-white.

Rats will eat nearly any type of food, but they prefer high-quality foods such as meat and fresh grain. Rats require 1/2 to 1 fluid ounce of water daily when feeding on dry food. Rats have keen taste, hearing and sense of smell. They will climb to find food or shelter, and they can gain entrance to a building through any opening larger than 1/2 inch across.

Roof Rats

Roof Rats are one of two introduced rats found in the contiguous 48 states. Rattus rattus is commonly known as the roof rat, black rat, and ship rat. Roof rats were common on early sailing ships and apparently arrived in North America by that route. This rat has a long history as a carrier of plague. Three subspecies have been named, and these are generally identified by their fur color: (1) the black rat (R. rattus rattus Linnaeus) is black with a gray belly; (2) the Alexandrine rat (R. rattus alexandrinus Geoffroy) has an agouti (brownish streaked with gray) back and gray belly; and (3) the fruit rat (R. rattus frugivorus Rafinesque), has an agouti back and white belly. In some areas the subspecies are not distinct because more than one subspecies has probably been introduced and crossbreeding among them is a common occurrence. Roof rats cannot, however, cross with Norway rats or any native rodent species.