Las Cruces Yard Guide
Gophers and Rabbits in Las Cruces Yards
Homes that back onto open desert, arroyos or farm fields often lose new plants to rabbits above ground and pocket gophers below it. Gophers also chew drip lines and girdle young trees. The fix is mostly physical: wire, fencing and smart planting, backed by trapping when needed. Here’s how to tell who’s doing the damage and what works.
Updated September 2026 using NMSU Extension guidance on pocket gopher control.
Quick answer
How do I keep gophers and rabbits out of my yard in Las Cruces?
Plant new shrubs and trees in wire baskets, fence beds with chicken wire buried a few inches deep, and protect young trunks with guards. For active gophers, NMSU says trapping works well on small areas. Choose tougher, spiny or aromatic plants where rabbits are heavy.
Barriers work best at planting time, so plan them in before the plants go in.
Who is doing the damage?
|
Sign |
Likely culprit |
|---|---|
|
Fan-shaped dirt mounds, plugged holes |
Pocket gopher |
|
Plants pulled down or wilting suddenly |
Pocket gopher |
|
Chewed drip lines underground |
Pocket gopher |
|
Stems clipped at an angle |
Rabbit |
|
Bark gnawed low on trunks |
Rabbit |
Gophers
How do I know if I have pocket gophers?
Look for fan- or crescent-shaped dirt mounds with the hole plugged, rather than an open hole. NMSU notes gophers stay mostly underground, can make several new mounds a day, and damage plants, tree roots, irrigation pipes and utility lines. Plants that wilt or disappear from below are a common sign.
Mound shape
Fan-shaped, with the plug off to one side. Ant hills and ground squirrel holes stay open.
Drip damage
Gophers chew drip lines, causing wet spots and dry plants.
Tree damage
They prune roots and girdle young trees at or below ground.
Gopher control
What is the best way to get rid of gophers?
For home yards, NMSU recommends trapping, especially in spring and fall when gophers push up fresh mounds. Probe near a fresh mound to find the main tunnel, set traps there, and check daily. For new plantings, bury wire mesh baskets to block roots from below.
1
Find fresh mounds
Work in spring and fall when mounds are active.
2
Locate the tunnel
Probe 12 to 18 inches from the plug side of the mound.
3
Set traps
Place traps in the main runway and check them daily.
4
Protect new plants
Plant in wire baskets that surround the root ball.
5
Barrier beds
Bury 1/4 or 1/2 inch hardware cloth at least 18 inches deep around high-value beds.
Rabbits
How do I stop rabbits from eating my plants?
Fence vegetable and flower beds with chicken wire about two feet tall, with the bottom buried a few inches so rabbits can’t dig under. Wrap young tree trunks with guards, protect new transplants with wire cages until they toughen, and favor plants rabbits tend to avoid.
|
Problem |
Fix |
|---|---|
|
Chicken wire fence, bottom buried a few inches |
|
|
New shrubs and flowers |
Wire cages until established |
|
Young tree trunks |
Tree guards or hardware cloth wraps |
|
Large open yards |
Fence the most valuable areas, not everything |
Growing food? See vegetable gardening in Las Cruces.
Plant choice
Which plants do rabbits usually leave alone?
Rabbits tend to skip plants that are spiny, tough, aromatic or bitter: agave, yucca, prickly pear, Texas sage, rosemary, lavender, salvia and many native grasses once established. No plant is fully rabbit-proof, especially when young or in drought, so protect new plantings regardless.
Spiny and tough
Agave, yucca, prickly pear and sotol.
Aromatic
Rosemary, lavender, salvia and damianita.
Tough shrubs
Texas sage, creosote and fourwing saltbush once established.
Safety
Are gopher and rabbit poisons safe to use?
Poison baits can harm pets, children and wildlife that eat poisoned animals, including hawks and owls that help control rodents. In home yards, traps, barriers and fencing are the safer first choice. If you use any product, read and follow the label exactly, and keep pets away.
Rodents also draw snakes. See how to make your yard less attractive to rattlesnakes.
Related guides and services
Gopher and rabbit FAQs
Losing plants to critters?
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1921 Santa Ines Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88011
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