Hey guys,

I’m going to pull out all the stops with this post and share with you just about everything I know about getting rid of chipmunks. I’ve dubbed this post My Ultimate Guide because it contains just about every technique available (both humane and lethal) for removing the little pests from your yard and property.

Why Chipmunks Are Pests

Chipmunks may look cute but they’re a long way from their fictional representation in kids TV shows such as Chip n Dale: Rescue Rangers and Alvin and the Chipmunks. If you have a family of chipmunks living close to your home, you’ll already be aware of the problems they cause, but for those that haven’t experienced the issues of humans and chipmunks living in close proximity, here’s the lowdown on the trouble they cause:

• They destroy your plants and crops
• They also eat other animal’s food (dog food, cat food, birdseed)
• They create vast burrows under the foundations of your home and other structures
• They scare desirable creatures such as small birds away from your yard
• They make an annoying chirping sound

If you want to know more about chipmunks, check out my chipmunk facts page.

How To Get Rid of Chipmunks

Before discussing how to get rid of chipmunks, I should mention that keeping a tidy yard can reduce the desirability of your property for chipmunks looking for a home. By making sure your yard is well swept and there is little in terms of food for the chipmunk (nuts, berries, fruit, bulbs etc.) you can drastically reduce the risk of infestation.

I’ve split the chipmunk removal methods into two categories:

1. Humane Chipmunk Removal Techniques
2. Lethal Chipmunk Removal Techniques

The type of method you choose will depend on your personal views and beliefs, the time you have available and the money you have at your disposal. The table at the foot of this article shows the advantages and disadvantages of each method as well as how effective it is.

Humane Chipmunk Removal Techniques

Trapping the chipmunks

You can trap chipmunks by manually catching the little critters yourself or purchasing a dedicated chipmunk trap that will do the job for you.

Dedicated chipmunk traps come in a number of different varieties although many of them look very similar. The one I have found to be most effective is the Havahart 1083 single-door cage trap (pictured below):

Havahart Single-door chipmunk trap

Also available is a two-door version, which gives the chipmunk two methods of entry (however it does not give you the ability to catch 2 chipmunks at once).

Simply bait the trap, leave overnight close to where you think the chipmunk’s home is and check it in the morning. Chances are one of the little rascals will be caught.

THE HAVAHART CHIPMUNK TRAP IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE *HUMANE* METHOD OF GETTING RID OF CHIPMUNKS!

Catching a chipmunk yourself is very time intensive so should only be attempted if the chipmunk infestation is small. There is also a risk that the chipmunk could bite you – although chipmunks aren’t known to carry any infectious diseases, there is still an element of risk. This method is probably best used for getting rid of a single chipmunk that has accidentally got into your home. To be honest, this is one of the least effective methods of getting rid of chipmunks and has only been included here to make the article fully-comprehensive.

To catch a chipmunk, you first need to see it. Having observed it, approach it slowly with a large, heavy towel held out in front of you covering your body. This will hide the shape of your body from the chipmunk so that it doesn’t run away. When you are close enough, throw the towel over the chipmunk and hold it down at the sides, then wrap the chipmunk in the towel and transfer to a box or sack ready for disposal.

After trapping a chipmunk using one of the two methods above, it is time to remove it from your property. Chipmunk removal involves taking it at least 2miles away (so it can’t find it’s way home) and releasing it into the wild.

Scaring the chipmunks away

There are a number of ways you can scare chipmunks out of your yard.

The first involves using a decoy. These are models of large birds of prey such as owls or hawks that are natural predators of the chipmunk. You can see an example of a simple owl decoy here. More elaborate varieties of decoys are available such as ones that flap their wings, make a noise or their eyes light up, however I haven’t had much luck with this method.

Next, we have fox urine pellets. Again, foxes are natural predators of the chipmunk and they will associate the smell of fox urine with danger and be scared into leaving your property. Although there have been some reported successes using this method, there have been many more reports of it being unsuccessful.

Finally, we have mothballs. Wrap mothballs in old socks and place them strategically throughout your yard. This is a natural repellent for chipmunks as well as a host of other rodents and may lead to them moving out of your yard. Out of all the methods for scaring chipmunks away, this (in my opinion) is the most effective.

Lethal Chipmunk Removal Techniques

Trapping the chipmunks

Again, chipmunk trapping is an effecting way of getting rid of chipmunks, however the traps below will kill the chipmunks rather than catching them alive.

One of the best lethal chipmunk traps on the market is the Agri Zap Rat Zapper Ultra.

Agri Zap RZU001 Rat Zapper Ultra

Simply bait the trap and leave overnight. When the chipmunk enters it gets a jolt of electricity through its body that kills it instantly. It is ‘cleaner’ than traditional spring-loaded methods as there is no blood and gore to contend with.

