How to Keep a Chipmunk? A Detailed Guide to the Correct Care Method

The chipmunk has a small body, dark brown stripes on its back, and a long tail. It is lively and cute, widely loved by people, and many are willing to keep it as a pet. So how do you keep a chipmunk properly?

How to keep a chipmunk

1. Chipmunks are quite lively and active, and love jumping and climbing, so you need to prepare a fairly tall cage for them; you can use a large bird cage or a three-tier squirrel cage. Because they are quite nimble and prone to escaping, they can open doors by themselves or squeeze through gaps, so the gaps in the cage should preferably be no larger than 1.2 cm. The cage door should be reinforced well, and it is best to lock it with a lock when no one is around.

2. The cage should be equipped with a wooden nest and jumping boards. The wooden nest is for hiding, and the nest should be lined with torn absorbent cotton, with the amount increased or decreased according to the weather. A wire basket can also be used as a nest.

3. Use a hamster water bottle to provide drinking water, fill it with cool boiled water, and change the water once every 2 days; if the weather is hot, change it every day.

4. The food given to chipmunks should be raw: all kinds of raw seeds, such as sunflower seeds, watermelon seeds, and pumpkin seeds, as well as raw hazelnuts, pine nuts, and pistachios; these can be used for gnawing to wear down their teeth. For grains and miscellaneous cereals, there are sesame, buckwheat, oats, and so on; just put the food into the food dish. They will drag the food back to the nest to hide and eat it, and we need to clean out some of the spoiled food for them.

5. In addition to the above, you can also feed fresh fruit, but only the flesh part; dried fruit can also be fed. For vegetables, you can feed greens, lettuce, cucumber, carrot, and so on; they must be washed clean. Do not feed potatoes, scallions, ginger, or garlic.

6. When the temperature is low in winter, chipmunks will show hibernation, with the body becoming soft and breathing and heartbeat almost absent. At this time, they need to be kept warm; you can use body warmth or a heater to warm them awake.

7. In summer, pay attention to ventilation, but do not place them in direct sunlight.

8. Generally, keep one chipmunk per cage, as keeping them together easily leads to fighting. When putting chipmunks together during the estrus period, pay attention to observing the situation, and separate them promptly once there is biting.

9. There is no need for artificial bathing; chipmunks are quite clean by nature and will groom their own bodies.

When caring for a chipmunk, be careful and patient, do everything yourself, and over time it will become more attached to you.