Chipmunk burrows

[Pat McC.]

We've seen chipmunks and their burrows in our front yard and we were willing to ignore them till today. We just discovered a burrow entrance right up against the brick steps leading up to our front door. This is an area where we just had a French drain installed to correct drainage problems, and it's covered with sand, so it's easy to burrow into. They may also be burrowing underneath the steps for all I know. We're worried their tunnels and burrows might weaken the ground and cause structural problems in our walkway or steps.

We don't really want to eliminate the chipmunks, but we really need to prevent them from burrowing in this particular area. I tried putting some stones over the burrow entrance, but they've already moved the stones away. I was thinking of putting mothballs into the tunnel, or pouring ammonia down it in hopes that they'd move to another spot.

Suggestions? I've thought of live trapping and relocating them, but that would be a last resort. And we're in a suburban area, so shooting would not be an option even if we did want to eliminate them (which we don't).

[m Ransley]

They wont hurt your foundation. Bury some screening material around the area. if your house is wood and wood is below grade they may get in.

[m Ransley]

Trap em, what if you get a skunk.

[Joseph Meehan]

I don't think you need worry about structural problems. The steps should be fine. However, what kind of foundation do you have? Is it a slab at grade, a full basement with cement floor, or do you have some craw space without a full cement floor?

I have found out that they can go down three or four feet, that would get them under the wall and footing of many craw spaces. Yea, they got under mine and into the craw space. They did no damage and were gone by the time I found out.

They are no longer in the neighborhood. The neighborhood cats have seen to that. They have also reduced, but not eliminated the mice, which are staying out of my home, after a few days of checking out my attic.

Good Luck

[tomcas]

The mothballs will work. The chipmunks will just move on. At least mine did.

[bugs]

Try using Brown Cider Vinegar in the burrows and the surrounding areas. That will make them move to another area as well.

[Kit Walker]

You can deal with this like a gardener or as a farmer.

Personally I choose:

[SteveB]

As a child in the Nevada desert, we would flood their burrows, and then capture the escapees for pets. You don't have to completely try to kill them, just run some water in, and cut it off, then repeat until they come out. They will get tired of being flooded, and move soon. Even if just a short distance. You could just flood the burrows that were a bother.

Steve

[Pat McC.]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm glad to hear that chipmunks are unlikely to cause structural damage to the steps. And we do have a full basement with concrete walls and floor, so I guess I don't have to worry about them burrowing into the house. But I still would rather not have them tunneling under our front walk, so we'll probably try putting vinegar, mothballs, and/or a hose down this particular burrow in hopes of convincing them that they'd be happier living farther away from the house. Not sure about the suggestion of having the household's Alpha Male "mark" the area--I guess it's worth a try and it would cost nothing. But I think we'll skip the propane/oxygen "Rodenator" (entertaining though it might be).

Thanks again, Pat

ground

shooting

[Pat McC.]

Oops--Just posted this in the wrong thread, so will repost it here.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm glad to hear that chipmunks are unlikely to cause structural damage to the steps. And we do have a full basement with concrete walls and floor, so I guess I don't have to worry about them burrowing into the house. But I still would rather not have them tunneling under our front walk, so we'll probably try putting vinegar, mothballs, and/or a hose down this particular burrow in hopes of convincing them that they'd be happier living farther away from the house. Not sure about the suggestion of having the household's Alpha Male "mark" the area--I guess it's worth a try and it would cost nothing. But I think we'll skip the propane/oxygen "Rodenator" (entertaining though it might be).

Thanks again,

Pat McC.

ground

shooting

[oo Mike oo]

Heh heh, thought it was a joke at first, but too much work went into the web site to be a spoof

[SteveB]

Man, that looks wicked, especially with those regulators and hose. Reminds me of the time we ignited two ounces of gasoline inside a 55 gallon drum that was flooded with pure oxygen.

Our hearing was flat for a couple of days, we almost took out some windows in the neighborhood (very rural, thank God), and had almost every emergency vehicle in town hovering for about two hours.

They would ask us if we had heard anything, and we would reply, "Huh?"

Steve

[Chuck Yerkes]

I love that site... Was watching it at work when a guy installing some computers overheard us and came in.

Said: "watch how tight they clench their knees... Seems it's easy to fill mystery holes with O2 + Propane and light it, but you don't know where that burrow GOES." Or what lights at the other end.

Chipmunk repellant (moth balls and stinky stuff), they're mostly harmless in my experience.

A cat will do it for you too.

[JerryMouse]

Don't worry about it. No chipmunk is going to build a home that's going to FALL DOWN on HIM!

He's got a lot more to worry about than you.

[masterg]

sand. I'm just afraid about the instability, so I'm going to try mothballs, cider vinegar and a product I found called Plantskydd to keep them away.

[Frank]

Waste of money. Get a product that contains phosphorous compounds that generate phosphine in tunnels or their stomach and wipe them out. I doubt they are burrowing under your house. Why would they go so deep - no bugs or roots for them?

[Frank]

Sorry you lost the house, seeing how old the post was ;)

[Vermont girl]

replying to Pat McC., Vermont girl wrote: I read somewhere that eucalyptus oil in and around the holes will stop them - and it did. They have left. However, the holes are still seeping water into the basement.

[Vermont girl]

replying to tomcas, Vermont girl wrote: Moth balls are toxic to everything in nature. We should avoid using them if possible.

[algore]

Moth balls cause global warming.