Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Pond Boss Chipmunk Eradication-Yes, No, or Maybe?

In general, do you encourage, discourage, or generally live with large chipmunk populations at your house?

Is this a REAL question?

I would think it depends on how much damage they cause, and what you are willing to live with.

MY 2 cents....My experience, you can't ever totally eradicate them. New ones will just come if the habitat is to their liking. Chipmunk proof things you don't want them to get into and enjoy their company when they come up and sit on the front porch with you in the morning while you drink a cup of Joe.

Edit: Same goes for 13 stripe ground squirrels

Seriously tho, they do cause a lot of damage where they can get into and make a mess out of it.

I bet you could use them for catfish bait. Cmm

I tend to delegate responsibility, so I leave the ground squirrel decision making process in the capable paws of our cat. He tends to manage with extreme prejudice.

I have no complaints.

It was a serious question. They're all up under all the concrete patios. I can see them eroding out areas that could be considered as mild foundation.

Cats take care of it, but we don't keep cats.

I easily and successfully controlled mine for several years with a cheap live trap baited with sunflower seeds or peanuts. They are very easy to trap in a live trap. New ones will come and repopulate over time in my experience. If you are willing to put forth a yearly effort, trapping works. You will be amazed how many you can catch in the first couple weeks!

Sunil we have Voles around our home, likely due to the bird feeders which drop seeds all the time. They can destroy lawns with their tunnels and are a general nuisance. I will get fed up once annually and go Elmer Fudd on them. Live traps can work, but since Voles like to tunnel a lot, I use warfarin laced gummy worms or pellets with peanut butter coating and drop them in their tunnels/holes. I must knock back a significant portion of their population, as for 4-6 months I won't see them around. Then I calm down, feel kinda guilty for my campaign against them, until they reappear and the cycle starts again.

Voles or other burrowing critters can cause damage, especially to concrete patios - their tunnels can collapse and requires mudjacking to restore patio to original levels. If you go EF on them like me for a couple weeks you should knock them out. Live traps or Warfarin are my recommendations. If you live trap them I'm sure Ken could make some fricassee and you'd never guess you're eating Alvin.

FYI - the antidote to Warfarin ingestion by cat or dog is Vitamin K...other poisons [zinc phosphide/bromethalin] don't have any antidotes. It would require a very significant dose of Warfarin to kill a pet so I would not worry much about it. If you have pets that like eating crap they shouldn't, I recommend only using Warfarin just in case.

Well when yer sittin' back enjoyin' Chip & Dale, pull up the ol' Internet machine and brush up on rodents:

http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/index.html

http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/direct.html

http://www.cdc.gov/rodents/diseases/indirect.html


Squirrels, rats, mice, & chipmunks are persona, err rodent, non grata around here. The potential diseases they carry and transmit give us enough incentive to eradicate them at every opportunity.

Seems like you've already got your answer - they're up under your concrete patio making nests.

I posted this on one of TJ's threads. Electric cat

My problem is squirrels(tree rats). They gnawed into my attic and chewed up wiring. Since I live in town during the week, I used some 22 calibris with no powder. Hence, very little sound. That worked but I wasn't always around when they were. So, I started using live traps. That worked great. I shot the first one that got in a trap. However, it took 3 shots for it to die. That sickened me. I don't like to see things suffer.

So, I started relocating them a couple of miles away. I rarely see a squirrel this year.

The wife uses chewing gum on them. Pops a little piece down the holes she sees. You won't see any results until the following spring. Seems like the buggers stash it all and then eat it during the winter. I would suspect that's the case with most baits used on these critters. Like everyone else, we put up with them, there fun to watch, but you have to go after them every once in awhile otherwise they will get totally out of control.

I'm concerned about the dens under my extensive concrete patios.

I was going to employ the bucket of water with seeds floating on the top, but just didn't have it in me.

I guess I'll try it.

Once I have some dead chipmunks, I might tie a line to them and see if I can't catch a red tail hawk.

This is what I did with the chipmunks and ground squirrels. Worked great! I used a pet carrier I have and would store my catch all day and then off to their new home in the evening.

Discourage with extreme prejudice. They have a habit of chewing on things that I don't want chewed.......

Rat traps baited with peanut butter works.

Don't worry about the dogs. Once they get their nose slapped a time or two they'll leave the traps alone.

Chipmunks are industrious little creatures. I once had one fill the air breather of my tractor to its fullest capacity with acorns.

Have had real good luck with MOTH BALLS on mice and rats in the machinery---It might work they are cheep and easy to get.

Mike, I had always heard about moth balls as a deterrent. So, I put a box of them in a camper trailer that I had. The mice chewed a hole in the side of the box.

I don't think they make the real ones anymore.

I've seen a lot of moths, but I guess they were all female. No balls.
Cmm

A guy told me once moth balls are good bait but all I've been able to catch must be the females as well so can't say fer sure if they are or aren't. I'm thinking they would be hard to keep on a hook anyway!

Ummm!

You need to learn tolerance and acceptance of cats.

But, you may need one of Tony's intolerant cats. Some cats are just too tolerant, even of those who don't like them.



Your alternative is that you will be destined to using Rex the PVC Muskrat Killer and Half-Stick Hudson.

Our cats, chickens, and guineas take care of snakes, voles, moles, mice, chipmunks, and neighborhood dogs that stray near the house or chicken coop.