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How to Get Rid of Chipmunks
August 29th, 2006 by admin
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It’s hard to think violent thoughts against furry little critters like chipmunks. But when your landscaped garden looks like someones idea of a garden shoot-out, it’s time to get down and dirty. When these furry critters have claimed your garden as their playground and blocked your pipes with their fur balls it’s time to get rid of them. Of course, knowing your enemy will give you lots of advantages. But before waging an all-out chipmunk extermination campaign, here’s the lowdown on your furry foes.
Having Chipmunk Problems?
They may look like tree-living squirrels with their tiny noses, puffed cheeks, and bushy tails, but chipmunks are not baby squirrels. Believe it or not, the two are different but related animals. Chipmunks are ground squirrels; they are the burrowing cousins of the larger tree-climbing species. This, of course, explains the pockmarked look of your garden lot. These furry critters dig and build their homes and shelters underground. This is what sets them apart from their tree-loving relatives, which spend most of their time in trees.
Aside from their choice of real estate and relative smallness, chipmunks differ from their cousins by possessing identifying stripes. Chipmunks are distinguished by two broad black stripes that run from the tops of their heads to their rounded rumps. This is the most telltale sign that the critter chewing your spring flower bulb is a chipmunk. That, and the shrill “chip chip” retort they make when you dash out at them with your newspaper in hand.
Approaches to Chipmunk Control
Before deciding on how to get rid of chipmunks, it is important to learn their habits. Chipmunks are mighty eaters. They spend their life eating, foraging, and storing food. What is the key to getting rid of chipmunks? The key is finding out what chipmunks eat. Chipmunks eat anything and everything from grass to your pizza crusts. Their main diet usually includes fungi, plants, nuts, grains, seeds, and the occasional insect. If worse comes to worst, chipmunks are also known to catch small birds and small rodents like shrews though they do not actively look for these hardy protein sources; they are content to search the ground for edible finds. Chipmunks are not born to be climbers, but they have been observed climbing roofs, poles, trees, and bird feeders to gather seeds, acorns and nuts.
Aside from food, chipmunks are also wary of very open spaces, which is not surprising since they live underground. They tend to stay within shaded areas even while looking for food. Their burrows are usually built in the shade of solid matter like a tree stump or your porch. In your bid to eradicate chipmunks, these are two weaknesses you should exploit to put an end to your chipmunk problems.
*Reader Tip* Several readers have had success with the "bucket method." Here's the original tip from Jonathan: "You can get a bucket of water and float sunflower seeds at the top. Make a ramp to get to the bucket. It's a foolproof method: the chipmunk cant get out."
Getting Rid Of Chipmunks
Now that you know their weaknesses, it’s time to put your knowledge into action. As much as these furry critters wreak havoc in your garden, one can hardly think of shooting them into extinction. There are many other ways to get rid of chipmunks so be creative.
An inexpensive chipmunk control option is to keep a pet. In the urban jungle, cats can be an effective (and fuzzy) weapon against these feisty fur balls. If you’re feeling adventurous, take your pick from badgers, weasels or hawks. These are the natural predators of chipmunks. They stalk their prey in the shade and the poor chipmunk won’t have any idea what happened until it hits the predator’s tummy.
For a less morbid option, live chipmunk traps are effective elimination tools that are sold in most hardware stores. You can get a couple of comfortable size traps and just add seeds, nuts, oats or whatever your chipmunk fancies. Secure the traps in shaded areas or wherever your enemy frequently hangs out. Patience is not even required because where there is food, chipmunks will come. Once trapped, drive to the far side of town and let the critters out. Better yet, drop them off in the nearest national park.
If these don’t work, just give these fur balls a taste of their own medicine. The trick to getting these chipmunks to leave your place willingly is to limit their food supply. You don’t have to strip your garden bare; just spray pepper solution or hot sauce on your plants and the places where your furry friend stays and surely, they’ll move out.
Still, if these tricks don’t work, your chipmunks are a hardy bunch. Just dial pest control and invest in a professional chipmunk extermination program. Now, that’s a foolproof way to get rid of chipmunks.
In many states it is illegal to transport//transplant chipmunks to other areas. Better check your state regulations before doing so or if caught can face a hefty fine.
I’ve tried the bucket method- and to my surprise it didn’t work. Maybe I filled the bucket to high? I went down to basement to take a peak and the trail I left on the plank of sunflower seeds were all gone! Even the one at the very top.
