Chipmunks are part of the squirrel family. They’re cute and interesting to observe.
You can easily watch them for hours without feeling bored. However, in some cases, they might sneak inside your house.
Since they’re wild animals, you must be wondering, are chipmunks bad to have around your house? And what to do if a chipmunk gets into your house?
Lucky for you, we’ll answer all your questions in today’s article. Let’s dive into the details right away.
Are Chipmunks Bad to Have Around Your House?
Chipmunks love to spend their time in forests and tree lines. Unfortunately, they might make their homes in yards, especially if you live in an area near the natural habitat of chipmunks.
The problem is that they love exploring, and they’re highly active. Therefore, they end up inside homes more often than you think.
They might cause some damage around your house. That’s why you need to get rid of them as soon as possible.
What to Do if a Chipmunk Gets Into Your House?
If a chipmunk ends up in your house, it’s best to help it find its way out. Getting rid of chipmunks humanely isn’t a complicated task.
The best thing to do is to remove the rodents and re-home them in an area away from houses. Keep in mind that the rodent entered your house by accident, and it probably wants to get out.
Here’s how you can get rid of a chipmunk humanely:
- If you have any cats or dogs, lock them in a room. Then, close all interior doors and leave the biggest door or window to the outside open.
- Leave the chipmunk to find its way out.
- In case the chipmunk doesn’t leave, you can place a meal for it near the exit to attract it.
In some cases, the previous steps might not be enough to get the rodent out. So, here’s what to do when that happens:
- Wear heavy gloves and grab a thick towel.
- Approach the rodent while holding the towel in front of you. You don’t want the rodent to see your human form.
- Once you get close enough, drop the towel on the chipmunk and roll it up quickly. Be careful not to put too much pressure on it.
- Then, take the towel outside and open it on the ground to let the rodent escape.
You can always contact professional wildlife control organizations to take care of this problem for you. It’s essential to make sure that they remove the animal from your home humanely.
Can I Keep a Chipmunk as a Pet?
You can keep chipmunks as pets, but it’s not as easy as you think. Although they’re fun to watch, they require a lot of space and attention.
In other words, they require high maintenance. Additionally, they’re not like other pets.
For example, they don’t typically enjoy cuddles or being picked up.
If you don’t have experience with pet rodents, we don’t recommend keeping a chipmunk as a pet.
On top of that, they’re diurnal animals, which means they’re most active during the day. That might be suitable for some people, but in most cases, you’ll miss most of the fun while you’re at work or school.
How Do Chipmunks Get In Your House?
Chipmunks get into houses in many ways. They can squeeze through gaps in window frames and foundations.
They’re also able to dig into your crawl space and dash through screen doors. In some cases, they might simply fall into your home.
Chipmunks are fast, so they can get inside through an open door without you even noticing. In some rare cases, these rodents eat through window screens and enter houses.
Keep in mind that chipmunks are tiny. To elaborate, the eastern chipmunk is the largest type, and it’s not particularly big.
Eastern chipmunks can reach only around 11 inches in length and approximately half of which is tail. Additionally, the smallest one, known as the least chipmunk, can only reach 8 inches in total length.
That allows them to squeeze inside the tiniest openings in your house. Therefore, you shouldn’t feel surprised to find a chipmunk inside your home.
Why Do Chipmunks Get In Your House?
Chipmunks can end up in your house for many reasons. Generally, it’s because something attracted them inside, which is usually food.
Let’s check out what might attract chipmunks to get into your home.
1 – Bird Feeders
Chipmunks love all kinds of seeds. They tend to find birdseed as delicious food.
2 – Garbage
The tiny rodents love to search for food and store it. While they aren’t attracted to garbage most of the time, they can’t miss a chance to grab free food.
They can easily climb into garbage dumpsters.
3 – Gardens
Gardens are like paradise for chipmunks, especially if you have a lot of plants. They can feed on stems, stalks, flowers, and even the roots of some plants.
In some cases, they can dig up newly planted seeds to eat them. Once they make a cozy home in your garden, they might easily end up inside your home.
Can Chipmunks Ruin Your Yard?
Unfortunately, these cute rodents can cause some damage to your garden. That’s because they tend to eat plants and flowers.
They can eat any seeds, fruits, or vegetables in your yard. In addition, they can damage small structures and fences.
Overall, chipmunks don’t create large burrows compared to marmots and squirrels. However, the small burrows might still damage the roots of your plants or disrupt the garden water flow.
The tiny rodents spend most of their time foraging for food in trees and high objects rather than on the ground. Therefore, they don’t cause extensive damage to yards.
Keep in mind that the more chipmunks living in your yard, the higher the damage will be.
Can Chipmunks Be Destructive?
Typically, chipmunks won’t damage your property. However, they might cause some damage to ornamental plants while looking for food.
It’s highly unlikely that these rodents would cause structural damage. On the other hand, they might dig up and eat spring flowering bulbs.
Final Thoughts
So, are chipmunks bad to have around your house?
The answer is yes. Chipmunks are wild animals, and they might cause some damage around your house.
Therefore, you need to get rid of them as soon as possible. There are many ways you can get rid of chipmunks humanely.
In some cases, it’s as simple as showing them a way out of your house. You can also wear some heavy gloves and grab a towel to catch them.
Then, you can set them free in an area away from any houses.
Ben has a bachelor’s degree in construction engineering. When not constructing or remodeling X-Ray Rooms, Cardiovascular Labs, and Pharmacies, you can find him at home with wife and two daughters. Outside of family, He loves grilling and barbequing on his Big Green Egg and Blackstone Griddle, as well as working on projects around the house.
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