THE RAT ZAPPER IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE *LETHAL* METHOD OF GETTING RID OF CHIPMUNKS.

A cheaper (but bloodier) chipmunk trap is the Big Snap-E Rat Trap. It works by snapping the neck/spinal cord and crushing the head of any chipmunk that tries to take the bait.

An inexpensive chipmunk trap that you can build yourself involves filling a gallon bucket of water and leaning a wooden plank against to allow the chipmunk to walk up to the bucket’s rim. Bait the plank and water with seeds (pumpkin seeds are ideal as they will float on the water’s surface) and leave near to the chipmunk’s home. The chipmunk will be attracted by the seeds and fall in the water whilst trying to grab them from the top of the water, subsequently drowning.

Click here to see a video tutorial on constructing a bucket of water trap.

Natural predators

The final technique is to get a cat or two as a family pet. Cats enjoy stalking, chasing and killing all manner of rodents including chipmunks. Owning a cat will not only reduce the chipmunk population but also put the fear of god into any that are left scaring them away from your yard forever.

What are the Pros & Cons of Each Method?

The table below shows how effective each of the techniques for getting rid of chipmunks are as well as the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

I have listed them in order of effectiveness with the most effectiveness (and recommended) technique at the top and the least effective at the bottom.

Summary

In this Ultimate Guide on How To Get Rid of Chipmunks, I’ve shared with you a plethora of techniques for making your yard and home a chipmunk-free zone.

As you can see by the table, my recommended methods of chipmunk removal are either the Havahart Trap (humane solution) or the Rat Zapper trap (lethal solution). Although they are the most effective, they are also the most expensive but there are solutions available for any budget.

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this article and if you’ve found it useful, I’d love to hear your comments in the comments area below.

Until next time,

John

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Just a quick post to tell you about a website that has lots of great advice for getting rid of chipmunks.

It’s called How to get rid of chipmunks and is part of the Get Rid! network of websites dedicated to getting rid of unwanted stuff.

It offers very similar advice to that which you can find here but there are a few differences and number of extra blog posts that provide more in-depth information on subjects such as trapping, baiting and poisoning.

I’m sure you’ll find it to be a useful complement to the information you find here

John

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Hey guys,

In my previous post I talked about how to get rid of chipmunks humanely using chipmunk traps.

In this post, I’m going to discuss a chipmunk trap that isn’t as kind on Mr. and Mrs. Chipmunk – in fact, it’s lethal to them!

Introducing the Agri-Zap Rat Zapper Ultra.

Although it’s called a rat-zapper, this tool works for all manner of rodents, especially chipmunks and is a major part of the arsenal used by professional exterminators.

Agri Zap RZU001 Rat Zapper Ultra

You simply bait the Rat-Zapper with fruit or nuts (birdseed works pretty well too) and leave the device near to where you have seen chipmunk activity. When the chipmunk enters, the rat-zapper will fire a  jolt of electricity through the chipmunk’s body killing it instantly.

It has many benefits over other lethal methods for getting rid of chipmunks, the main one being that there is none of the blood and gore you can experience when using traditional spring-loaded traps.

Getting rid of the chipmunk’s corpse afterwards is a snip – simply lift the rat zapper by it’s insulated handle, carry it to the garbage can and let it slide out.

Advantages

• No blood or gore
• Kills chipmunk instantly
• Easy to dispose of dead chipmunk

Disadvantages

• Lethal (check out humane chipmunk traps)
• Potentially expensive for larger infestations as it requires 4 D alkaline batteries for around 20-30 kills (check out the bucket of water trap)

Check out other ways of getting rid of chipmunks here.

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Hey guys,

Today I’d like to talk about getting rid of chipmunks from your property using humane chipmunk traps. There are a number of traps available to choose from and it is important to get the right size; if it’s too big, the chipmunk may fail to trigger the trap mechanism and if it’s too small the chipmunk will either avoid entering it or stop the trap from closing completely.

I would recommend the following traps for chipmunk catching and removal:

Havahart Single-door chipmunk trap

The Havahart 1083 one-door cage trap is, in my professional opinion, the best dedicated chipmunk trap available on the consumer market.

The Havahart 1025 2-door chipmunk trap is very similar, however the double doors (one at either side of the trap) gives the chipmunks two ways to get to the bait – unfortunately, it does not mean that you can catch two chipmunks at a time as when the trap is triggered, both doors close.

You should set the traps close to where you believe your chipmunk’s tunnels are. Although they can be difficult to find, it is safe to assume the chipmunks home is fairly close to the areas where they are most active.

