If you live near a wooded lot of any size, you're likely to have chipmunks as neighbors. Chipmunks are found almost everywhere there are woods or scrub brush lands. Although more common in forests than outside them, these flashy little ground squirrels still occasionally make their homes in yards, where they're usually seen in stone walls, under walkways or patios, or in gardens. Chipmunks are utterly enjoyable animals, and there's more to say about the pleasure that comes from having them around than about the minor problems they may pose.
Chipmunks are members of the same family of animals as the larger tree squirrels (the family Sciuridae). There is one species of eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) and more than 20 species of western chipmunks (Eutamias spp.) spread throughout the United States and Canada. The eastern chipmunk is found throughout much of the eastern United States to the Mississippi; the western species take up where the eastern leaves off and cover the rest of the continent.
Chipmunks are commonly distinguished by broad stripes along their backs. The eastern chipmunk is larger than most of the western species, reaching 10 inches (with tail) and weighing a mighty 2–4 ounces. They favor deciduous forests with plenty of beech and oak trees, and may be seen most often around the edges of woods where they can forage into surrounding habitat in order to add to their larder.
Chipmunks also readily adapt to suburban yards and gardens and often dig burrows around rocks, woodpiles, retaining walls, and fallen logs. While they're expert climbers, they spend much of their time foraging along the ground—preferably close to their burrows, should a quick escape be necessary. Their vocalizations range from high-pitched whistles and chips to lower "chuck" sounds.
Chipmunks depend primarily on plants for food—concentrating on seeds, berries, acorns, and other nuts. They'll also occasionally eat insects, small amphibians, and, rarely, birds. Like squirrels, they forage most intensely in the fall as they gather food to store and eat over the winter. Transporting food is facilitated by expandable cheek pouches, into which quite a lot of material can be crammed—as anyone who watches these animals for long can attest.
Eastern chipmunks mate in early spring and again in early summer to produce two litters, each of four to five young, but western chipmunks breed only once a year. The young emerge from the burrow after about six weeks and strike out on their own within the next two weeks.
Chipmunks don't usually cause property damage, although they sometimes are blamed for injuries to ornamental plants as they harvest fruits and nuts. Like tree squirrels, chipmunks occasionally dig up and eat spring flowering bulbs. Some homeowners get annoyed when chipmunks burrow in flower beds or under sidewalks and porches, but the burrows are almost never extensive enough to cause structural damage.
Most people enjoy watching these attractive, lively animals and for these people, the enjoyment outweighs any nuisance chipmunks may cause. Only rarely is it necessary to exclude these animals from yards. If necessary, chipmunks may be kept from burrowing around sidewalks, porches, and retaining walls by using an "L-shaped footer." This is hardware cloth or welded wire buried a foot deep in an "L" shape, at least eight inches out, to keep animals from burrowing under it. Or, if vegetation is in the way, a tight fit to the ground and an "L" extension that runs out on the surface, instead of underground, should do the trick. Flower bulbs are protected from burrowing chipmunks if planted beneath a wire or plastic screen ground cover. The mesh should be large enough to allow plants to sprout but prevent digging.
For more information, download our PDF Guide to Retail Sources for Products to Resolve Wildlife Conflicts.
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