chipmunks

Okay, so I have a new house and a yard FULL of chipmunks and squirrels. Squirrels I'm used to, mostly they just go after the bird feeders. But the chipmunks have holes all over the yard. And a neighbor said they'd be a nuisance. What am I in for?

thanks,

angie

A brand new cat! Or two!

I have 5 and a dog. lol The cats stay inside though. My neighbors cat catches the chipmunks and takes them inside the house and lets them go unharmed. lol

Well, that's not too useful. To get rid of the chipmunks, you'd have to get rid of the birdseed.

I like chipmunks but they do fall as easy prey to cats and other predators. Can't you learn to fill in the holes and live in peace with a few sprouted piles of sunflowers seeds in your garden/pots/planters every once in a while? They're much cuter than the multitudes of fox squirrels out here.

Your chipmunks are probably ground squirrels. They can be difficult without a cat or Jack Russell. Being in GA I don't know what you might have.

I'm not looking at killing the little guys. They're really cute. Basically I'm wondering what they eat or tear up or what kind of damage they do.

Lord.
I've had it up to here with chipmunks.
I live in an apartment, and I have 2 huge patios, filled with plants. The chipmunks are regular visitors, and they steal my strawberries, tomatoes, and dug into my (only) watermelon. They leave strawberry bits, caps, and tomato skins all over the place. While I was out of town, they chewed a huge hole in my plastic jug of bird seed.
They tease my dog, Athena. You'd think they'd know better than to tease a rottweiler, but somehow, they seem to know that she'll pick tomatoes for them. (She used to live with a guinea pig.)

lol I feel for you, but that's one funny mental picture!

So veggies get ransacked, got it.

I can't put up with chipmunks, myself, or I won't be putting up food this summer.

Good morning Bluelytes. Glad to see you up and about. Don't get so uptight, she only wanted to know more about the little nasties diet and habits around her new house. Cute they may be, but they aren't everybody's idea of a pet. Can we help her with some personal experiences on what seems to be a new phenomenon for her ? The last forum on bird pests took an unpleasantly biased turn and I think Angie is wise to try and direct responses towards her needs for no-kill information. If anyone is in need of a couple squirrels, I'd be delighted to have you come and relocate them to a new home.
Cheers

Thanks balvenie. :)

Oh, and I've got plenty of squirrels thanks! lol Just don't see why I should plant, say tulips, if it's the critters favorite food, ya know? ;)

I think that pretty much gets the thread back on track ;o)

Thanks hun. Maybe I can get some more info on what these little guys find irresistable! :)

Now, ya know .. you're jes gonna hafta put their own special lil cup of seed-feed out - and they'll be pleased as peas, to leave your spayshall goodies alone .. maybe. (hee)

- Magpye

They *are* cute little suckers. They look like wind-up toys when they sprint past me.

Magpye! What a cute picture! I did put seeds out for the chipmunks in my yard, until a raccoon out-ransacked everyone! Had to take down birdfeeders, stop putting food out for any of them.
In my area, I find the voles do more damage underground, than moles or chipmunks. On top, it is the deer and rabbits. I just try to enjoy their antics, and know that there are others out there that cause much more damage. Good luck. BAM

I've got a bunch of squirrels and chipmunks, too. I think the chipmunks are the ones digging in some of my pots.

It does crack me up when they go tearing by and all the birds fly up at once. It looks like bird bowling! :)

Okay, I'll admit it. They are cute.

I wish I knew what kind of varmint I had. Probably all of them. I was out late one night looking at my plants, and I kept hearing a critter scurrying around. Didn't sound like a rabbit. Didn't really sound big enough or noisy enough to be a squirrel. So it might be chipmunks.

I don't want to kill mine, either. They wouldn't make very good stew. (Now rabbits on the other hand....) But I DON'T SHARE! I planted these vegetables. They're mine!

My cats are all indoor cats. Too dangerous to let them out. But I'm wondering if it would help to get a leash and take a big male cat or two out in the yard just to walk around my garden and shed tomcat scent. (Okay, they're neutered, but they're still predatory males.)

White, my cat can't escape from deer fence. I know b/c he got stuck in the chicken pen with the hens once (I have them enclosed in deer fence). He's an indoor/outdoor and a fierce hunter, but it doesn't stop the bunnies from coming into my yard all night and most of the day.

I do have to say that since I've had 2 big dogs running around in the yard a few times a day, that the activity has slowed. Maybe they'll find greener pastures. They are awful cute though! lol I worry about accidentally chopping one in half when I get ready to dig beds too. Eeek!

Hilarious pic Magpye!

Ecobioangie; In another thread, Equilibrium suggested using bottles that chipmunks and not squirrels can fit into in order to feed them if you want to.

