Chipmunks are small rodents that live in burrows. Chipmunks eat a wide range of food items, ranging from seeds, nuts, fruits, greens, small insects, and worms. While it seems like chipmunks are free-eaters, there are some foods that are poisonous to chipmunks, just like how they found some foods as their favorites. This guide will help anyone understand chipmunk feeding habits.
Chipmunk Feeding Habit
Chipmunks are omnivores; they eat a variety of seeds, nuts, buds, fruit, insects, flower bulbs, shoots, leaves, berries, fungi, mushrooms, earthworms, slugs, and eggs of birds. and many other things. Chipmunks are characterized as hoarders; they have cheek pouches that they use to store and transport food, allowing them to gather and hoard food for future consumption.
Chipmunks use their strong teeth to gnaw and chew foods and can store extra food in their cheeks. A Chipmunk can store up to 10 pounds of food in a burrow made in tree stem or bark. At times, they may cover the food with leaves and grasses to hide from other animals like squirrels and rats.
In the wild, chipmunks spend a significant amount of time foraging and collecting food to build up their winter food stores. If you have chipmunks close to your yard, you can decide to offer them human foods as supplements aside from what they gather in the wild. chipmunks can eat human foods like bread, cat food, chicken feed, and other food resources made from natural ingredients. Ensure you are not giving them too much of these food items to avoid overfeeding.
Chipmunks eat up to 8 times a day; they have small appetites, and eat up to one ounce (28 grams) of food per meal. However, their food intake can vary depending on factors such as the availability of food, the season, and their activity level. Chipmunks have a high metabolism and require regular meals to sustain their energy levels.
Chipmunks drink water, just like humans and most other animals. Chipmunks get their water from the food they eat, leave trappings, and open water sources like streams. Chipmunks drink water with great caution in open sources like streams. They are intelligent enough to know their predators may be keenly around.
Poisonous Foods For Chipmunks
It is true that chipmunks have ample choice of food, however, there are some food that are toxic and poisonous to chipmunks; these foods have toxic effects on chipmunk’s digestive system leading to diarrhea, inflammation, and death in severe situations. Even in the wild, chipmunks do not consume these foods, hence, they must be avoided in captivity too.
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds are a big no-no for chipmunks. They make the chipmunks very sick and destabilized because chipmunks are very sensitive to caffeine. Coffee grounds are toxic to chipmunks; they contain a substance called methylxanthines. Methylxanthines make chipmunks more sensitive to the effects of caffeine and can lead to seizures, nausea, and death.
Cayenne pepper
Cayenne pepper contains a compound called capsaicin that is toxic to chipmunks. Ingestion of even small amounts can be deadly for chipmunks because it causes a severe burning sensation in their mouth and throat. Symptoms may include vomiting, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
Apple seeds
Apple seeds are also poisonous to chipmunks, as well as grapes and cherries. They’re also known to cause stomach problems if chipmunks eat too many of these foods in one meal. Apple seeds contain amygdalin which is highly toxic to chipmunks. Once ingested by a chipmunk, this compound will cause severe damage to the GI tract causing bloody diarrhea and death within 4-5 days after ingestion.
Avocado pits and cherry pits
Avocado pits and cherry pits are both toxic for chipmunks because they contain small quantities of hydrocyanic acid and cyanogenic glycosides, which can produce toxic hydrogen cyanide, that can kill the chipmunks. In the wild, chipmunks avoid avocado and cherry, so if you have chipmunks in captivity, do not give the avocado and cherry.
Peaches and plums
Peaches and plums are also toxic to chipmunks because they contain chemical compounds called cyanogenic glycosides. These chemicals actually cause cyanide poisoning in chipmunks.
Garlic
Garlic is very poisonous to chipmunks, so don’t give chipmunks garlic at all. The pungent smell of garlic repels chipmunks.
Favorite Foods for Chipmunks
In the wild, the main chipmunk food sources are nuts and seeds; chipmunks will also eat tree bark and insects. However, chipmunks can eat cereals, such as corn, wheat, barley, oats, millet, and human food in captivity. Chipmunks love to eat the following food:
Nuts
Chipmunks are well-known for their ability to gather and store nuts. Chipmunks eat a variety of nuts such as acorns, peanuts, almonds, walnuts, hickory nuts, and beechnuts during the autumn season. These stored nuts serve as their primary food source during the winter months. Offer chipmunks any of these nuts in a tray or a shallow dish and watch them eat.
Seeds
In addition to nuts, chipmunks also collect and store seeds. Chipmunks eat seeds from plants like sunflowers, grasses, and various wildflowers. These seeds serve as food and provide chipmunks with essential nutrients during the winter.
Cereals
About 50 percent of the chipmunk diet is made up of cereal. Chipmunks love to eat cereal crops like corn, sorghum, millet, oats, wheat, and barley. Cereals provide chipmunks with the metabolic energy needed to survive in the wild and captivity.
Fruits
Chipmunks enjoy fruits like apples, strawberries, grapes, and cherries. Cut the fruits into small pieces and leave them out for the chipmunks to enjoy.
Vegetables
Chipmunks love vegetables and other green plants, particularly the succulent parts. You can feed chipmunks vegetables such as carrots, cucumber slices, or cherry tomatoes. Again, cut them into small, manageable pieces.
Berries
Chipmunks are known to have a sweet tooth for berries like blueberries, raspberries, or blackberries.
Fungi
Chipmunks also eat mushrooms that they find in their burrow or underground storage areas. Fungi can provide an additional food source when other food supplies are limited.
Insects
Chipmunks eat insects during the winter; they are a good source of protein, which is essential to maintaining a healthy body. Chipmunks need protein to survive and maintain their muscle mass, which helps them move around more easily when they are outside in the wintertime.
Worms
Worms are another great source of food for chipmunks during the winter months. They can be found under rocks and logs as well as in piles of leaves or other organic matter. Worms are also a good source of protein for chipmunks.
Bird eggs
Bird eggs are another option for chipmunks during this time period because many birds lay their eggs during colder weather. Chipmunks can find bird eggs by looking for nests or finding places where birds have left them behind when they have moved into warmer climates or climates with higher temperatures than what their species prefers (i.e., summertime).
Lastly, chipmunks are intelligent rodents; they are fun to have in the neighborhood. Chipmunk foods are enormous, though a good number are poisonous. Some fruits like apples are part of what they love to eat, however, some parts of these fruits like apple seeds appear poisonous to Chipmunks. This implies that Chipmunks are picky eaters.