Get Rid of Chipmunks

Chipmunks are furry and cute--until they start to chomp your landscaping and garden. Fortunately, you can get rid of chipmunks using a variety of traps, or you can deter them with some natural methods. This article will help you to solve your chipmunk problem once and for all.

Steps

Get Rid of Chipmunks By Using Traps

  1. Purchase a live animal trap. Scatter sunflower seeds or peanuts around the trap to entice the chipmunks into the trap. Then remove the chipmunks from the trap according to your municipality's animal control ordinances.
  2. Place a bucket half-filled with water outside. Lean a wooden plank against the side of the bucket.
    • Scatter sunflower seeds on the plank, in the water and on the grass around the bucket. The chipmunks will walk on the plank to eat the seeds, fall into the bucket and drown.
    • If you only want to get rid of chipmunks and keep squirrels alive, be sure to squirrel-proof your homemade trap or put it in a place that squirrels don't normally go. Curious squirrels might end up finding the traps, eating the bait, and drown.
    • Check with your town or city animal control agency to find out how to dispose of the dead chipmunks. Always wear gloves when handling dead animals, and always wash your hands afterward. Many times, they are infested with fleas, mites and other unpleasant critters.
  3. Put out mousetraps to get rid of chipmunks. Slather a mix of peanut butter and oatmeal on the trap. While this will kill the chipmunks, the method is quick and spares them pain. Again, dispose of the animals according to the rules of your town or city.[1]
    • Be sure to keep checking on the mousetraps throughout the day; squirrels might try to eat the bait and/or carry them away.

Get Rid of Chipmunks With Natural Methods

  1. Set out mothballs. Place mothballs around the foundation of your house, near your plantings and around chipmunk holes. Mothballs won't eliminate chipmunks, but they will push the critters back to the perimeter of your yard and away from your landscaping.
  2. Put out items that chipmunks hate to smell. Try sprinkling blood meal around the roots of your plants. You can also place un-chewed sticks of fragrant gum near chipmunk holes.[2]
  3. Let your pets roam outdoors. Having your dog or cat in the yard will often frighten chipmunks away.
  4. Spray pepper spray or hot sauce on the surfaces of your plants. Alternatively, you can sprinkle cayenne pepper on your plants. Doing this will keep the chipmunks from chomping on your landscaping.
    • Note that capsaicin, the active chemical in cayenne is toxic to bees and other beneficial pollinators, so if your garden depends on these pollinators use something other than hot pepper spray.[3]

If a Chipmunk Gets Into Your House

  1. Open your doors and windows to the outside to give the chipmunk an opportunity to run out. At the same time, close any doors or entrances to your interior rooms so that the chipmunk has nowhere to go but out.
  2. Prop a board or other flat item against the sills of your open windows. A board will give the chipmunks something to climb so that they can run out of the window.
  3. Grab a blanket and use it to herd the chipmunk toward the door. If the chipmunk climbs the blanket, don't panic. Just gently roll up the blanket, take it outside and dump the chipmunk out.
  4. Call a professional to get rid of dead chipmunks. If a chipmunk has gotten into your attic or in the walls of your house and has died, let a professional deal with the problem.

Tips

  • Your children may be bothered by seeing dead chipmunks in a water bucket or in a mousetrap. Be sensitive to their feelings and dispose of the dead animals out of your kids' sights.
  • Call an exterminator or your local animal control department. If none of these methods work, then talk to an expert about eliminating your chipmunk problem.
  • If chipmunks are digging up your bulbs, then plant the bulbs in a cage made of 1" x 1" (2.5 cm x 2.5 cm) wire to keep the critters out.
  • If you let a pet roam the yard, try to use a terrier type dog. They love to chase and dig up small animals like chipmunks.

Warnings

  • Be sure your state/county does not have a law prohibiting you from killing these animals. Some states, like NJ, have laws that protect rodents from inhumane capture/treatment/death. Check with your state's ASPCA first before attempting the bucket or mousetrap methods. Otherwise, you could be fined and/or jailed for doing so.
  • Never place the bucket of water where small children will be able to access it. Small children can fall into the bucket and drown, even in shallow water.

Things You'll Need

  • Live animal trap
  • Sunflower seeds or peanuts
  • Bucket half full of water
  • Wooden plank
  • Rat traps (mouse traps are too small and will only injure a chipmunk)
  • Peanut butter and oatmeal mixture to bait rat traps
  • Mothballs
  • Blood meal
  • Fragrant gum
  • Outdoor pets
  • Pepper spray, hot sauce or cayenne pepper
  • Blanket

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.asktheexterminator.com/lawn_pests/How_to_Get_Rid_of_Chipmunks.shtml
  2. ↑ http://www.stretcher.com/stories/03/03jun02a.cfm#.UJBxJml26Dp
  3. ↑ http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/Capgen.pdf

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