What to do about "Chip & Dale"?

My wife deceided to try a small veg. garden this year. She built a frame, leveled the ground and yesterday we filled it with organic soil. All set to go. That is except for one small detail. We have a resident chipmunk that we call Chippy. He has been around for about 3 years. The problam is that part of the garden to be is located right over his front door. Now I can almost understand his thoughts, one day you got a front door, next day you have to dig through 6" of soil to get out.
We saw the freshly dug entrance this morning. Now my question is, do chipmunks bother vegetables or can I just let him use his entrance?
Chuck

Where one cute chipmunk is on view
Next year you will have a few.
Pretty soon you will discover
Burrows cropping up all over.
Causing swearings and condemnings
Why can't they self-destruct like lemmings?
I've had enough of aggravation,
What will rid this infestation?

(Castor beans?)

I had one (or two) who would steal my cherry tomatoes. I'm sure they will eat what ever fruits and veggies are sitting right at their front door. The only thing that worked to rid myself of this pest was a Hav-A-Hart trap. Worked like a charm. Chipmunk got new digs and I got my tomatoes. The only reason I only lost tomatoes was because that's all I was growing!

Chipmunks are easily lured into Havahart traps when you use peanut butter on bread as bait. However, a new family of chipmunks will move in in short order, so don't lose the trap! In MA it is illegal to move a trapped animal from your property, be it a woodchuck, chipmunk or squirrel (but we do it anyway, just don't get caught). My dog loves to chase them and dig up their burrows - and I let him, as long as they are not in the garden. They love to take one bite out of a tomato or strawberry and just leave it there. Bratty rodents.

Give um Hats and Canes and show them the exit dance LOL

Or you could barbeque them - as in the Alvin and the Chipmunks knock off tune (sung to the tune of "Chestnuts roasting ..."): "Chipmunks roasting on an open fire.....hot sauce dripping off their toes....."

iT'S GETTING gOULISH

Mmmm....tastes like chicken!

You posted what I was thinking, tamberlin!

Go with "have a heart" type trap. I found aprox. 4 X 4 X 7 solid sheet metal "have a heart" type for well under ten bucks three years ago on the net. I bought four. Keeps me busy transfering the little suckers to the other side of town. It's against the game laws of Pennsylvania to try and teach them to swim with the trap on their backs or to kill them by any other manor. The count last year was well over forty taken with sunflower seed.

WOW! Glad I'm not a chipmunk with this gang around. "Honestly, I'm actually a beaver, I'm just small for my age."

I've had chipmunks forever. They don't bother me at all. Never cause real damage. Even had them in my veggie box last year and nothing was eaten. And they're very cute.

i think they are cute, too. I don't have any in my yard, though.

we are overloaded with chipmunks.... see a hole dug here and there.... and just now and then... they have burrows behind my retaining wall and makes my one yorkie mental .... she sticks her nose between the blocks and all you hear is the "ppphhhttthhhh" of her breath trying to see where they are ... she sits for hours and waits for them to pop up out of the holes... most of the time i can hear them chirping at her to go away.... just makes her vibrate more

There are people who think squirrels and deer are "cute" too! Until they are destructive.

Destructiveness takes priority. They just have not been for me or they would be on my hit list too.

We actually have come to an agreement. I don't grow tomatoes where they can get them any more. I cover the strawberries and blueberries when they are ripening and they can have any that I miss. Andrew (the dog) gets his kicks chasing them and never catching them.
All in all, it's pretty peaceful around here. The chipmunks like to sit on the mermaid garden statue's head and chirp.

Now don't get me started on the woodchuck! I saw him for the first time today and almost crashed my car while getting out of it to chase the ^*&^#$$ critter out of my yard!

They are BAD news.

Amen to that! Nasty things!

The groundhog is not protected in any way in Pennsylvania. I discourage them in any way that I can while trying to keep peace in the valley.

I do support that wealthy over weight hog known as Punxy Phill. The world needs just one like him. That guy would not know what a garden was. He is much pampered and fed nothing but the finest organic foods. If you have never been to Punxy Phills one day of stardom each year it is worth the trip to enjoy insanity at its best. You likely can not get a motel room within fifty miles on that one or two day event.

How do you discourage them, Dwayne?

I have a four footed 80 lb. woodchuck repellant named Andrew. Nothing else has worked.

That's a great-looking solution!

Yes the four footed method really keeps the little buggers moving and provides exercise & entertainment.

Suspected Chipmunk Bunker !

i use a shotgun!

On chipmunks?

Here is my #1 Chippy Control. In her prime she would catch 6/7 a week. Now she is semi-retired and only does one once in a while just to prove she still can. The dogs are in awe of her cause they never catch anything. kdcon

Here Chippy Chippy !

This message was edited May 14, 2008 8:41 AM

Breathtaking photo, kdcon! Gorgeous colors, framing and subject! (Please forgive me for butting in, everyone).

OH--and we tried booking a room for Feb. 2nd in or near Punxatawny for the holiday a few yrs. back. We were told to book one or two yrs. in advance! Can we come to your house instead, Tamberlin?

Yes, great photo!

yes on chipmunks,rabbits anything that tries to eat my garden(im a great shot too)

That looks like our hunter Angel.
She routed and terrified and ate bunnies when we moved in.
Neighbors say there is a lack of bunnies this winter.
Chipmunks at the old house, we don't have chip territory here no retaining walls. Woody swath between house developments has chips. They don't come up the bank though, might also be the dog in every house on the street, lottsa barking.

We never had any kind of rodent problem until both of my cats died. After that..... Even the neighbors who claimed not to like cats didn't mind when they were hunting over in their yard.

mtnmama there is no such thing as butting in here