Cute Chipmunks - are they a garden foe?

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Esther_z6 South Point, OH(Zone 6a) Jul 17, 2003

I have at least two of them running around the patio, next to my herb/flower/anything garden. Do they eat anything I wouldn't want them to?

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NoH2O Everson, WA(Zone 8a) Jul 17, 2003

I have not noticed chipmunks eating any of my plants. My problem is they have dug tunnels underneath my porches, rock garden, flower beds, etc. Sometimes I find a plant that was perfectly healthy the day before looking dead - turns out its roots are dangling in mid-air in a chipmunk tunnel. They have also tunnelled along the rock walls lining my driveway and have caused them to loosen up. And if there are cats around they will go after the chipmunks and smash plants in the process. I think they are really cute but really destructive and I would love to get rid of them.

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kneff Dearborn, MI(Zone 5b) Jul 17, 2003

Ditto. The digging is very destructive. They'll also unearth plants in pots. A friend had to completely rebuild a large mortared flagstone patio because it collapsed. The reason: chipmunk excavations. The ones in our yard are fearless, and as often as I refill the holes and tunnels they dig them out again. The one positive is that they provide endless entertainment for our indoor cats.

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NoH2O Everson, WA(Zone 8a) Jul 17, 2003

On a recent thread I read a post about putting used cat litter in gopher burrows to drive them out. They said they thought it would work for chipmunks too. I haven't tried it yet but I plan to. However I think you would have to restrict it to ornamentals, you would run the risk of disease if you used it around edible plants.

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Calalily Deep South Coastal, TX(Zone 10a) Jul 17, 2003

Chipmunks will dig up seeds and eat them. They really like corn and will take out the entire row of seeds.

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