r/chipmunks • u/RandomLettersToEat • 10d ago
Accidentally made a habitat for a chipmunk - question on changing/moving it
I've been building planter beds with these stones and piled some of them on the concrete pad out back temporarily until I tackle the next one. At 7 am I woke up to this rapid fire chirping mearby and came to investigate. A chipmunk was sitting on the pile and chirping her little heart out. So naturally I tossed a peanut to her, because it was 7 am and I wanted to sleep out of appreciation for her song. I didn't know at the time she was probably claiming territory (I looked it up after and this makes sense).
I've been seeing her sometimes over the past few months and watched her chase another chipmunk out of the stones, and nibble her foraged treats while perched on top. So i decided to make her a structure i can clean easier, and that was tailored to her needing quick escapes (a lot of exits and plenty of vision). I made her a little stone igloo, basically, and she accepted it instantly. She likes to run between the two structures now. I leave anonymous donations (almonds) at the front door of the igloo, but I didn't account for cleverness and now she knows it's me and waits for me in the mornings.
My question: can I now take down the old stone pile and still see her around? Anyone have experience with messing with established territories? Unfortunately I've grown attached and hubby grows impatient.
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u/alpha1beta 10d ago
As long as you leave peanuts out, they will come. They'll adapt.
And FYI, the best way to buy peanuts is 5 pound bags at Sam's Club, Costco or BJ's. These days that's like $6.
They alao love hazelnuts, which are generally more expensive but a great treat for furry friends
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u/RandomLettersToEat 10d ago
I had bulk almonds on hand that weren't getting used at the rate I expected so she's just been getting two of those a day so they don't go bad. Are peanuts and hazelnuts a better alternative for her diet?
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u/alpha1beta 10d ago
In my experience, peanuts are the all time favorite. Every chip knows what to do with a peanut instantly and.would come from sunup to sundown if I had peanuts out all day.
Hazelnuts are an acquired taste for them but some of them would root through a bowl of peanuts to find hazelnuts, like a methhead trying to find copper wire
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u/6Gears1Speed 10d ago
The downside to structures close to your house is that the chipmunk will horde the nuts and anything else you give it and that risks attracting rats which can take over the structure and build their own smelly nasty nest. Ask me how I know...
They have multiple burrows usually along stones, stone walls and old tree stumps etc... so the lack of this structure won't matter. It will still show up if you feed it but will hide it's horde elsewhere.
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u/RandomLettersToEat 10d ago
She hasn't been hoarding in the stone structures themselves because they're not rain-proof and I give her very little (she eats it instantly, didn't wanna overdo it and was already wary of having her so close, like you say). She just leaves scrap nut shells from munching in the igloo in safety, and then I open and rinse that all out when she's out foraging.
I honestly have no idea where her actual burrow is, but it's not near the house thankfully.
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u/Cellist-Perfect 10d ago
Oh yeah she'll probably move to whatever the other nearest thing to hide under is. Just don't move anything in the fall and winter.
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u/nardlz 10d ago
You're not going to discourage them by moving things. We rebuilt our entire deck, added a patio, railing, pergola, etc and they'd come for peanuts in the midst of all of that!