Repellents containing bitrex, thiram, or ammonium soaps of higher fatty acids applied to flower bulbs, seeds, and vegetation (not for human consumption) may control feeding damage. Naphthalene (moth flakes or moth balls) may be effective if liberally applied in confined places. Ground covers, shrubs, and wood piles should not be located adjacent to structure foundations.Īrea repellents. Store food items, such as bird seed and dog food, in rodent-proof containers. Use 1/4-inch (0.6-cm) mesh hardware cloth to exclude chipmunks from gardens and flower beds. Rodent-proof construction will exclude chipmunks from structures. Consult your local conservation agency or USDA-APHIS-ADC personnel for the legal status of chipmunks in your state. Other states are currently developing laws to protect all nongame species. Some states, (for example, Georgia, North Carolina and Arkansas) require a permit to kill nongame animals. Most states allow landowners or tenants to take chipmunks when they are causing or about to cause damage. In New England, chipmunks and tree squirrels cause considerable damage to maple sugar tubing systems by gnawing the tubes.Ĭhipmunks are not protected by federal law, but state and local regulations may apply. They may also consume flower bulbs, seeds or seedlings, and bird seed, grass seed and pet food that is not stored in rodent-proof storage containers. When chipmunks are present in large numbers they can cause structural damage by burrowing under patios, stairs, retention walls or foundations. Young will leave the burrow at six to eight weeks of age.Ĭhipmunks are considered minor agricultural pests throughout North America.

A second litter is occasionally produced in the fall.Ĭhipmunk pups appear above ground when they are four to six weeks old - 2/3 the size of an adult. Least chipmunks produce 1 litter of two to seven young in May or June. Adults may live up to 3 years.Īdult least chipmunks mate over a period of four to six weeks from April–mid-July. The young are sexually mature within 1 year. There is a 31-day gestation period and two to five young are born in April–May and again in August–October. Some become active on warm, sunny days during the winter and most chipmunks emerge from hibernation in early March.Įastern chipmunks mate two times a year, during early spring and again during the summer or early fall. They do not enter a deep hibernation but rely on the cache of food they have brought to their burrow. The home range of a chipmunk may be up to 1/2 acre (0.2 ha), but the adult only defends a territory about 50 feet (15.2 m) around the burrow entrance.Ĭhipmunks are most active during the early morning and late afternoon.Ĭhipmunks enter a restless hibernation as winter approaches and are relatively inactive from late fall through winter months. The least chipmunk inhabits low sagebrush deserts, high mountain coniferous forests, and northern mixed hardwood forests.Ĭhipmunks are generally solitary except during courtship or when rearing young. The chipmunk carries the dirt in its cheek pouches and scatters it away from the burrow, making the burrow entrance less conspicuous.Įastern chipmunks typically inhabit mature woodlands and woodlot edges, but they also inhabit areas in and around suburban and rural homes. The burrow entrance is usually about 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter. The least chipmunk’s range includes most of Canada, the United States Rocky Mountains, the Great Basin and parts of the upper Midwest.Ĭhipmonks often create burrows in well-hidden areas near objects or buildings. The eastern chipmunk’s range includes most of the eastern United States. The stripes, however, continue to the base of the tail on all least chipmunks. The color varies from a faint yellowish gray with tawny dark stripes (Badlands, South Dakota) to a grayish tawny brown with black stripes (Wisconsin and Michigan). It is typically 3 2/3 to 4 1/2 inches (9 to 11 cm) long and weighs 1 to 2 ounces (35 to 70 g). The least chipmunk is the smallest of the chipmunks. The tail is 3 to 4 inches (8 to 10 cm) long and hairy, but it is not bushy. 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 is typically 5 to 6 inches (13 to 15 cm) long and weighs about 3 ounces (90 g). The eastern chipmunk is a small, brownish, ground-dwelling squirrel. Behavior and damage is similar among all species of native chipmunks, so damage control recommendations are similar for all species. The eastern chipmunk ( Tamias striatus) and the least chipmunk ( Eutamias minimas) are the two most widely distributed and notable species. Fifteen species of native chipmunks of the genus Eutamias and one of the genus Tamias are found in North America.

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