Are Сhipmunks Dangerous: A Guide to Control and Prevention

When chipmunks appear in your area, and it’s time to get rid of them, you start wondering, are chipmunks dangerous? I will tell you how to deal with these pests, and you will find out if it is possible to be bit by a chipmunk. You’ll also learn about the places where they live and how to avoid their appearance in your home or garden.

How to Get Rid of Chipmunks?
  1. Keep firewood and leaf and debris piles away from the home.
  2. Shrubs and trees should not be connected to forests and house foundations.
  3. Use traps or baits.
  4. Close all holes in the foundation.
  5. Don’t install a bird feeder near your home.

Guide on How to Prevent Сhipmunks

chipmunk eats food on wood

When it comes to chipmunks, you need to be patient, as chipmunks can be quite hardy, and it will take a lot of effort to get rid of them. To prevent chipmunks from appearing in your yard, try covering the flower beds with wire mesh – this will help protect you from pests. Set up chipmunk traps, which can be any rodent trap, or you can use baits around your property. Chipmunks are most afraid of foxes, owls, and hawks. You can also use naphthalene against chipmunks, but it is extremely poisonous and should only be used as a last resort.

Are Chipmunks Dangerous and Should You Get Rid of Them

Chipmunk bites! Chipmunks are harmless to humans and do not attack humans without coercion. When they are calm and not afraid, they are not dangerous. Most chipmunks prefer the wild and only come to human areas for food. And if you spot a chipmunk in your garden, don’t tease it, as it senses danger in your presence.

Also, do not try to pick them up, in a state of stress, they can be very aggressive, and therefore there is a threat of being bit by chipmunks.

Do chipmunks attack humans?

Chipmunks are cute, fluffy, and completely harmless. Or at least they are, as long as you don’t pose a threat to them. In this case, the chipmunk will bite you hard and run into its hole as fast as its small paws grab it. Read on to find out why chipmunks bite and how dangerous their act of aggression is for you.

Are Chipmunks Harmful?

chipmunk in green grass

Chipmunks are still those pests! The chipmunk damages the house at the first opportunity. They get into your property, damage your gardens, house foundations, and walls, and if they get into your basement, they can also damage your personal belongings, furniture, and more.

Chipmunks often try to get water from vegetables, so when you see chipmunks in the garden, you need to take measures to catch them. The burrows that chipmunks dig are thin, so if your lawn is not well maintained, you may not even see these burrows.

Although they are terrestrial creatures, they also climb trees and shrubs in search of something to profit from, they like to feast on flower bulbs and seeds. For the garden, they are not very pleasant, at the first opportunity, they will eat the entire crop.

Chipmunk damage can be different: hey dig tunnels and burrows under houses and foundations. They also can crawl out of someone’s house or building. Chipmunk damage to house can lead to huge spendings, so it’s better to prevent that damage.

Way to Get Rid of Chipmunks

To prevent damages from chipmunks, you can use a caulk or wire cloth to seal the holes. Chipmunks traps are the most practical way to catch them. It is not difficult to pick up the bait, the bait option is usually used – nut meat and seeds. But you need to use the bait by putting it in a trap for a couple of days so that the chipmunk finds a new food source.

chipmunk in trap

Chipmunks are omnivorous, and they are not averse to feasting on seeds, nut meats, or cereals. This is the easiest way to catch a pest.

  • To keep chipmunks out of the garden, use 1/4″ woven fabric.
  • Shrubs and trees should not be connected to forests and house foundations.
  • Avoid garbage near the house.
  • Bird feeders are very attractive to chipmunks, so they should be 15-30 feet away from buildings.
  • Chipmunks can be repelled with flavor repellents, but they often must be reapplied
    several times. Do not use repellents on growths that are eaten by humans.
  • You can use bait traps, the composition of the bait includes peanut butter, various
    seeds, and raisins, you can also use regular breakfast cereal.
  • The trap must be placed on the path where the chipmunk is most often active.

Chipmunks live in forests, suburban areas, and gardens, they can cause a lot of inconveniences. And to control them, it is necessary to pay special attention to what was listed earlier.

What diseases do chipmunks carry?

They also carry diseases that are not letal for them, but your animals may be susceptible to infection. Chipmunk diseases are often associated with Lyme disease. They do not transmit Lyme disease directly to humans, but they can transmit rabies! That’s why you need to be careful.

Diseases from chipmunks, such as plague, and salmonella, which they can carry, are deadly for both humans and animals, so there is no need to disturb the chipmunk once again.

FAQ about Chipmunk Damage

chipmunk eats food on stump

Here I will try to answer questions which people usually ask about chipmunks.

How to avoid being bit by chipmunks?

When you see a chipmunk, do not try to catch or feed it. Even though they are small, they can protect themselves. And you risk being bitten. Therefore, when you see a chipmunk, try to avoid direct contact with him.

Do chipmunks eat mice or insects?

Yes, they can eat mice and also insects, just like birds, but only small ones. They do not look for eggs and young and often remove them as soon as they find them. They store the food they get in their burrows.

How small of a hole can a chipmunk fit through?

Chipmunks can fit in a hole as small as 2 inches. Their burrows that they dig are only 2-3 inches, they can be hardly noticeable.

Knowledge About the Chipmunk Damage

Now you know what measures to take if chipmunks appear on your site. Those chipmunks trying to find food can be a nuisance in your area. The point is, don’t be afraid of the chipmunks, as you already know they don’t pose any danger unless they are forced to.

Please share your experience of fighting chipmunks. And what methods do you use to fight them?

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Nicholas Martin

Nicholas Martin

I am Nicholas Martin, and I am an entomologist. I combine the insect survey work with the consultation for private pest control agencies. My narrow specializations are both urban pests and agricultural pests. I studied their control over the previous 25 years. More about Nick

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