Chipmunk Facts & Information
Protect your home or business from chipmunks by learning techniques for identification and control.
Chipmunk Treatment
How do I get rid of chipmunks?
What You Can Do
One of the more important ways to help control chipmunks is to make your yard more open and less inviting by:
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Keep the grass mowed: While hawks and eagles can see from above, tall grass is one way for chipmunks to hide from them. Keep your lawn mowed to avoid giving chipmunks an easy hiding spot.
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Trim bushes: Try to trim the bottom of any bushes so that around 6 inches is exposed. This makes it harder for chipmunks to use bushes as a hiding spot.
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Clean up debris: Remove brush piles, unkempt wood stacks, leaf piles, and other debris laying around the yard. This will eliminate cover for chipmunks.
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Chipmunk Repellents:
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Daffodils and plants in the garlic family are excellent repellents.
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Shaking a layer of cayenne pepper on top of the soil may also help keep chipmunks away.
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What Orkin Does
Contact an Orkin Pro to learn how to get rid of rodents and safely use traps and repellents. To learn how to control a chipmunk infestation, contact your local Orkin branch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Behavior, Diet & Habits
Understanding Chipmunks
What do chipmunks look like?
Chipmunks are brown, grow to be about five or six inches (12-15 cm) long, and weigh approximately three ounces. Although these rodents are small, they are easy to spot due to their unique markings of alternating light and dark stripes along their cheeks and backs.
Where do chipmunks live?
Chipmunks make their nests in various locations. Some will make their nests underground, while others build them in logs or bushes. Some will also take over abandoned nests from other animals.
What do chipmunks eat?
Depending on what is readily available, they will consume roots, seeds, acorns, mushrooms, insects, earthworms, bird eggs, berries, fruits, and garden vegetables.
Chipmunk Life Cycle
Chipmunks mate twice a year from February to April and again from June to August. Males and females come together only to mate and females raise their young alone. After a gestation period of 31 days, a litter of 2 to 6 young is born. Full-grown chipmunks leave their mother’s den at eight weeks old. Both male and female chipmunks reach sexual maturity by the time they are a year old. Female chipmunks don't remain close to their offspring once they leave the den. They can also live up to two years in the wild.