Bait the traps with foods that are enticing to chipmunks. In my experience, seeds, sliced fruit (such as apples or strawberries) and cheese are good for chipmunks. The trap should be laid out at dusk.

It is a good idea to leave bait in the trap without actually setting it for a few days as this gives the chipmunks a false sense of security and they will associate the trap with food. After the second or third day, set the trap in the evening and by morning you’ll have your first catch. Repeat over the following days until wild chipmunk activity on your property ceases.

The only thing left to do then is remove the chipmunks from your yard – ideally as far away as possible but anything over 2.5 miles will prevent the chipmunks finding their way back.

Have fun trapping those chipmunks!

John

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Get rid of chipmunks with an owl decoy

Hey guys,

If you’ve got chipmunks in your yard and they’re causing wanton damage to your property, one way to get rid of them is by scaring them away using an owl or hawk decoy (as pictured  on the right).

This is basically an ornament that resembles a large bird of prey. It sits in your yard (ideally placed near to the chipmunk’s burrow) and when the little chipmunk sees it, they’ll be scared witless

After seeing their natural predator hanging around a few times, Mr Chipmunk will hopefully decide he made a terrible mistake by setting up home in your yard and move on to pastures new.

The range of birds-of-prey decoys available on the market is vast but I’d suggest sticking with either an owl or hawk as chipmunks seem to be naturally terrified of these animals.

I’d also recommend going for the decoy that looks most realistic in terms of both shape and size. Practically, color and detail are less important but if you’re going to have it sitting in your yard, you want the coolest-looking ornament you can get, right?

Also available are decoys with robotics inside them that make the eyes glow and reproduce realistic wing action but I don’t recommend using these as I know from experience that they don’t work as well – and they’re more expensive.

Another little tip that I’ve found that will help get rid of your chipmunk infestation is to sprinkle some fox urine granules at the base of the decoy to add an extra layer of scare-mongering. The chipmunk’s senses will quickly pick up the scent and will be doubly frightened – the li’l critter will think he’s built his home in predator-ville!

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Hey guys,

For a change, I thought I’d write a short post that gives you several interesting facts about chipmunks. In future posts I’ll be talking in detail about several different chipmunk pest control techniques but in the meantime, here’s your chance to learn a little more about these critters.

Click here if you’re looking for ways to get rid of chipmunks.

1. All but one of the 25 species of chipmunks can be found on the continent of North America (from Mexico in the South to Canada in the North).
2. Chipmunks mate in early spring and after a 30-day gestation period, a litter of 3-5 young are born (although litters of up to ten young have been reported). Chipmunks only create one litter of young per year.
3. Chipmunks hibernate throughout the Winter, although instead of storing food as body fat, they wake up around every two weeks to eat from their food store.
4. Chipmunks are capable of communicating with other members of their species by a variety of sounds and gestures. It is thought they have as many as 30 distinguishable ‘words’ in their vocabulary.
5. Although a chipmunks are generally herbivorous with their primary food sources being nuts, seeds, fruit and berries, they have also been known to eat birds eggs, slugs, snails, worms, insects, small frogs and small mammals (usually younglings).
6. Chipmunks have a lifespan of around 2-3 years in the wild.
7. When they are three months old, young chipmunks are fully developed and will leave the litter.
8. Although they have a small mouth, chipmunks have pouches in their cheeks, which can expand to up to three times the size of their heads and allows them to carry dirt out of their burrows and food into it.
9. Chipmunks are also referred to as ‘Ground Squirrels’.
10. Chipmunk burrows can be as long as 3.5 meters in length. The main chamber is used for sleeping and to raise the litter with other chambers used for food storage and ‘toilet areas’.

There you go – ten interesting facts about chipmunks. In the next few posts, I’ll be talking about some of the various ways you can use to exterminate them

John

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Hey Guys,

In this post, I’d like to give you a quick overview of some of the different methods you can use to get rid of chipmunks. It is by no means an exhaustive list and only a brief description of each technique is given, however you should gain enough information to try them out. In future posts, I’ll be writing in more detail about each of these ways of getting rid of chipmunks.

I’ve split the chipmunk pest control methods into two categories; Humane and Lethal. Humane methods involve repelling or scaring the chipmunks away without harming them, whilst lethal methods involve killing them.

