How To Get Rid of Chipmunks

Are chipmunks interchangeable with squirrels? Not exactly.

In fact, these two animals have real differences in size, weight, color, and behavior. As you learn more about these small mammals, you’ll find out why chipmunks can make a bad impression – especially in gardens and farmlands – despite their cute appearance.

Both species are members of the squirrel family. When you know what to look for, however, the differences will be obvious.

• Size: Most chipmunks don’t even grow to a foot long. Squirrels are definitely larger, with some species measuring up to or even more than two feet long.
• Weight: Chipmunks are very light mammals and often weigh less than six ounces when fully mature. Squirrels are heavier and top out at between one and two pounds when grown.

A young chipmunk is born after a one-month gestation, leaving the burrow only when it is ready to move about on its own.

Some even wait until they have reached nearly two-thirds of their adult size before they venture out. But when they do make the journey aboveground, they are ready to breed in the first year. It is worth noting that the lifespan of a chipmunk is about three years.

A chipmunk’s life is mostly solitary – until breeding season. While other mammals experience one breeding season per year, chipmunks have two. During those times, the females will attract males with a shrill, birdlike chirp as an invitation.

When bitten by or hosting an infected flea or tick, the chipmunk becomes a carrier of disease.

These illnesses include:

• Colorado Tick Fever: Similar to the flu and fairly mild in humans.
• Plague: May result in flu-like symptoms or lead to pneumonia. A doctor’s care is required.
• Rabies: As a potentially fatal virus to all mammals, rabies strikes the nervous system – though symptoms might not occur for weeks.
• Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever: Known for flu-like reactions and a skin rash that may spread across the body.

The greatest concern comes from a chipmunk’s bite, as its saliva can transfer disease. Any bitten area of skin should be checked by a doctor, and treatment will likely be needed.

• Never feed rodents in the wild.
• Never touch injured or dead rodents.
• Do not camp or rest near animal burrows.

Now that you know their differences, you can consider what makes your home popular with chipmunks.

Now that you know their differences, you can consider what makes your home popular with chipmunks.

If you have a garden and the terrain suits their preferences, your property becomes even more enticing to chipmunks.

• What do they eat? Some of the same foods that grow in gardens feed right into this furry rodent’s menu. They feed on the seeds and fruits of many trees and shrubs. Chipmunks are omnivorous, so their diet also includes insects, small reptiles, amphibians, and young birds and eggs.

• Why do they live near my home? This depends on geography and the features of the land. Chipmunks dig their burrows in a variety of locations: woodlands, lawns, gardens, parks, woodpiles, and brushy areas. If your home features similar terrain, you may discover one or more burrows. Though chipmunks are skilled climbers, you’ll see them more often scurrying on the ground near their burrows.

• Which regions or states see the largest populations? Chipmunks are found from Canada to Mexico with the eastern and western species found in their respective halves of the U.S.

A chipmunk will always seek a habitat that offers cover. It will build burrows in wooded and rural areas as well as man-made and developed settings. It is common for one to create a shallow burrow for daytime rests while foraging and a deeper, more spacious burrow for winter hibernation and food storage. The burrow is the center of a chipmunk’s life, and this mammal rarely journeys more than one-third of a mile from its home.

The good news is these small mammals aren’t capable of doing significant harm to your home or yard. As more of a nuisance pest, they leave their mark in two ways:

• Light structural damage. Near rural and suburban houses, chipmunks may choose to dig their burrows near the patio, stairs, retention walls, or even the foundation. This can weaken supports or damage these areas.

• Chewed-up gardens. Chipmunks are known to gnaw on and devour fruits, plants, and vegetables and dig up flower bulbs, making them a nuisance to gardeners. Bags of bird seed or pet food should be kept indoors as these might be a tempting snack.

If trees or shrubs run close to your house, you may be unwittingly offering them cover and easy access to your home.

If you’re looking for piles of dirt as the sign of a burrow, you may be surprised. Chipmunks build their homes free of dirt at the entrances and exits. The holes tend to be quite small, often only two to three inches in diameter, and may extend two to three feet under the surface.

Stumps, stony areas, fallen logs, and woodpiles are inviting spots for chipmunks. Cover provides them comfort. Patios, stairs, basements, and any well-hidden sites near a house or building will fit a chipmunk’s needs.

Being underground protects chipmunks from cats, foxes, skunks, hawks, owls, and snakes. As some of these predators grow to adult size, they have difficulty fitting into a chipmunk burrow.

Like all mammals, chipmunks have their own internal clocks and a primal knowledge of the seasons. Food gathering takes on greater speed in the fall as chipmunks prepare for colder weather.

Finding a burrow means that you’ve found a tunnel system that can extend over 30 feet. Your garden, lawn, or property may be supporting an extensive underground network. Keep in mind two behaviors if chipmunks are repeat visitors:

• Never touch an injured or sick animal. A wounded or frightened chipmunk may bite and spread an illness through its saliva.
• If part of your land is used for gardening, you may need to research exclusion measures that protect your plants, flowers, and vegetables while keeping chipmunks at bay.

Preventing chipmunks from making a home in your yard is far easier than having to remove them. However, you should continue to use the following prevention methods even after you’ve noticed a chipmunk problem. They’ll help you resolve the issue at hand and prevent it from happening again in the future.

As a type of squirrel, chipmunks look similar to their cousins except with smaller bodies and chubbier cheeks. Their coloring is usually light to dark brown with characteristic black and white stripes along their bodies and heads.

But unlike squirrels, they create burrows in the ground and nest there rather than inside tree dens. Both are omnivores that feed on small insects, fruit, nuts, seeds and plants.

Since they’re rarely larger than five inches long and aren’t known to be aggressive, chipmunks usually aren’t a threat to humans or pets. But their burrowing and feeding habits can destroy vegetation and create unsightly holes along lawns. In extreme cases, their burrow holes can damage building foundations.

If you have a garden or lots of vegetation in your yard, you’ll notice chipmunk damage in the form of gnaw marks and dug-up flower bulbs. Chipmunks will also easily clear out bird feeders before any birds can enjoy the seeds. Their burrow holes usually aren’t more than two inches wide and don’t create any surface mounds or ridges, so they’re less noticeable or destructive than other ground-dwelling creatures like moles and voles. But these burrows can become a serious problem if the chipmunks make their way underneath your home and burrow near your foundation or other building structures.

• To prevent your pets or other animals from getting into the trap, cut a hole in a cardboard box that is only large enough for a chipmunk and set the box over the trap.
• Peanut butter serves as a good bait since chipmunks love the smell of nuts and the peanut butter will stick to the trap without being knocked off.

A professional exterminator will use a standardized inspection and treatment plan that meets your needs and has also been proved to work elsewhere. This will help them find exactly where the chipmunk burrows are and if they’re posing a threat to your home. Afterwards, the professional will create a targeted plan of methods that fit your needs, which can include whether or not you have plants and pets to protect and if the chipmunks have made their way inside your house. While their proven methods can be costlier than DIY efforts, they involve less trial and error. Many companies also include a satisfaction guarantee in which they’ll return until the problem is taken care of or refund your money if they aren’t successful.