Chipmunks are cute, I understand that, however, sometimes you have to do what is best for your home and wallet. Their burrows have been known to damage your landscape walls and structures, your sidewalks, the outside stairs of your home, and even your home’s foundation. So, how can we get rid of chipmunks? Please read on.
I remember when I was a younger, much younger actually, and fortunate enough to visit Disney World with my family, my sister spent much time trying to get either Chip or Dale’s autograph. You see, she purchased an autograph book previously at a Disney store and whenever a character came by, she would get their autograph. Cinderella, Captain Hook, Pluto, Goofy, Minnie Mouse. She had a bunch of them. We never did find Mickey Mouse though. And of course she only ran across one of the chipmunk characters. I am really not sure if it was Chip or Dale’s autograph that she collected that day, but in her mind, she needed both of their scribbles on that pad of paper. Long story (and day) short, she never got the second one’s autograph.
Anyway, I think that was probably the last time I wanted to see a chipmunk so badly. Just pop up around the corner, will you? Sign my sister’s book so I can patiently wait in line to go on Thunder Mountain or Pirates of the Caribbean, without hearing her complaining about this darn critter’s autograph. Thankfully she did not come across just one of the seven dwarfs, and felt the need to look for the other half dozen of them.
Regardless, Disney World was fun. The chipmunk characters, however, were a problem.
What Are Chipmunks Anyway?
So, what are chipmunks – the actual cute looking, quick but somewhat destructive rodents – not the illusive Disney characters? Well, to start, chipmunks are small, burrowing members of the squirrel family. They are approximately 3 to 6 inches long and only weigh a few ounces. They have distinctive white and black striped markings down their backs and are usually brownish and grayish in color. Chipmunks dine on nuts, berries, seeds, insects and fruit and will oftentimes stockpile their findings for the winter months.
How Can Chipmunks Be Destructive?
Above I mentioned that chipmunks are cute looking, quick but somewhat destructive. Cute looking and quick, I personally think they are anyway, but you can obviously be the judge of that. Destructive, on the other hand, yes they are, especially when burrowing near the foundation of a home.
Chipmunks can inflict damage to your property by chewing and by burrowing. Some of the damage they can inflict are as follows:
- Gardens – Your garden can be a free buffet to a chipmunk – all those fruits and flowers in there, not to mention the tasty insects that may also be enjoying your garden. Chipmunks will often take advantage of your home’s garden, digging the plant roots, uprooting bulbs, and creating nifty underground tunnels.
- The Lawn – Chipmunks dig and burrow and can damage your lawn by doing such. Both you and any pet or livestock may also be injured from unknowingly finding and stepping into one of their holes on the surface of your lawn.
- Your Home’s Foundation – Unfortunately, but quite obviously, all their digging and burrowing can result in damage to porches, patios, walkways and even to your home’s foundation. Granted one chipmunk most likely won’t be enough to worry about, but many chipmunks, on the other hand, may become an issue.
How to Naturally Get Rid of Chipmunks
To naturally and successfully get rid of chipmunks, first start by discouraging them from having free will of your property. Unfortunately, shaking your head in discontent and giving them the cold shoulder will not be enough. To start with, try natural means to deter chipmunks from your property. If unsuccessful then there are also some more humane ways to remove the creatures from your property. Below we will briefly discuss a few methods to try out.
Keep Your Garden Well Maintained
Do you have a garden? If so, keep it well maintained. Eliminate waste. If any fruits fall from bushes, trees or plantings, remove them before the chipmunks notice you are consistently not. Garlic and daffodils are two natural repellents for chipmunks, so perhaps consider planting some in your garden as well.
Keep Chipmunks Away From Your Bird Feeder
Do you have a bird feeder currently near your home? Or are you thinking of adding one? They are great, but chipmunks think they are great as well. They will dine on any seed that may fall from the bird feeder and may gnaw at any feeder made of wood or plastic. Consider mounting your feeder on a thin metal pole, as it will make your feeder harder to climb. Keep your feeder high off the ground and away from porches or fences. And consider adding a tightly fitted baffle both below (if the feeder is on a post) and above the bird feeder.
Avoid Small Shrubs or Rock Walls Near Your Home
I always wanted to say the word shrubbery, so here it goes, to keep chipmunks away, try to avoid placing shrubbery too close to your home. The shrubs may look nice, however they provide shelter and a means of transportation for many small rodents and insects such as mice, ants and of course chipmunks. The same can be said for low rock walls. I know if you have a great looking, small rock wall close to your home already, you may not want to remove it for a few chipmunks. I wouldn’t either. There are a few traps and chipmunk repellents you can utilize instead in order to keep your rock wall and still remove the chipmunks.
