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Get rid of chipmunks

How to get rid of Chipmunks? (Humanely)

Chipmunks are one of those rodents that can enter your property and leave you disturbed and panicked. Commonly, they find their way in either through your backyard, garden, digging tunnels, or by simply entering through the door you mistakenly left open. You may find yourself in a situation where you are extremely disturbed about the chipmunk situation in your house and want to get rid of it as soon as possible. However, at the same time, you are not looking for an inhumane way to do so. You want to get rid of it in an ethical, moral, and humane way. In that case, there might be a couple of ways you can go about this. The methods and ways are listed below.

Eliminate food sources
Animals follow the trail of food. They are attracted to places where they can find as easy food source. Hence, maybe the reason chipmunks are in your house is the fact that it is housing items that are attracting them. You need to check your yard and garden for the following items and if they are present you should eliminate them immediately:

  1. Fruits
  2. Nuts
  3. Berries
  4. Bird seeds

Whether you are planting these in your garden or they fell, you should clean it up. These are food sources for chipmunks.

Note: There are certain bird seeds that chipmunks do not prefer. It is called a thistle and can be used to deter chipmunks from feeding on bird seed.

Eliminate areas of shelter
Chipmunks may also enter your house to find shelter. If you eliminate these areas, you can get rid of all the chipmunks. They will have no other option but to find another place and leave your backyard or garden. You can do this in the following ways:

  1. Pick up and remove any rock, stone, or debris that can be used as a hiding place.
  2. Build your birdhouses above ground. This can prevent chipmunks from finding shelter around it.
  3. You can also block their entry by using mesh or caulking.

Once you get rid of their hiding spots, they will be forced to move away.

Use a chipmunk trap
You can also get rid of chipmunks on your property by using a live trap. It is a manual way of removing chipmunks and is very simple and easy to operate. Since chipmunks are extremely small in size, the smallest size of the trap will work just fine. Make sure the trap has miniature mesh openings. This prevents any escape. Now, all you have to do is bait the chipmunk. The steps to do so are mentioned below:

  1. Wear protective gloves and place the trap where the chipmunk is most likely to be.
  2. Place a peanut inside it.
  3. Move away after setting the trap.
  4. After frequent intervals, check the trap.
  5. When you have caught your chipmunk, don’t leave it caged for too long. Set it free, away from your property.

Usage of repellants
Chipmunks have very strong taste buds. Any changes in the food that they intake can deter them. Repellants can be effectively used to alter the taste of leaves and plants that they consume. Both granular and liquid repellants are effective. They are both different in the kind of surfaces they can be applied to. To target certain places like birdfeeders or bulbs, it is better to use a liquid repellant. They can be sprayed easily on these surfaces. The former repellant is better in creating a boundary to create a barrier of entry such as around gardens.

Using electronic repellants
Instead of manually spraying repellants, you can instead use an electronic repellant. They differ in how they work. They are operated based on movement. If they sense any motion, they automatically get activated and activate the repellant. They can be used for a variety of purposes such as protecting vegetables, plants, trees, lawns, mesh beds, etc. The best part is that they are free of any harmful chemicals. 

However, one thing is important to realize, chipmunks are very small in size. Movement and motion detection might not always work on them. In that case, chipmunks can quickly run away while the repellant may not even be activated. Thus, it is best to use this along with manual repellants. This integration allows for a higher success rate at eliminating chipmunks.

Fencing
Last but not least, you can fence the area. This might not be the most aesthetic solution, however, it is bound to bring positive results. It is also very cost-friendly, so it won’t be too big a burden on your pocket. Here are a few specifications to keep in mind when fencing.

  1. The ideal galvanized mesh wire should be ¼”.
  2. It should be 1-foot-deep under the ground.
  3. The wire should be placed in an “L” shape. This will cover a wider area and prevent chipmunks from crawling or finding their way around.
  4. Find out places where chipmunks are most likely to dig holes. Once you have found these places, it is best to cover these up with soil or grass. This ensures further safety.

Some additional methods
If the above methods do not work for you or if you are looking for other ways to get rid of
chipmunks, then here is a list of other options you can go for.

  1. Use mothballs: They act in the same way as repellants do. They have a very bad odor that forces the chipmunks to leave. It is a preventative measure that you can use.
  2. Use predators: You can encourage other animals to enter your property to scare the chipmunks away. You can place an owl box to invite owls. This will scare the chipmunks away and keep them off your property.

Final Take
The above methods have a very high likelihood to help you get rid of these rodents. However, if they do not help, call for professional help. It might be time for your property to be seen by an exterminator for treatment.