It also is difficult to detect chipmunk burrows that are adjacent to foundations when wood piles, debris, or ground cover plantings provide aboveground protection.
Cover provides protection for chipmunks that may attempt to gain access to the home. Where chipmunks are a problem, landscaping features, such as ground cover, trees, and shrubs should not be planted to continuously connect wooded areas with the foundations of homes. Where high populations of chipmunks exist, exclusion often is less expensive than trapping. The cloth should extend at least 1 foot past each margin of the planting. Seeds and bulbs can be covered by quarter-inch hardware cloth, and the cloth itself should be covered with soil. Hardware cloth also may be used to exclude chipmunks from flower beds. Use caulking, hardware cloth with quarter-inch mesh, or other appropriate materials to close openings where chipmunks could gain entry. Damage Control ExclusionĮxclude chipmunks from buildings wherever possible. Pennsylvania law allows landowners to take chipmunks when they are causing or about to cause damage to property. Legal StatusĬhipmunks are not protected by federal law, but are protected by the Pennsylvania Game Commission. They also may consume flower bulbs, seeds, or seedlings, as well as bird or grass seed and pet food not stored in rodent-proof containers. Damage IdentificationĬhipmunks present in large numbers can cause structural damage by burrowing under patios, stairs, retention walls, or foundations. Adults may live up to three years in the wild. The young are sexually mature within one year. After a 31-day gestation period, they give birth to two to five young in April to May and again in August to October. In Pennsylvania, chipmunks emerge from their burrows from late April to early May, although they can be observed above ground in early March during a brief breeding season.Ĭhipmunks mate two times a year, in early spring and again early in the summer. Some individuals become active on warm, sunny winter days. They do not enter a true hibernation as woodchucks do during the fall, but instead rely on the cache of food they store in their burrows. With the onset of cold weather during late fall, chipmunks enter a period of inactivity that continues through the winter months. Complex burrow systems occur where cover is sparse, and normally include a nesting chamber, one or two food storage chambers, various side pockets connected to the main tunnel, and separate escape tunnels.
In most cases, the burrow's main tunnel is 20 to 30 feet long. The burrow entrance usually is about 2 inches in diameter and is not surrounded by obvious mounds of dirt, because the chipmunk carries the dirt in its cheek pouches and scatters it away from the burrow. By storing and scattering seeds, they promote the growth of various plants.Ĭhipmunk burrows often are well hidden near objects or buildings (for example, stumps, wood or brush piles, basements, and garages). Chipmunks cache food in their burrows throughout the year. Chipmunks spend most of their time on the ground, but regularly climb trees in the fall to gather nuts, fruits, and seeds. Chipmunks also prey on young birds and bird eggs. The diet of chipmunks consists primarily of grains, nuts, berries, seeds, mushrooms, insects, and carrion. Consequently, home ranges often overlap among individuals. The home range of a chipmunk may be up to 0.5 acre, but adult animals defend a territory only about 50 feet around their burrow entrance. Population densities of chipmunks are typically two to four animals per acre, although densities may be as high as ten animals per acre if sufficient food and cover are available. Chipmunks are most active during the early morning and late afternoon. General BiologyĮastern chipmunks typically inhabit mature woodlands and woodlot edges, but they also inhabit areas in and around suburban and rural homes.
Red squirrels spend a great deal of time in trees chipmunks, although they can climb trees, spend most of their time on the ground.
The red squirrel also is very vocal but has a high-pitched chatter. Chipmunks are very vocal and emit a rather sharp "chuck-chuck-chuck" call. The tail is 3 to 4 inches long and is hairy but not bushy.Ĭhipmunks sometimes are confused with red squirrels. The longitudinal stripes end at the reddish rump. It has two tan and five blackish longitudinal stripes on its back, and two tan and two brownish stripes on each side of its face. It typically measures 5 to 6 inches long and weighs about 3 ounces. The eastern chipmunk is a small, brown, burrow-dwelling squirrel. They also may eat flower bulbs, seeds, or seedlings. In large numbers, they can cause structural damage by burrowing under patios, stairs, retention walls, or foundations. Chipmunks typically inhabit woodlands, but they also inhabit areas in and around rural and suburban homes.
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