Are gopher snakes available?

[canopy]

Tune (ตุ่น), which are similar to gophers, are thriving and making dirt mounds everywhere. Is there a natural predator that can control them? In California we would release gopher snakes for this purpose. I don't like the idea of poisoning them and prefer a natural predator over letting the locals trap them.

 

[drtreelove]

 

[drtreelove]

 

[drtreelove]

https://gopherslimited.com/vertebrate-pest-control-lecture-notes/

[canopy]

Well no one seems to know if there are snakes for this purpose, but your posts inspired me to search the internet for other solutions. There are surprisingly many alternatives people swear by that sound plausible. The idea that immediately drew my attention is to make a hawk perch to encourage hawks to prey on them. In my area there are many hawks that I see or hear just about daily. It would be wonderful if any of these majestic birds could help themselves. It's very rare to see a tune outside its hole, but I have and snapped a photo. Hopefully hawks will use the perch to their advantage. Worth a shot I think.

 

[drtreelove]

I apologize for making light of your situation. I do know how challenging rodents can be. I have been totally frustrated with gophers and ground squirrels in my own garden in California and tried many of the popular alternatives. I was a licensed landscape pest control operator and have studied and attended seminars, including the practical workshops with Thomas Whittman whose website I posted. I use the Cinch traps successfully for occasional small projects. It's not a specialty of mine.

 

My friend and associate owns a Gopher Trapping Service in Silicon Valley, serving San Francisco/Monterey region, where gopher and ground squirrel control is big business. He runs 7 to 10 field techs setting traps for landscapes, sports fields and field crops. He is the man with the knowledge and experience with gophers and ground squirrels. He has ruled out other methods and specialized in trapping of gophers, and poisoning of ground squirrels.  He has found trapping of ground squirrels to be less effective than with gophers. 

 

He uses Gophinator traps. http://www.traplineproducts.com/

 

And anti-coagulant poison with ground squirrel bait stations.  (This is controversial because of danger to pets and raptors if they eat a poisoned rodent.) 

 

Hawks and especially owls are encouraged, but usually considered as suppression/reduction of a rodent population but not full control.

 

I know gopher snakes, but I have never heard of them being introduced to a property by professionals for gopher control. They usually introduce themselves where habitat and food source is compatible.  If you were to find 'tune' eating snakes available, would they stick around and eat enough to bring you population under control?  Given local attitudes to snakes, would you lose your investment to random slaughter of your imported snakes? 

 

Carbon monoxide poisoning is also used. There is a $1500 machine available to pest control professionals in the US now. Or DIY with a hose from your auto exhaust pipe. 

 

I've never seen this critter in my farming days in Chiang Mai area.  What province are you in? 

 

 

[canopy]

Good info. Only my plot of land has tune, no other land in the area does. Why? The Thai's and hill tribes trap them for food the instant any are detected. The tune population on my land has become very prolific over time and they disturb a lot of plantings especially papaya roots and ornamental peanut. I would think a gopher snake would be in heaven and stay a very long time. And yes, I can guarantee the instant it left it would be killed on sight. But since I border national forest it might escape to some safety.

 

There are many ground squirrels around as well. But they are not a bother and I enjoy having them around scurrying here and there and picking wild bananas and enjoying over-ripe papayas. The difference is tune kill a lot of the trees. Papayas grow quickly and fruit in just a year or two but it's a chore re-planting so many so frequently.

 

I could accept a small population of tune so a hawk perch is still my first plan to see what, if anything happens. I am in Phetchabun province.

 

[drtreelove]

 

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/build-hawk-perch-rodent-control-85480.html

http://www.amadorbarnowlbox.com/raptor-perch.html

 

If the little tunesters have nocturnal habits, you may want to focus on attracting owls:

 

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/attracting-owls-yard-52522.html

[VocalNeal]

They are moles? Use mole traps or those ultrasonic gizmos that stick into the ground. Solar powered . Stick them next to the trees.

 

Or make your own stuff by mixing castor oil with cayenne pepper etc. https://www.improvementscatalog.com/RoomForImprovements/get-rid-moles-using-home-remedies/

 

Castor oil can be found in small bottles at local motorcycle parts stores. CASTOR not CASTROL.