Seeing a bunch of unsightly holes in your yard can be pretty frustrating. Most of the time, rodents like squirrels and chipmunks are the culprit.
Since chipmunks are attracted to seeds and flowering bulbs, they usually burrow in flower beds or next to trees. Sometimes, these vexing creatures dig under your stairs, patios, and walls.
What should you put in chipmunk holes to prevent them from settling in your lot? You can pour gravel or sand to cover these holes. Cement is a pretty good option, too.
To know more, check out this careful read about properly sealing chipmunk holes.
What Can I Pour Down a Chipmunk Hole?
To cover chipmunk holes, fill them with loose material that chipmunks will struggle to dig through.
Ideally, filling holes with gravel or sand is a good idea. Most people prefer sand since it’s accessible and cheap.
On the other hand, the technique to effectively pack chipmunk holes using gravel is by combining them with soil. The soil will fill the spaces; therefore, chipmunks won’t be able to unearth it easily.
At the same time, using rocks or cement is also effective in sealing chipmunk holes.
Can I Use Dirt to Cover Chipmunk Holes?
You’re probably wondering why you can’t just fill a chipmunk hole with dirt. Since the goal is to cover the hole, why isn’t this method feasible?
Unfortunately, filling chipmunk holes with dirt will only serve as a temporary fix. This method is ineffective as chipmunks will only dig through that hole again.
Chipmunks are pretty stubborn animals. Before you know it, these pesky creatures are back in your yard again.
Meanwhile, unusual solutions like filling chipmunk holes with cat litter are widely used. Is this method worth trying? Read on to find out.
Should I Fill Chipmunk Holes With Cat Litter?
Unless you want your surroundings to smell or promote the spread of harmful parasites, pouring cat litter on chipmunk holes isn’t worth it.
While some homeowners pour cat litter on chipmunk holes to shut them out, we recommend against this. This method isn’t only ineffective, but it’s unhygienic at the same time.
Furthermore, filling chipmunk holes with cat litter may cause a major health concern. Cats are known carriers of the Toxoplasma gondii parasite, which spreads through their manure or pee.
The Toxoplasma parasite causes toxoplasmosis, which is a disease that can infect humans.
While the toxoplasma parasite can be dormant in healthy persons, it can still cause serious infection. Pregnant and immunocompromised persons are most vulnerable to toxoplasmosis.
When it comes to chipmunks, they’re usually unaffected by this disease.
How to Fill Chipmunk Holes
To fill chipmunk holes, follow the corresponding list:
- When using gravel, mix three parts to one part soil.
This mixture makes it hard for Chipmunks to dig through. At the same time, grass or plants will still be able to grow in the soil.
- Use a funnel to speed up the pouring process.
The funnel is helpful, especially since the diameter of chipmunk holes is small.
- After filling the hole to the brim, step on it to pack the sand or gravel tightly, making it hard for chipmunks to dig through.
- Lastly, add a layer of soil or mulch on top of the gravel or sand-filled hole to achieve a natural look.
You may also opt to plant grass on top of the soil layer.
Filling Chipmunk Holes with Concrete
If you won’t be using the area for planting, only then should you pour cement into chipmunk holes. Pouring cement into a chipmunk hole may prevent grass or plant growth.
To fill chipmunk holes with concrete, follow the steps below:
- Start by mixing your quick-setting concrete.
Remember to follow the mixing instructions indicated on the packaging regarding how much water should be added.
- After mixing your concrete, pour it into the chipmunk hole.
Use a shovel or tool to push the cement further into the hole.
- Pack the hole with cement until it’s filled.
However, you may allow a few inches of increment to make room for some soil. That is if you plan to grow grass or plants in that area.
- After that, allow your cement to set. The setting time usually takes one hour or as prescribed in the packaging.
- Lastly, add a layer of dirt on top of the cement to allow grass or plants to grow.
Is Filling Chipmunk Holes a Permanent Solution?
Unfortunately, filling or sealing chipmunk holes isn’t a permanent fix for getting rid of chipmunks. In fact, chipmunks may still dig holes in nearby areas to access their burrow.
Thankfully, there are several techniques that you can use to prevent chipmunks from infesting your lot.
How to Prevent Chipmunk Holes
You can fence or surround your yard with gravel borders to keep chipmunks away. You may also plant daffodils and other plants that chipmunks dislike.
Apart from those, you can try the following methods to prevent chipmunks from hovering around your property:
1 – Use Bulb Cages or Wire Mesh for Your Flower Beds
Since chipmunks are especially attracted to flower bulbs, surrounding your garden or flower bed with wire mesh may keep these critters away.
2 – Use Non-Toxic, Natural Repellants
Natural oils like peppermint help keep chipmunks away. You can make your own and regularly spray it around your garden.
Moreover, cayenne pepper and cinnamon are also effective in keeping chipmunks away. Besides that, you can purchase non-toxic rodent repellents available in your local store.
3 – Regularly Clean Your Surroundings
Chipmunks love nuts, seeds, and fruits. So, if you have trees or gardens in your area, nuts or seeds will likely spread on the ground all day.
Clean your yard to prevent the accumulation of nuts or food that may attract chipmunks.
Can You Flood Chipmunk Holes?
Flooding a chipmunk burrow with water isn’t the best choice, nor is it permanent in keeping chipmunks away. It will only create a mess, and escaping water isn’t a huge issue for the chipmunks.
Chipmunk burrows have multiple channels and exits, so running away from the flood isn’t a problem.
On the other hand, flooding chipmunk holes with liquid chemicals like poison or bleach is a bad idea. Pouring chemicals into chipmunk holes can contaminate your water source.
Additionally, flooding chipmunk holes with harmful chemicals threatens surrounding plants too.
Consequently, flooding a chipmunk hole with moth balls is a bad idea. Mothballs are a choking hazard for both children and pets.
How to Identify Chipmunk Holes
Aside from chipmunks, rats or rodents may be digging holes in your yard.
So, to properly identify a chipmunk hole, you need to be mindful of the diameter of the hole, which should measure around 2 to 3 inches.
Despite the small opening, the interior of a chipmunk’s hole is relatively big. At the same time, chipmunk tunnels can be as deep as 30 feet.
Another notable feature of chipmunk holes is that there is no mound of soil beside the hole opening.
Final Thoughts
You may put sand or gravel into chipmunk holes. At the same time, pouring concrete is also effective in sealing them.
However, covering chipmunk holes isn’t a permanent solution to keeping these critters away from your property.
To prevent holes, you may keep chipmunks out by fencing your garden or using non-toxic repellents like cinnamon.
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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