I also went out to the store (before trying the bucket method) and bought a Have a Heart trap. I was lucky and caught two within one week of each other. Then just the other day the seeds were all gone from inside the trap (and get this!) the trap door was down! So now at this point I’m really scratching my head!
Now I’m attempting to try the bucket method and so far no luck. Maybe I may need to try something else? I have even tried an oil pepper spray around the exterior of my house.
Help! What can I do??!!
I went with 4 Havahart 0745 traps, and was able to catch up to 6 chipmunks each day. They were all relocated to a nearby state park. Having 1 or 2 traps is not effective, as the trap is not catching anything else when it has a chipmunk inside.
Multiple traps, placed strategically along their “highways” was the answer for us. I blocked other areas where they entered the yard with a few bricks, so they would enter the yard right into the traps. Worked great, we caught at least 4 per day for a week straight, then 2-3 daily for another week. Now, over 40 chipmunks later, they’re all gone.
I had bought a deep bucket, and a 10 pound bag of sunflower seeds, but then decided that’s not me. I’m a softie, I guess.
But the multiple traps really worked, we didn’t even use bait or seeds, just placed the traps near entry points into the yard, and used bricks and boards so they were guided to walk right into the traps.
In 2 weeks, problem solved.
I have tried the bucket method with sunflower seeds and have gotten rid of 15 chipmunks in a week. The only problem here is i think they told there friends were the mother load of sunflower seeds were before they took the death leap. They keep coming. Theres gotta be a better way to distract them from my property.
Just writing to confirm the “bucket method”. Using it for just 2 days I have so far caught 6. Woke up this morning and there were 4 in the bucket! I have 2 Jack Russells that could definitely eat poison pellets, eat poisoned vermin or get their noses in snap traps. I have an explosion of chippers this year and they have to go. Hav-a-heart trap catches 1 at a time and then I have to do the drowning
Bucket method is cheap, easy, environmentally friendly and safe for pets. If you aren’t having success with this method, you need to put the bucket near the chipmunk “running pathways”. Also, I make sure the bucket opening is really easy to get to (mine is next to a low retaining wall, so they don’t have to scramble up a long ramp. Make sure the bucket is at least 5-gal and at least half full. Make sure the water is covered with sunflower seeds. I have no “lures” on my ramps, just located in a good spot and really easy to get in to. Spraying “hot pepper water” may keep them away but just makes them someone else’s problem and doesn’t address the population issue. Plus you have to keep spraying after every rain.
The bucket method will work, give it time. I hate killing them but they are rodents and they have to knaw on things. Like your car wiring, lines into your house and the same things mice and rats chew on. They are very cute until they get in your air conditioing system and ruin it. They are very teritorial in nature so keep moving the buckets. I caught two the first night and no more for three days. I moved the buckets about 10 feet and caught three. You have to keep changing the water and the seeds because it will stink.
I heard about the bucket method. I filled the bucket half full and floated sunflower seeds on top. Set the bucket next to the wall I call the “Chipmunk Condo”. I went to the basement to get a piece of wood for a ramp and upon my return there were two chipmunks swimming in the bucket. About 5 days later the condo population decreased by 12.
I used the pepper solution ( red pepper ) and warm water to activate its juices, sprayed it on and near my garden’s retaining wall , near the holes they have dug. I still see them running around but they are not digging up the garden anymore !!!! my thanks to the person that posted that one !!
I just tried the bucket method and got 2 within the fist hour
1 5 gal bucket from Lowes $2.95 any deep bucket will work should be at least 2ft deep
1 5.25 oz sunflower seeds Dollar Store $1.00
filled bucket with about 10 inches of water, sprinkled about 1/3 of the pack of sunflower seeds over the top of the water, placed a board (like a ramp) with 1 seed at the top. First one “walked the plank” and jumped in…while I was standing 6 feet from it….second one jumped over the side without even looking inside…never went up the board. I felt terrible but they are really bad this year. Digging and eating all of my expensive potted plants and also getting in the robins nests and killing the babies. Tried hot pepper flakes and cayenne pepper in the plants..they must like hot stuff! I’ve also put bubble gum in the plants. Neighbor has used moth balls, but they push it aside.
I have a question. Will supplying the chipmunks with ears of corn deter them from my wife’s blueberry flowers? She says it will only promote more of them. Will try the mice traps and see if they work.
Thank you.