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Gophers exist in a wide range of living conditions: pocket gophers are found in geographical elevations ranging from lowland costal areas, to mountains in excess of 12,000 feet amidst a wide array of soil types and climate conditions.
Gophers cannot survive in dense, heavy clay or continuously saturated soils. They require light-textured or loose conglomerate soil types that will allow gases to pass and water to drain. The transfer of exhaled gases to the surface and the introduction of fresh air to the burrow through the soil are a necessity for gopher survival. In very sandy soil conditions the pocket gopher will tend to dig its tunnels to a depth where there is sufficient moisture in the soil to preserve the integrity of the burrow.
The pocket gopher can reside in a fairly rocky habitat; burrowing around rocks greater than 1 inch in diameter while pushing smaller rocks to the surface. In this particular environment, the area the gopher inhabits will tend to not have more than 10% rocks in the top 8 inches of soil.
Environments that do not provide more than 4 inches of soil may limit the presence of gophers for two reasons: the lack of enough soil to provide an insulating layer may prove too hot in the summer and too cold in the winter (in areas without snow to provide insulation) for the pocket gopher to tolerate.
Soil type and consistency greatly influence the size and distribution of gophers. Many of the larger types of pocket gopher are generally only found east of the Rocky Mountains where soil tends to be composed mostly of sand and silt. Gophers appear to be "built" for the conditions they reside in and are not inclined to wander or mingle with other gopher genera. As a rule, usually only one species of gopher will be found to reside in a geographical location.