Chipmunks

[freddotr]

Hi all, Looking for a way to get rid of the little guys... they were cute at first, but are now infesting the yard, gardens, under the porch, etc. Help! Thanks. f.r.

[sandy]

what are they hurting?

freddotr wrote:

[Tom J]

When they undermined the corner of my house I decided it was time for war!! When I go to war, I don't mind using chemical warfare!! I bought 2 kinds of rat poison, took a 3/4 plastic pipe about 4' long, stuck a funnel in the top end of the pipe, and proceeded from rat hole to rat hole pouring rat bait down the burrows. I don't have rats anymore! ;-) You can call them cute little chipmunks if you want - they are rodents and rodents are rats!! BTW, if you have a farm supply near you, they may have treated peanuts, and they love those peanuts, and roll over about an hour after eating.

Tom J

[Chet Hayes]

I have yet to see chipmunks cause any real damage in a yard. They generally burrow in bed areas and even when they burrow a hole in a lawn, they make a clean small opening and even transport the material away. The grass continues to grow around it fine and the hole is hardly visible. I've had them in my acre of property for 7 years without any problems.

It sounds like you don't know the difference between a rat and a chipmunk. Most of us learn to appreciate the native wildlife and try to coexist with it instead of trying to exterminate everything in sight. Must make you feel like a real man killing critters while playing GI Joe.

[TheKid]

Big damage in my yard!! Well, I can say from experience that they do a number on my strawberries! Just as they are ready for picking, these lovely little creatures destroy my crop that I have labored hard in growing. I've tried chicken wire to cage the plants and they dig below it to get at the strawberries. Wouldn't mind sharing but they take a bite, just one bite out of each fruit and move onto the next fruit. I'm ready to use just about anything short of NOT growing berries! Would love to hear what others have done to get rid of them. Our cat can only catch so many of them.

[Tom J]

That's the big problem. Most all their predators have been taken away and the are running amuck everywhere - worse than rats!! It's rare to see any in 500 feet of my property now because of the equalizer.

Tom J

[D H]

You don't seem to know the difference between "playing GI Joe" and protecting your yard and home. Chipmunks can do tremendous and serious damage if left to dig all they want. They do NOT make only small holes. They can make a hole large enough to get hurt stepping into it. In the process of their digging, they also leave all these burrows behind for other pests (for example, yellow jackets) to nest in. They will also be under the footer of your house if given enough opportunity. I have seen each of these things firsthand, and I DO know the difference between a chipmunk and a rat. If you don't mind having them in your yard, that's great. Enjoy them all you want to. But don't come off like some self-righteous, better-than-others-because-you-don't-exterminate-pests nature lover. I love nature every bit as much as you do (maybe more?) but I know how to manage balance and it does NOT include giving over MY home to pests. I provide for wildlife in APPROPRIATE places on my land, but _I_ determine where that is. More power to the one trying to limit his losses and protect his land. He is doing nothing wrong, and he is not "playing GI Joe."

-- Off to ride the mountains, D H Reply to newsgroup. Spam is out of control.

[Scott Downey]

Wire up a little electric fence around your berry garden Sort of like a bug zapper that shocks and frys bugs. All you need is bare copper wire and a high voltage source. One touch and they wont bother them anymore. If you use regular 120 volt current it will kill the guys, best bet would be an electric transformer such as electric cattle fence.

[Chet Hayes]

"You don't seem to know the difference between "playing GI Joe" and

Yes I know the difference. The original poster used the terms warfare and chemical weapons, not me. He was clearly enjoying making a war game out of his animal problems. Many people rush to exterminate everything in site at the first excuse, even if there is no clear need. And I think anyone with this posters way of expressing himself is headed in that direction.

" They do NOT make only small holes. They

I have lots of chipmunks in an acre of property. I have yet to see anything larger than a clean hole about an inch and a quarter in diameter.

"I love nature every bit as much as you do (maybe more?) but I

With all due respect, you have no way of knowing how much I or anyone else love nature. If you do love nature, then why go out of your way to defend a poster who describes his wildlife management practices in terms of warfare and chemical weapons?

[Chet Hayes]

"You don't seem to know the difference between "playing GI Joe" and

Yes I know the difference. The original poster used the terms warfare and chemical weapons, not me. He was clearly enjoying making a war game out of his animal problems. Many people rush to exterminate everything in site at the first excuse, even if there is no clear need. And I think anyone with this posters way of expressing himself is headed in that direction.

" They do NOT make only small holes. They

I have lots of chipmunks in an acre of property. I have yet to see anything larger than a clean hole about an inch and a quarter in diameter.

"I love nature every bit as much as you do (maybe more?) but I

With all due respect, you have no way of knowing how much I or anyone else love nature. If you do love nature, then why go out of your way to defend a poster who describes his wildlife management practices in terms of warfare and chemical weapons?

[D H]

He is not "many people" and you have no clue as to what direction he is headed. All you know is that he can use those terms lightly, but without knowing him personally, you have no point of reference to determine anything other than that he likes to talk that way for the sake of humor. Nothing wrong with his choice of words at all, IMO.

And your experience applies to us all, of course. We haven't a clue what we see in our own yards.

No, I don't know how much you love nature; I do know how much I do, and you will not surpass that. Period. I love it with a recognition of who made it for mankind to enjoy and live with responsibly. That does not include worship of nature, which is the height of foolishness and a denial of the Creator. I could say you tend toward this end of the spectrum just as you judged the other fellows motives based on his choice of words, however, I have no way of knowing for sure that is the case, so I won't jump to that conclusion without further confirmation of it from you.

As I said before, I see nothing wrong with his expressions, since I take them as I think he meant them; humorously. Don't bother wasting your time with any lectures about the inappropriateness of mixing warfare and humor, either. It will only prove you have unresolved issues in that area, and I haven't the inclination to help you work them out. Oh by the way, I guess you've heard of a "killfile?" I suppose that is proof of my desire to murder? Sorry but it's not. It only means goodbye.

-- Off to ride the mountains, D H Reply to newsgroup. Spam is out of control.

[Tom J]

I don't enjoy exterminating anything!! When the corner of my house started settling and the contractors dug down and found the foundation tunneled under with many runs from chipmunks, I did the most humane thing possible to eradicate the problem, and that was rat poison. I used the tern rat because they are both rodents and both, left uncontrolled, do tremendous damage.

My property is a haven for birds, squirrels, neighbors cats, neighbors dogs, and other surface animals, but you can take it to the bank, I'll not tolerate burring animals anywhere near my house again.

It cost me $8,000 to get my house jacked back up to level, hydraulic concrete pumped in under the foundation, and the bricks replaced on that corner of the house.

If you want to tolerate such destruction on your property, fine, but if you live near me, you are going to see a lot of migration through your property until these chipmunks are brought completely under control in this yard.

Tom J Who only sees them every couple of weeks now

[Chas Hurst]

. Ever hear of a Havaheart trap so that he

I have tried the Havaheart trap. I now use the Givashit .22. And it works on different varmints without the need of bait.

Chas Hurst

[Iskandar]

.177 works just as well!