what does a chipmunk look like
Rachel Fowler
Updated on June 16, 2026
Here’s how to get rid of chipmunks in and around your house.
Get rid of the bird feeder. Prune and clean up trees and bushes. Install an L-shaped footer under a patio, deck or walkway. Remove wood piles. Plant bulbs inside wire cages. Trap and remove them humanely. Try a rodent repellent.
What is the difference between a chipmunk and a ground squirrel?
They have brown, grayish-brown or reddish-brown fur and are generally similar in size. Chipmunks are usually about 10 inches long, while ground squirrels range from 6 inches to 12 inches. The most telltale difference between the two is the presence of stripes on their heads, or lack thereof.
Are chipmunks friendly to humans?
Are chipmunks friendly? No, wild chipmunks want to stay away from humans. Because of their tiny size, they are afraid of almost everything.
Is chipmunk and squirrel the same?
What is the difference between a chipmunk and a squirrel? Chipmunks are small mammals with distinct stripes, while the tree squirrel is larger and doesn’t have stripes. The ground squirrel has body stripes like chipmunks, but no head stripes. A tree squirrel is larger, has a longer tail and no stripes.
Do chipmunks keep mice away?
Chipmunks keep mice away by their appearance and physical eating habits. Mainly, the mice fear other rodents, especially, they keep away from the chipmunks. If you have chipmunks in your house or garden, they will keep mice away.
How do you get rid of chipmunks in your backyard?
How To Get Rid of Chipmunks Outdoors
Make a spray mixture of cayenne pepper and water.Use an ultrasonic zapper. Plant toxic daffodils or grow onions, hyacinths and marigolds. Soak non-edible bulbs in thiram, a fungicide that deters all kinds of rodents.Scatter mothballs around the basement, garage and shed.
How did a chipmunk get in my house?
While they’re foraging for food to cache, they may accidentally squeeze or even fall into your home. They’ll squeeze through gaps in window frames or foundations, dash through screen doors, or even dig into your crawl space. Chipmunks end up finding their way into your home because something nearby attracts them to it.
Can a chipmunk climb a tree?
Chipmunks prefer forested areas and can climb trees, shrubs and… birdfeeders. They eat various types of seeds as well as fungus, helping to spread the mycorrhizal fungi that live around tree roots and are critical to tree survival. Chipmunks also spread the seeds of trees and other plants.
Do squirrels eat chipmunks?
Yes, squirrels eat baby chipmunks.
The squirrels are known for their aggressiveness and occasionally following omnivores’ diets.
What diseases do chipmunks carry?
Do chipmunks carry diseases? Common chipmunk diseases include leptospirosis, salmonella, Hantavirus, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, encephalitis, rabies, and the plague.
What does chipmunk poop look like?
What do chipmunk droppings look like? Chipmunk droppings are very similar to other rodents like rats or squirrels. They are hard, elongated and dark, and resemble beans or rice. Chipmunk droppings range in size from 1/2 to 3/4- inch in length and are slightly larger than mouse feces.
Where do chipmunks sleep?
Chipmunks are part of the squirrel family, although their habits are nothing like their larger, grey cousins. There are 21 varieties of chipmunks in North America, but they all sleep in underground burrows. Chipmunks hibernate during the winter months, although they don’t sleep the whole time as most hibernators do.
Do chipmunks come out at night?
Chipmunks are diurnal. In other words, they only come out during the daytime. The reason is not because they are blind at night, but because everything is too dark for their main defense system — their eyes — to work to their advantage.
What animal looks like a chipmunk?
If you see a small brown animal running across the ground, your first thought might be that it is a chipmunk. You might be right, but it could also be a 13-lined ground squirrel. Thirteen-lined ground squirrels are often confused with chipmunks.
How do chipmunks survive in the winter?
Chipmunks hibernate in winter, but they don’t sleep all the way through the season. They retreat to their burrows and wake every few days to raise their body temperatures to normal, feed on stored food rather than fat reserves, and urinate and defecate.
Do chipmunks live in pairs?
In fact, they’re mostly solitary creatures—at least until breeding season arrives. Twice a year in spring and late summer, males (called bucks) and females (does) come together to mate, then part ways again. Female chipmunks raise the pups, but don’t remain close to their offspring once they leave.
Where do chipmunks nest?
Chipmunks make homes for themselves by creating burrows that consist of an underground tunnel system or by making nests in logs or bushes. Their tunnel systems can be 10 to 30 feet (3 to 9.1 m) long.
Do I have a chipmunk in my house?
1. Scratching and Scurrying Sounds in Your Walls and Ceilings. Squirrels and chipmunks are active little creatures. Therefore, scratching or scurrying sounds in your walls and ceilings is usually the first sign—and a sure one—that you’ve been invaded.