I have lots of chipmunks and they dig holes alot in the soft dirt of my raised beds. I'm not sure if they are damaging the roots but I'm not having to big of a problem. One thing I do see is holes dug right at the roots to my plants, but I'm not sure whether it's the squirrels or chipmunks doing it. The holes look something like this http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=521337 only mine are smaller.

I don't want them to go away, just stay out of my beds. They seem to hate cayanne pepper and when I put stakes in their holes they don't take them out.

Another thing they will do is spit out a mouthful of seeds in a hole so you will find clumps of seedlings growing sometimes in flower pots.

Good luck,

Maureen

Thanks Maureen, that's exactly the holes my backyard is littered with. I bet you they are digging there simply because it is easy digging! lol Especially if the plant is left unharmed.

The chipmunks here, @ the Roost .. are members of the 'clean-up' crew on constant vigile, under the bird feeders. AND, they're true-blue 'good-hearted' gardeners, I tell ya.

They make-no-bones-about diggin' a hole and 'planting' their quarry of feed/seeds. Two of the largest Sunflower plants that I've ever seen .. have been attributed to (their) techniques. And these, are growing where all flowers should be: IN the flower bed. (hee)

Ohh .. and they're 'weeders' also. Will pull small saplings up, in a heart-beat. And ONLY those of which I don't particularly desire to remain growing in the flower beds, of which I didn't 'plan'! Of course, they know there's usually a nice tasty acorn attached to the bottom .. so they dig and dig very well, to fetch 'em acorns!

Re: The photo, on the web-link that mlm01/Maureenposted of the 'holes' ..
{Tis certainly not the case for all of us, nor am I an authority on the subject} - - but, the only time that I've ever witnessed a chipmunk (here) ‘creating & leaving’ an open hole .. has been attributed to their burrow entry holes (of which, they’re not anywhere in the proximity of being 'near' my plants) .. and .. when they've been adamant in removing a 'jes-hafta-get-to-it' acorn, from the soil.

Hopin' that no one rules out the possibility of several other critters being the guilty parties attributing to a big part of the 'open' holes you guys are finding. Squirrels are notorious for leaving holes - as well as armadillos (more of ‘rooting’ action – not de-rooting). And please don't discount the possibility of the culprit, being the lowly rat! (Bulbs, and other plant roots, along with grubs, and other insects (and seeds, from feed and flowers!) that will bury in or fall to the ground) The rat (including mice) and the squirrels, will raid the seed stores of the chipmunk .. every chance they get.

- Magpye

oh they are burrow holes. You can see the little guys run in and hide when disturbed. It's kinda funny when you have a good dozen or more of them wandering around. lol Almost like 'wild america'.

I noticed some digging marks at the foot of one of my hot hats today, so apparently they're still thinking about zucchini for lunch.

Magpye, that was my thought exactly. I have had a flurry of voles moving into the new border I put in last summer. They do eat roots, undermine others, making it very difficult to keep new plants alive. If they are mole holes, I do not worry unless they have undermined the roots too much. They do not eat plants, just grubs, etc, from what I understand. The more grubs they eat, the merrier I am. But, the voles are a real pain in the backside! I have never had a chipmunk make a burrow in the gardens, although they do plant seeds here and there. I do have one promising sunflower in one garden bed, that one of them planted. Explore more, Angie, and see what it might really be. Good luck. BAM

And tonight there was a hole at least three inches deep near one of my potato plants. I put out Shake-Away last night, but I think my varmints enjoy garlic with their vegetables.

lol White, I have used straight garlic powder in the past to keep my daylilies from being uprooted by possums. Worked great! Maybe ShakeAway isn't strong enough?

My dog seems to be interested in the holes. Found a big hole he had dug going after something this morning. Maybe they'll decide they'd rather live elsewhere!

Speaking of our poochems ..
When we first got our ol P'nut: it was he and his sister. (9 years ago, this month) The daughter named her 'Woo'. And this lil spastic she-mutt, immediately became obsessed with the chipmunks that darted about, and was determined to get to them!
P'nut never bothered with them .. but, 'Woo' would stay out in a thunderstorm with lightening bolts shooting across the sky and rain pouring - intent to dig the lil boogers out of the ground. Needless to say, 'Woo' had to go. So, since she belonged to our youngest daughter .. alternative arrangements were made for Woo until the daughter got into her own place, shortly there after.

My point is: the flower beds and any ground/soil sustained far more damage from the wee lil she-dawg and her diggin' to get to the chippers, than anything the chippers could ever do! Lost a few of the chipmunks in the process also. But, what was really awful .. was that her intensive 'hunt' was only so that she snag the lil critters. She'd kill 'em and leave their lil bodies for me to find later. THAT .. was a big no-no for this ol gal. Such, ranked right down there .. with some of other lil sumthins that I don't take a fond likin' to.

