Chipmunks are small, striped rodents known for their quick movements. Like many members of the squirrel family, they construct elaborate networks of tunnels beneath the soil to serve as their main habitat. These subterranean homes are used for nesting, hibernation, and storing food reserves gathered throughout the warmer months. Identifying a chipmunk’s burrow entrance requires attention to unique visual characteristics that distinguish it from the holes of other small animals.
The Neat and Discreet Entrance
The most telling feature of a chipmunk burrow is its remarkably tidy, inconspicuous entrance. The hole is typically small, measuring between 1.5 and 2 inches in diameter, roughly the size of a golf ball. This opening is usually circular or slightly oval and descends almost vertically into the ground.
A key indicator is the distinct absence of a dirt mound, or “spoil pile,” immediately surrounding the entrance. Unlike many burrowing mammals that simply push excavated soil out of the way, the chipmunk carries the loose soil away inside its expandable cheek pouches.
By scattering the displaced dirt over a wide area or depositing it out of sight, the chipmunk ensures the burrow opening remains clean and flush with the ground. This meticulous removal of soil is a protective measure that helps camouflage the entrance from potential predators.
Preferred Burrowing Locations
Chipmunks choose strategic locations that offer immediate cover and structural support for the tunnel system. Entrances are frequently found concealed beneath natural objects, making them harder to spot. Look for holes tucked close to the base of large trees, where the roots provide natural reinforcement against collapse.
The animals often utilize existing structures for stability, creating burrows under rocks, woodpiles, or thick shrubbery. In suburban environments, they commonly dig next to concrete slabs, such as patios, steps, or building foundations. This proximity to hard surfaces offers a secure starting point for the tunnel and protection from disturbances.
Distinguishing Chipmunk Burrows from Other Pests
Correctly identifying a chipmunk hole relies on comparing its size and clean appearance against the burrows of other common ground-dwelling animals. The size of the entrance is the first point of differentiation, as many other pests create holes that are either much smaller or significantly larger. Chipmunk holes sit in a specific size range that narrows the possibilities.
Smaller Burrows: Voles and Mice
Voles and mice create entrances that are often smaller, typically an inch or less in diameter. Pine voles create dime-sized openings, and their tunneling is often characterized by surface runways—narrow paths of clipped grass—connecting the holes. Unlike the chipmunk’s deep, vertical tunnel, vole holes are often connected by shallow, lateral tunnels just beneath the soil surface.
Larger Burrows: Woodchucks and Ground Squirrels
The distinction becomes clearer when comparing the chipmunk’s entrance to the tunnels of larger rodents, such as ground squirrels or woodchucks. Woodchucks, also known as groundhogs, dig much wider burrows, with entrances often measuring eight inches or more across. These larger animals always leave a substantial, fan-shaped mound of excavated dirt piled directly next to the opening.
Moles
Moles create holes that are distinctively different, primarily known for the volcano-shaped hills of soil they push up while hunting insects underground. These molehills are loose piles of dirt that plug the entrance of a tunnel, a feature entirely unlike the chipmunk’s neat, open, and dirt-free hole. The clean, modest opening of the chipmunk burrow remains the singular characteristic that separates it from the untidy, mounded entrances of its larger counterparts.