Natural Chipmunk Repellent
As mentioned previously, garlic is a natural chipmunk repellent. Chipmunks are simply not keen on it. Try adding pureed garlic and/or hot peppers to 1 cup of hot, soapy water. Wait until the water cools off a bit, strain it and then add a about a tablespoon of oil to the solution. Add the solution to a spray bottle and apply to any plants you wish to have chipmunks stay away from. Other natural chipmunk repellents are ammonium soap, castor oil, human hair clippings and predator urine. Here are a few predator urine products available on Amazon.com.
| Fox Urine – By: Predator Pee | Coyote Urine – By: Predator Pee |
Owls to Repel Chipmunks
An owl’s diet consists of smaller animals such as mice, rabbits, squirrels, voles, moles and, yes, you guessed it, chipmunks. Owls are actually natural predators of chipmunks. Although it is not recommended to try to attract an owl to nest on your property if you have cats or small dogs, if you can and are willing, assembling an owl box may be worth it. Below are a few owl boxes available as well as owl statues or scarecrows that can be used to scare off chipmunks (links to Amazon.com).
| Premium Owl Box – By: Kingwood | Cedar Owl Box – By: Kingwood | Screech Owl House Box For Nesting – By: Vundahboah Amish Goods |
| Dalen Natural Scarecrow Device – By: Dalen Gardeneer | Owl Decoy – By: Thanos |
How to Get Rid of Chipmunks With a Little Help From Innovation
Above we discussed how to get rid of chipmunks naturally, but there is also some very efficient traps and some man-made repellents on the market today that will do the job as well . Below we will discuss a few different options.
Live Chipmunk Traps
The best size for a live chipmunk trap is generally about 10 to 20 inches long. Because chipmunks generally travel along spaces that are covered or semi-covered, place the traps along walls, porches, fences, below trees, within outdoor sheds, or anywhere else you have noticed chipmunk activity. Remember that a captured chipmunk may become anxious, starved for food or dehydrated when inside the closure, so check the traps often. When releasing the chipmunk, pick a spot that is fairly secluded from other homes and a good distance away from your own home. You should check your local laws before trapping and releasing a chipmunk. Some great live chipmunk traps are as follows (links to Amazon.com).
| Small Animal Trap – By: Moutrapper | Two Door Catch and Release Trap – By: LuLu Home |
| Small Animal Live Cage – By: Kensizer | Live Chipmunk Trap – By: Gingbau |
Man-Made Repellents to Discourage Chipmunks
We discussed natural chipmunk repellent earlier. There are also a few man-made repellents out there as well that has had much success. One, off the beat idea to try, is to utilize dryer sheets to repel chipmunks. That is correct, dryer sheets can repel chipmunks. Simply place the dryer sheets in holes created by chipmunks. Other man-made chipmunk repellents are as follows (links to Amazon.com).
| Repels-All Animal Repellent – By: Bonide | Pesto Rodent Repellent Pellets – By: MDXconcepts |
| I Must Garden Repellent – By: I Must Garden | Concentrated Animal Repellent – By: Bobbex |
Ultrasonic Repellent for Chipmunks
Ultrasonic repellents use pulses or vibrations to irritate the pests (in our case here chipmunks). The pulses are out of the range of human hearing, very irritable to chipmunks and other pests and will drive them away from your gardens and home. Ultrasonic repellents can be solar powered (for outside use) and also a plug into wall version (indoor use). Below are a few ultrasonic repellents available from Amazon.com to help get rid of chipmunks.
Solar Powered Ultrasonic Chipmunk Repellents
| Ultrasonic Animal Repellent – By: VANZO | Ultrasonic Gopher and Groundhog Repellent – By: NIKAND |
Indoor Ultrasonic Chipmunk Repellents
| Plug In Pest Repeller – By: Neatmaster | Plug in Rodent Repeller for Attic, Garage or Basement – By: Angveirt |
In Conclusion
While chipmunks are cute, they can do much damage to your home and garden. If you wish to get rid of chipmunks and not to have these pests around, the above methods for humane removal should help. Of course there are also snap traps out there as well that promise an instant kill and no suffering. If above methods do not have the chipmunks packing their bags and moving on, perhaps it is time to move in the snap-trap direction. Give above a try first, however, you may be very pleased.
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