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Increased native rodents and lagomorphs herbivore abundance associated with shrub encroachment of grasslands could have an indirect effect on grassland regeneration and restoration. In the Chihuahuan Desert, herbivore abundance can be up to two times greater in degraded Prosopis glandulosa shrub dominated states than intact Bouteloua eriopoda grassland states. We tested the recovery potential of B. eriopodapatches in shrub dominated, grass dominated and ecotone (grass and shrub co-domination) states that were exposed to or protected from native rodent and lagomorphs herbivores. Herbivore cage exclosures and control quadrats were established in a replicated blocked design. A disturbance of 40cm x 40cm was created in the center of a B. eriopoda patch in each treatment quadrat in 2001, whereby all above ground biomass was removed in order to examine the ability of B. eriopoda to recolonize. The disturbance areas were measured for recruitment and reestablishment of B. eriopoda in 2002, 2005 and 2008. Although herbivore abundance was greater in shrub dominated areas for the given time periods, there was little difference in recruitment and reestablishment of B. eriopoda among shrub dominated, grass dominated and ecotone states. Results from this study indicate that increased herbivore abundance in shrub dominated states did not constrain grass recovery potential.