Chipmunks are small, striped rodents whose burrowing and food-hoarding habits can lead to property damage. They become pests by digging extensive tunnel systems, consuming flower bulbs and seeds, and sometimes compromising home foundations. The most effective natural approach involves environmental adjustments, sensory deterrents, and strategic physical barriers. This article focuses on non-toxic, humane methods to discourage chipmunks from settling where they cause problems.
Eliminate Food and Habitat Attractants
The initial step in natural chipmunk deterrence involves making the environment less appealing by removing access to food and shelter. Chipmunks are opportunistic foragers, drawn to spilled birdseed, exposed pet food, and fallen fruits or berries. Regularly sweeping up seed shells and debris from under bird feeders is essential. Consider switching to safflower seed, which many birds enjoy but chipmunks dislike.
Accessible outdoor pet food should be secured immediately, and ripe fruits or vegetables must be harvested promptly. Standing water or leaky outdoor spigots provide a necessary water source, so fixing these leaks reduces the overall habitat appeal.
Eliminating shelter opportunities is important, as chipmunks rely on dense cover to hide from predators. Clearing away potential hiding spots like brush piles, stacks of firewood, and rock borders near the home’s foundation removes safe havens for burrowing. Trimming back dense ground cover and minimizing heavy plantings adjacent to structures limits the pathways these rodents use to access your property.
Natural Sensory Repellents
Natural sensory repellents irritate the chipmunks’ sense of smell or taste, encouraging them to seek resources elsewhere. Capsaicin, the compound that gives hot peppers their heat, is one of the most effective non-toxic taste deterrents.
A homemade repellent spray can be made by mixing hot sauce or cayenne pepper with water and a few drops of dish soap to help the solution adhere to plants. Applying this mixture directly onto flower bulbs, vulnerable plants, or garden areas creates an unpleasant taste sensation when chipmunks feed.
Because the repellent washes away easily, reapplication is necessary after rainfall or watering to maintain effectiveness. Essential oils with strong odors, such as peppermint, eucalyptus, and garlic, can also be used as scent-based deterrents.
Soak cotton balls with concentrated peppermint oil and place them near burrow entrances, in planters, or along pathways. The pungent aroma deters the rodents, but the cotton balls must be re-saturated periodically as the scent dissipates. Another deterrent involves mimicking a predator by scattering used cat or dog hair, or using commercially available granular or liquid coyote urine around the perimeter.
Physical Exclusion and Barrier Methods
While sensory repellents are temporary, physical exclusion provides the most reliable long-term solution by blocking access to structures and vulnerable garden areas. Chipmunks can squeeze through small openings, making it necessary to seal any gaps larger than a quarter of an inch in diameter.
For sealing foundation cracks, basement windows, and vent openings, galvanized hardware cloth with a quarter-inch mesh size is the recommended material. This durable, gnaw-resistant metal mesh ensures rodents cannot chew through the barrier.
For protecting garden beds, decks, and sheds from burrowing, an L-shaped barrier, often called an L-footer, is effective. Hardware cloth should be buried vertically 6 to 12 inches deep alongside the structure, then bent outward at a 90-degree angle to create a horizontal apron that extends a foot or more underground.
This apron prevents chipmunks from digging under the barrier. For protecting flower bulbs, plant them inside wire cages made of hardware cloth or cover the soil surface with mesh until the plants are established. Securing vulnerable vegetable crops with row covers or fine netting also prevents foraging damage.