What Do Chipmunks Eat?

Many people wonder what do chipmunks eat and what food they should provide their pet chipmunk. Chipmunks should be fed as hamsters though they should also have three or four mealworms a day not more or else another form of live food such as crickets or maggots.

Chipmunks are easily pleased when food is provided to them. They are omnivorous animals. They eat everything ranging from vegetables, berries to eggs, insects. They like variation in their food and it is easy to develop a good food habit for them. They gather food from the forests, grounds, and also climb trees if necessary.

They store food for winter in burrows. Sometimes they also opt for some safe places to store food, within their territory apart from burrows. During winter, they find out these places of food easily by smelling for food.

Chipmunks contribute in the natural process of propagation of new trees and bushes. They live peacefully with human beings. They are mainly hunted for fur or captured for selling them for pet trade.

There are wide varieties of diets available that can be used for feeding chipmunks. They are available in markets as well. The quantity of food given to a chipmunk varies as per its age. It ranges from feeding a 1-2 week old chipmunk in six small meals per day to 4-5 meals of vegetables, nuts, and sunflower seeds.

Feeding a baby chipmunk:

You have to take good care of the chipmunks. You can feed them with a mixture of water and puppy milk or Esbilac powder in it. Avoid feeding the chipmunk with other pet products besides Esbilac and cow’s milk. It may cause death of the chipmunk.

Tips for feeding chipmunks:

• Don’t include large amount of nuts and sunflower seeds in the food items given to a chipmunk. These foodstuffs contain a large amount of calories and there are possibilities that they may overeat them.
  
• Opt for seed based food items as the main food item.
  
• Include healthy food items such as fruits and vegetables.
  
• Provide food for them in plates while feeding them. There are possibilities of chipmunks spilling the food all around.
  
• Dry foods like seeds and nuts and fresh fruits like grapes, apples, and avocados can be given.
  
• Feed the chipmunks on alternative days. This would encourage them to search food on their own.
  
• Try out different techniques like occasional treats of nuts along with shells like hazel. Also, add almonds or toast or sunflower seeds.
  
• Water should be provided in a standard rodent drip bottle. Water should be regularly supplied to them. The bottles should be regularly washed and cleaned.
  
• Provide them salt and minerals in small quantities. This is advisable for pet chipmunks.
  
• Give them small pieces of meat or eggs.
  

Chipmunks have unique food habits. So, identify the likings of the chipmunks. You should know what do chipmunks eat actually and what are their likings. Try out feeding chipmunks with different food items. Check out which food items they like to eat. Then, feed them as per their food preferences.

They like to store food. So, encourage them to do their natural activities like storing food and finding it out themselves and eating them. They will take only dry foods to store. So, there are no possibilities of these food items getting spoilt.

Avoid overfeeding chipmunk. Feed them with limited food as per their bodily requirement. Don’t over feed them with food especially like peanuts, sunflower seeds, and worms. This may have harmful effects on their body. These chipmunks have the tendency to store the extra food the get. So, if you start overfeeding chipmunks there are possibilities that they would store a large amount of food instead of eating them.

Chipmunks like variety in their diets. If we take the right care and feed them with food stuffs in a right quantity, then they would be healthy. By adopting some simple techniques, you can feed your pet chipmunk and help them to lead a life that they would have got in natural surroundings.