Could be moles. Take a hose and shovel. Turn hose on and shove down hole and wait for the mole or gopher to surface from the flooded tunnels and whack it with the shovel. I love the toad theory! Makes a better story. :)

Thanks! I thought the toad theory was a bit out there, but who knows? Gardening in AZ vs the PNW has been a challenge for me.

Initially I thought mole also, but the mound is not similar to the ones I'm used to seeing in the PNW. The exterminator immediately said gopher.

The first round, before the exterminator could set a gopher trap, my husband did the hose and shovel treatment. The result was that whatever it was it left for 6 months...now it's baaaaack!

Sadly, that planter with the palm us the perfect growing spot for plants like the banana. I'm just not willing to transplant more into it only to be dinner for some uninvited guest.

dont kill it =\

see if you can trap it somehow and drive out to a field and just let him go

can you just start shoveling the dirt around that area and see if you can spook him out?

You could be dealing with pocket gophers or round-tailed ground squirrels. The gophers are pretty much nocturnal so its hard to spot them but the ground squirrels look like mini prairie dogs.

Gophers are interested in eating the below ground parts of plants and ground squirrels like green vegetation.

Use the link below and scroll down the page to Gophers, Pocket. For information on ground squirrels, look for - Squirrels, Belding's, California, & Rock Ground

This is a resource from the University of Nebraska and gives a variety of ways to control wildlife - many without causing harm.

Here is a link that might be useful: Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage

Thanks

The exterminator explained that he felt it was a gopher and explained the nocturnal habits. It doesn't appear that whatever it is is coming up for air. So I'm back to felling it's a gopher again.

Now to trap it...

Will a "No Trespassing" sign work?

I get these in my yard, hard to get rid of. If you don't have a dog that eats plants then you might try planting a caster bean, that's how I got rid of them in my front yard. They don't like it at all, will leave the area. Be sure to cut the seed pods off before they dry out or you'll have castor bean trees everywhere. I only let mine grow until late fall and then cut it down and dig it out, they will get huge and you won't be able to reach the seed pots if you leave them longer.

Pam