|
Chipmunk |
|
Grouping |
Seedivore / Omnivore |
|
Nicknames |
Ground
Squirrels, chippies |
|
Best Known For |
Darting around the yard. Standing upright and alert. Ground
den excavation. Distinctive striped back. |
| Life
Span |
1 to 3
years |
| Mating
Season |
Early
spring to late summer |
|
Litter Size |
2 to 5
per litter |
|
Litters Per Year |
2
litters per year. Gestation period of 31 days. |
|
Dispersal |
Local
dispersal. Family unit is territorial. |
|
Habitat |
Woodlands, woodlot edges, and homes with mature landscape cover. |
|
Activity Cycle |
Diurnal, the become inactive through the winter remaining
underground. |
|
Food |
Seeds,
nuts, grains, berries, bird eggs, and immature birds |
|
Damage Signs |
Undermined brick, slate, stone pathways. Chewed through pond
liners. Will occasionally gain entry into walls and attics
causing damage and soiling insulation. Den entrance holes are 2"
in diameter with a complex and extensive underground tunnel
system. |
|
Treatment |
Trapping to remove problem animals. Exclude animal den site
areas by filling voids and screening off access areas. |
|
Diseases |
Flea
carrier. They are a primary deer tick (lyme disease) host. |
|
Distinguishing Features |
Reddish/rust colored with brown stripes running down the back.
It caries its tail in an upright position. Quick and sudden
movements. It has a chuck, chuck, chuck, vocalizations. |
