Chipmunks are small, striped rodents known for their skilled tunnel digging. This behavior is fundamental to their survival, as their intricate underground networks serve various purposes throughout their lives. These burrow systems provide insight into how chipmunks thrive in diverse environments.
Purpose of Chipmunk Burrows
Chipmunks construct burrows for essential functions, supporting their survival and life cycle. These underground systems provide shelter from predators and harsh weather conditions. Burrows also serve as crucial locations for food storage, where chipmunks stockpile provisions for the colder months.
Burrows also offer a secure environment for nesting and raising young. While chipmunks do not truly hibernate, they enter a state of torpor during winter, relying on stored food reserves. Their body temperature, heart rate, and metabolic rate decrease significantly, conserving energy. Chipmunks may periodically wake to feed on their caches.
Anatomy of a Chipmunk Tunnel System
A chipmunk’s burrow is an elaborate network of tunnels and chambers. These systems feature multiple entrances and exits, often camouflaged under rocks, bushes, or other ground cover, allowing for quick escapes from predators or in case of tunnel collapse. Entrance holes are small, about 1 to 2 inches in diameter, and often lack visible mounds of dirt because chipmunks carry excavated soil away in their cheek pouches.
The main tunnel can extend up to 30 feet long and 3 feet deep. Within this complex, chipmunks excavate specialized chambers. A central nesting chamber, lined with soft materials like leaves and grasses, serves as a resting area and where young are raised. Side pockets and storage rooms are present, used for hoarding food, collecting empty shells. Some burrows include narrow drainage tunnels to manage water.
Coexisting with Chipmunks
While chipmunks are a natural part of many ecosystems, their burrowing activities can sometimes conflict with human interests. Signs of their presence include small holes in lawns, dug-up flower beds, and damage to plants. Their tunneling can potentially affect landscaping, undermining patio slabs, driveways, or even building foundations. They are also drawn to bird feeders, consuming spilled seeds.
To promote coexistence, several humane strategies can deter chipmunks from problematic areas:
Removing accessible food sources, such as fallen nuts, berries, or birdseed, can make an area less appealing.
Modifying the landscape by removing brush piles, wood stacks, or dense ground cover near foundations can reduce attractive hiding and burrowing spots.
Physical barriers, such as burying 1/4-inch mesh hardware cloth around garden beds or foundations, can prevent burrowing.
Certain plants, like daffodils, marigolds, or alliums, are known to deter chipmunks due to their scent or taste.
Using repellents, such as cayenne pepper or predator urine, can create an unpleasant environment.