How to get rid of chipmunks?: Chipmunks are those small, cute looking animals that are often found in the suburban areas or in woodlands. Resembling a squirrel closely, chipmunks are 5-6 inches long and are omnivorous in food habits. These small animals love feeding on nuts, seeds, grains and insects along with small seedlings and flower bulbs. But they can also be are dangerous because they dig up tunnels underground for hibernation, which can affect the foundation of your property. They have also been reported to chew on wiring in the attic. Until and unless these small creatures cause no harm, they are fun to have around, but when they cause damage, it is good to get rid of them.
9 Ways to Get Rid of Chipmunks Without Killing Them
Mentioned below are 10 ways to get rid of chipmunks from your house or yard without killing them:
1. Use odor which chipmunks dislike
Chipmunks do not like the smell of foxes. Usually they are not seen in areas where foxes are generally seen. Surely, it is impossible for you to have a real fox, but you can use fox urine to create the same impact and drive away chipmunks from your garden or yard. Fox urine in granular form is easier to use and spread and hence commonly used in home gardens and yards.
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2. An owl or hawk decoy
This is a highly effective way of keeping chipmunks at bay in your house, yard or garden. Buy a garden owl that runs either on solar power or on battery. This owl will swivel its head and the eyes light up giving it a realistic effect. Chipmunks get scared on seeing such a thing and run away. Along with the owl, you can also try using the hawk, which does not perch but flaps its wings in the breeze and seem almost real.
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3. Beach balls
Beach balls are also great to get rid of chipmunks from your garden and yard. We are not sure how exactly it works, but chipmunks seem to fear the movement of balls or anything likewise. Blow up some beach balls and place them scattered on the lawn or in the garden. When these balls move in the wind and sometimes roll on the ground, chipmunks get extremely scared and run away.
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4. Chipmunk traps
While there is also the lethal kind which kills chipmunks, various kinds of humane live chipmunk traps are available in the market which can be effectively used to trap these pesky animals. Once trapped, you can take the chipmunk to a nearby forest and leave the animal there.
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5. Cone shaped/ cylinder metal baffles
Cone shaped metal baffles make good homemade chipmunk trap. These are useful in areas where the chipmunks target the bird feeders and trees where new born birds are present. Simply wrap a metal baffle around the trunk. Make sure to fix it about 5 to 6 feet away from the ground. To make the trap more effective, apply Vaseline to the metal surface, though you might need to reapply several times in a week. The idea is to prevent the chipmunk from crawling to the next, because they won’t be able to get a grip on the metal surface and hence slide back down.
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6. Hot pepper wax
This also a great means to get rid of chipmunks from the garden or the yard of your house. Hot pepper wax are usually used to repel insects, but apparently it can also be used as a squirrel, chipmunk and rabbit repellent. Simply purchase a bottle of hot pepper wax from any local drug store and spray them on the grass, trees and in the areas where chipmunks frequent.
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7. Thistle seeds
Thistle seeds can be used as a substitute to sunflower seeds for finding respite from chipmunks. It has been seen that spreading these seeds on the yard or garden can help in averting chipmunks. If you want to keep chipmunks away from your bird feeders, you can use thistle seeds for the same. Chipmunks are highly reactive against thistle as they detest them as much as squirrels do.
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8. Mesh fencing
You can try mesh fencing to get rid of your house, garden or yard. It is true that mesh fencing might not look visually pleasing, but it is a great solution for keeping chipmunks away. It is recommended to use ¼ inch galvanized wired mesh to keep out chipmunks. A ‘L’ shaped barrier needs to be created to keep chipmunks away from porches, crawlspaces, foundations and attic space. The mesh should also reach underground to minimum 1 foot so that chipmunks don’t find a way of affecting the foundation of any property.
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9. Electronic repellents
The use of electronic repellents is quite common for keeping chipmunks at bay. These repellents use motion detection and water for warding off chipmunks in the best manner. The best thing about this repellent is that it is absolutely chemical free.
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All these above mentioned methods are the most humane way possible to get rid of chipmunks as none of them will kill the pesky animals. These methods will only scare the animals away and keep them away from homes, gardens and yards.
