Chipmunks are small, active rodents frequently observed across North America, with one species, the Siberian chipmunk, also found in northern Asia. These creatures are recognized for their distinctive striped patterns and their energetic foraging habits. While they are known for their love of nuts, chipmunks are omnivores, consuming a wide array of foods to meet their dietary needs. This varied diet allows them to adapt to different environments and available resources.
Favorite Nuts
Chipmunks have a strong preference for nuts due to their high energy content, which is crucial for their active lifestyle and preparing for colder months. Acorns are a significant part of their diet, often collected in large quantities, serving as a primary food source for winter. They also readily consume beechnuts, particularly in areas where beech trees are abundant, and hickory nuts, which they can crack open with their sharp incisors.
Chipmunks also eat walnuts and pecans. Pine nuts are consumed, especially when chipmunks can access pine cones. Hazelnuts are another favored nut. Local nut availability influences their choices.
More Than Just Nuts
While nuts are a staple, chipmunks are opportunistic feeders with a diverse diet that extends far beyond them. They consume various seeds, including sunflower seeds, often raiding bird feeders for these oil-rich items. Chipmunks also forage for fruits and berries such as strawberries, blueberries, apples, cherries, grapes, and even peaches and plums when available.
Their diet incorporates green plants, leaves, stems, and various fungi, including mushrooms. Chipmunks are not strictly herbivorous; they supplement their plant-based diet with insects and small invertebrates like caterpillars, beetles, and snails. They have even been known to raid bird nests for eggs.
How Chipmunks Eat and Store
A distinctive feature of chipmunks is their ability to carry large amounts of food in their expandable cheek pouches. These pouches can stretch significantly, allowing them to quickly gather food and transport it back to their burrows, minimizing exposure to predators.
Chipmunks are known for their hoarding behavior, caching food in their elaborate underground burrows for later consumption, particularly during winter. They may create a central food storage area or multiple smaller stashes. While chipmunks do not truly hibernate, they enter periods of torpor during winter, waking periodically to eat from their stored provisions.
What Not to Feed Wild Chipmunks
Feeding wild chipmunks can have negative consequences for their health and natural behaviors. Processed foods, salted nuts, and sugary snacks should be avoided as they lack essential nutrients and can lead to obesity or digestive problems. Salted peanuts, for instance, can cause kidney issues.
Dairy products are also unsuitable for chipmunks. Certain human foods, like raw potatoes, onions, garlic, chocolate, and avocado, are toxic. Apple seeds and cherry pits also contain harmful compounds. It is best to allow chipmunks to forage for their natural diet, which supports their health and wild instincts.