As indicated by its name, the eastern chipmunk inhabits most of the eastern half of the United States and Canada. Western chipmunks inhabit the western states as well as most of Canada. How to Rid the Yard of a Chipmunk Colony. According to a study that examined the social system of Eastern chipmunks, you will only see one chipmunk living in a single burrow system. These burrows are divided into several sections as well. DON’T LET “CUTE” FOOL YOU! The eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) is an endearingly common sight throughout the eastern U.S. and southern Canada, inhabiting a variety of habitats from deciduous forests to urban parks. Their burrow systems are usually 3 feet wide and can extend up to a length of 30 feet or more. Behavior . Bait the trap so that chipmunks can't retrieve it from outside the trap. The burrow system of a chipmunk is a surprisingly complex structure. Chipmunks are ground-dwelling members of the squirrel family. Chipmunks love to burrow in areas that provide coverage from predators, such as near shrubs, trees, brush piles, tall grasses, or piles of leaves and logs. The eastern chipmunk is thought to be almost entirely solitary except outside the breeding season when the young are present with mother. It grows to 11 inches (28 centimeters) and weighs up to 4.4 ounces (125 grams). The eastern chipmunk is found abundantly throughout the middle and eastern sections of the United States.
It has a network of tunnels along with various entrances. Locations undercover are better than exposed areas.
If you’ve allowed a chipmunk to move in around your home’s foundation, just picture that extensive burrow system under your porch and all the dirt that is no longer there. My research has extended underground, even. Besides their destructive burrowing, chipmunks dig up garden seeds, steal flower bulbs, and will eat berries and fruit. If they can get away with it they will empty your entire feeder in the course of one afternoon.
Research indicates that, except for when a mother is raising her babies, only one chipmunk lives in a burrow. An individual defends the area around the burrow entrance, and is dominant to other chipmunks in this area. Eastern chipmunks cover burrows with materials such as leaves, sticks, rocks and vegetation and do inasmuch as they can to protect it. I’m fascinated with the practical organization of their burrow systems, which can become quite complex over many years. The territory of a chipmunk can cover as much as 1/2 acre but they only actively protect the area immediately surrounding the entrance of …
Occasionally chipmunks dig up and eat spring flowering bulbs and burrow in flower beds or under sidewalks and porches. Chipmunks Are Solitary and Territorial. Eastern Chipmunks will steal seed from your bird feeder throughout the spring and summer, pack it in their cheeks and dash off to stock it in their burrows.
They include a chamber for storing food, a rest area, a nesting area or a nursery, and a chamber for excreting waste. Eastern chipmunks mainly occur at an altitude of 1220 m (4000 ft). In this section we’ll teach you how to make handmade chipmunk traps, find the most suitable bait for them and will identify the perfect ready-to-use traps.