- Magpye

Our local chipmunk family expanded this year, maybe my fault for dumping cereal box crumbs near their habitat. But I thought our flower marauder was a skunk. I finally got to plant a nice selection of bulbs last fall. There was a warning about putting bone meal with the bulbs, but I ignored that, wanting rich soil for blooms.
Next day the bulbs were dug up and chewed. I carefully replanted them. Next day they were dug up and chewed again. I replanted them once again, only to find them on the surface, once more mauled. I threw them in the ground and stomped some dirt on them. I gathered some remaining jalapeno peppers, pureed them, and poured the mixture on top. They weren't dug up again. This spring I planted some new bulbs, our neighborhood skunk having unfortunately departed the area, and discovered they were turning into holes from which numerous new little chipmunks danced forth, making merry. Hard to get mad at them--not yet anyway. Now voles--they're a different matter. With them, it's war.

A big ol 'hearty' welcome, to DG to ya .. wddr !!

- Magpye

My Chipmunk population expanded out of control this year. They are all through my side garden bed. They had undermined my sidewalk so much that I'm afraid that its going to collapse. They were planting Sunflower seeds from my feeder all around my planting beds. I didn't mind that because when the small sunflowers came up the Gold Finches had a field day feeding off the seedheads.

But the damage they are doing to my sidewalk is worrying me. I put down this repellant to scare off ground squirrels but it didn't work at all. Then I let my dog out more often - in back, our fenced back yard. He's a Jack Russell Terrier and these Chipmunks originally came from the woods behind our back yard. Our dog would hunt down any that came into the yard. But those little things are smart. Dodging this way and that. I only saw my dog catch one.

So, does anyone know how to get rid of them? Really get rid of them?

I want my sidewalk back!

I want my Hostas back!

Ken

I can say that it seems that having a 100lb rottweiller digging for them seems to have made them move on! Either that or they've learned how to never surface, cause I haven't seen one in a month.

kenrnoto,

I'd be interested to know what damage the chipmunks cause to your side garden bed. I have several chipmunk holes along my raised bed and I have suspected interference with my plants roots, but I'm not sure. I have seen large holes similar to this http://davesgarden.com/forums/fp.php?pid=521337 next to the roots of some plants but I can't be sure if it's chipmunks or one of the millions of neighborhood squirrels.

Do you see such holes, or have plants that mysteriously die suddenly for no apparent reason while surrounded by healthy plants?

Maureen

Angie, we've had our share of chipmunks this year too. We see them darting under the gate in the courtyard when we open the front door. I have concrete planters with impatiens in the courtyard. Now we know what they were doing, planting a mouthful of sunflower seeds in my impatiens and now I have bunches of sunflowers coming up in my impatiens.

It does seem if you enjoy feeding the birds, you will have chipmunks and squirrels, rabbits, maybe a oppussum (sp) or two and possibly raccoons. I walked up the the gate looking out one morning to see a big rabbit running across my driveway into my front island with a little chipmunk in hot pursuit. I'm sure they were running from me but it sure looked like the chipmunk was chasing the rabbit.

Brenda

And I bet it was cute too.

Perfect isn't much use to me if it sucks all the fun out of it.

Our neighbor feeds chipmunks, and I feed birds, so we have chipmunks aplenty. While they are cute, they are also a real problem with garden plants and their ability to undermine sidewalks, patios and landscaping structures. We haven't had one in the house yet, but they think our garage is their own special home.

The little rascals think my potted cherry tomato is their own special fruit tree, and they climb up and down the stalks, picking the tomatoes as soon as they are ripe enough to eat. I have speinkled a generous amount of pepper in and around the plant. That seems to hold them off for a few days until the rain washes away the pepper.

My aunt puts oil of peppermint on cotton balls and tucks them into the chipmunks holes. She says that is quite effective, so today I am headed to our natural food co-op to buy oil of peppermint. I wil let you know how it works.

One neighbor live traps the chipmunks and takes them for long drives into the country, turning them loose in the country where there is a good supply of oak or other seeded trees. She says that she has significantly reduced the chipmunk population in her yard over the summer, so they must not have very large territories - I haven't noticed any reduction in population here.

Jeannine

Just returned from the natural food co-op. The lady who works in the seasonings and flavorings area said she sells about 40 bottles of oil of peppermint a month during the summer to people who use it to keep rodents out of their homes and gardens. It has become such a popular item that she orders two grades of oil of peppermint - one for human consumption and one for fragrance and rodent control.

I will let you know if it works!

Jeannine

Thanks Jeannine,

I'd be very interested to find out.

Maureen