Chipmunks are small, striped rodents primarily found across North America and parts of Asia. These active, diurnal mammals are constantly foraging to meet their high energy demands and prepare for the colder months. Their opportunistic feeding habits allow them to thrive in diverse environments, from dense forests to suburban areas. They rely on a wide range of foods to provide necessary carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.
The Core of Their Natural Diet
The primary components of a chipmunk’s diet are plant-based. They particularly relish high-calorie items that can be stored efficiently for later consumption, such as nuts and seeds. Acorns, maple seeds, pine cones, and various grasses are major food sources. These concentrated sources of fat and carbohydrates are necessary for building up reserves, especially leading into autumn.
Other favored plant foods include berries, fruits, and the bulbs of many plants. Fungi, including mushrooms, also form a regular part of their diet, assisting in spore dispersal. They also consume grains, tender plant shoots, and buds.
Chipmunks are expert climbers, enabling them to access nuts and seeds that remain on trees, though they spend most of their time foraging on the ground. Their preference for high-energy items allows them to minimize foraging time, which is important for avoiding predators.
Essential Non-Plant Food Sources
While plant matter makes up the bulk of their intake, chipmunks are omnivores and require animal protein to supplement their diet. This protein is important during the breeding season and for the development of their young. They actively seek out a variety of small invertebrates to satisfy this nutritional need.
Insects, such as grubs and caterpillars, are a readily available source of protein. Earthworms, slugs, and snails are also frequently consumed. Occasionally, chipmunks display opportunistic predatory behavior, preying on small frogs, snakes, or raiding bird nests for eggs or nestlings.
Unique Feeding and Hoarding Behaviors
A defining feature of chipmunk feeding is the efficiency of transport, facilitated by their large internal cheek pouches. These specialized, expandable sacs allow them to carry a surprising volume of food, sometimes nearly doubling the size of their head. They use their forepaws to stuff items into these pouches, minimizing trips back to their burrow.
Chipmunks employ a flexible hoarding strategy, using both scatter hoarding (burying small caches) and larder hoarding (storing a large supply in a central burrow chamber). Unlike true hibernators, chipmunks enter a state of torpor, waking periodically throughout the winter to feed on their stored caches. A single chipmunk can transport and store up to eight pounds of food in its burrow during the autumn months.
Common Foods That Should Be Avoided
While chipmunks are opportunistic feeders, many common human foods pose serious health risks. Highly processed foods, such as bread, cakes, and biscuits, are unhealthy and can lead to obesity due to their high caloric content. Salty snacks and candy should be avoided, as excess salt and sugar are not suitable for their small bodies.
Dairy products are not a natural part of their diet and can cause digestive issues. It is important to avoid certain seeds and pits, such as those from apples, peaches, and cherries, which contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides. Additionally, moldy or spoiled food can be fatal, and feeding chipmunks can lead to a dependence on human handouts.