Humane Methods

• Tidy Up – Not really a method of getting rid of them but if you have a clean and tidy yard, you’re less likely to attract the critters.
• Humane Traps – Humane chipmunk traps are basically a cage that you put bait into. When the chipmunk enters it, the cage door slams behind it and the rodent is trapped. You can then release it somewhere far away (click here for more info on trapping chipmunks in humane traps).
• Owl/Hawk Decoy – Purchase a full-sized lifelike owl or hawk to scare the chipmunks away. Some products even have flapping wings and glowing eyes for extra scariness (click here for more details on using the decoy method).
• Cat Urine – Cat urine sets off the warning signals in a chipmunks natural instincts as cats are their natural predators. Borrow a cat litter tray from a friend with felines and empty nearby to to the chipmunks habitat.
• Fox Urine – Similarly to cat urine, fox urine also scares chipmunks away. You can buy repellents containing fox urine from many outlets.
• Bloodmeal - Another thing that chipmunks don’t like the smell of.
• Cayenne Peppers – Sprinkle cayenne peppers on their food source – they won’t like the heat.
• Mothballs - Fill old socks with mothballs and strategically place them around your yard.they act as a natural repellent to chipmunks and other rodents.

Lethal Methods

• Bucket of Water Trap – Fill a gallon bucket with water and rest a plank of wood against it as a sort of ‘gangplank’ for the rodent. Put pumpkin seeds or other bait in the water and on the plank. Mr Chipmunk comes along, tries to get the seeds, falls in the water and drowns. More details here.
• Spring-loaded Trap – Put bait on the end, then pull the spring-loaded bar back. When the chipmunk touches the bait, the bar springs back with such force that it is killed instantly.
• Electro-Trap – Bait the trap and when the chipmunk tries to take it, it is electrocuted (click here for more info on how to get rid of chipmunks using electric traps).
• Get a Cat – Cats love to hunt down and kill all manner of rodents, including chipmunks.

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The bucket-o-water chipmunk trap is one of the oldest and most effective ways to get rid of chipmunks. In the following video, Jim Harman from California Pest Management explains how to set it up.

This is not a humane trap because it kills the chipmunks but it does work. In a future post I’ll be explaining how to get rid of chipmunks using more humane methods.

Hi, I’m Jim Harman from California Pest Management.

We’re here, believe it or not, pool-side to put together our quick and dirty little chipmunk trap.

This is an old-style trap, it’s very easy to put together and I’ll tell you one thing – if you get chipmunks running around your back yard, driving you nuts, turning over all your freshly planted bulbs and other plants, destroying your garden, remember they love seeds. They just go nuts over seeds, so the first thing you’ve got to do is clean up as much as possible so their food is very limited.

Then, we’re going to use some pumpkin seeds here.

First take a gallon bucket – you can take anything but usually a gallon bucket, everyone’s got one around. Dip it in [fills bucket with water], then we’re gonna take our seeds and put a couple on the surface. They’re gonna float, don’t worry, they got air in them.

Next, put a little ramp [leans plank of wood against bucket]. To entice our little buddy to come on up and take a look, take a couple of these seeds and spread them on the ramp – I usually use a little bit of hot glue to keep them in place – and put a couple down at the base.

So, he gets the idea ‘Hey, free food’, they come in, they go for the seeds in the bucket, they can’t get back out and they drown. Easy pest control. There’s no chemicals and there’s no way anyone can get hurt – except the chipmunks.

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Sketch of a chipmunk

Chipmunks can become a gardeners worst nightmare because as they cause wanton destruction to your yard and even your home.

They are a member of the squirrel family and can be recognized by a distinctive stripe down their back (as shown in the picture). They are a common pest in North America and Asia.

Their diet consists of mainly grain, fruit, nuts, berries and insects however they also eat birds eggs, small frogs and even some small mammals.

It is because of their hunt for these food types that they can become the bane of gardeners.

They will eat their way through the gardener’s crops and also dine on birdseed that has been left for the winged community. Their penchant for eggs makes them doubly dangerous to birds.

Looking at the size of these creatures may cause you to think that such a cute little critter could not make a noticeable difference to a garden and taking a couple of nibbles from the odd strawberry or tulip bulb is neither here nor there.

Unfortunately, the residence of one chipmunk is the residence of many chipmunks and collectively they can cause a massive impact. This, combined with their behavior of stockpiling food for the winter months, is the reason they are vilified by the horticultural community.

But it gets worse…

They live in small burrows, which they dig themselves, and of course they plan their homes construction so that is near their food source. This can result in networks of tunnels being dug right under your own home, fences, walls and other structures, which has the potential to shake their very foundations.

Fortunately, help is at hand. I’ve created this website to share with you some methods you can use to get rid of chipmunks safely, quickly and (mostly) humanely and over the coming weeks I’ll be posting lots of tips and tricks to help you get rid of these cute little pests forever

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Welcome to my new website all about getting rid of chipmunks. Chipmunks can be a pain in the ass, so I wanted to share with you some methods of getting rid of them safely and humanely.

I also hope that I’ll be able to learn something new about the removal of chipmunks too, so I urge you to share any methods you may have with me. You can contact me via chipmunk@gesweb.co.uk.

Danny

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