What Is The Best Way To Get Rid Of Chipmunks? | Fast Fix

Why This Works

Chipmunks move in when a yard hands them cover, calories, and quiet places to dig. The fastest path to relief is simple: block the spots they use, tidy any food draws, and trap the holdouts. That three step plan solves today’s damage and cuts repeat visits.

This guide sticks with methods backed by extension wildlife pros and humane groups. You’ll see what to do, what to buy, and what to skip. Two quick tables keep the plan clear. Toward the end, you’ll find a trap setup sheet and fixes for gardens, feeders, and foundations.

Control At A Glance

Best Ways To Get Rid Of Chipmunks In Yards

Step 1: Close The Openings They Use

Start where wood meets soil. Look around stoops, steps, AC pads, stacked stone, and shed skirts. Cover holes with 1/4-inch hardware cloth cut larger than the gap. Fasten with screws and washers or masonry anchors. Screen soffit and foundation vents, and cap downspouts so they cannot climb inside.

For spots that invite digging, install an L-shaped footer. Set wire a few inches below grade and bend it outward so the buried leg forms a shelf. Animals hit the wire when they try to tunnel under, then give up and move on.

Step 2: Remove Easy Calories

Most yards feed chipmunks without meaning to. Put seed in steel tins, place feeders over hard surfaces for easy sweeping, and add a pole baffle. Pick up fallen fruit and rake acorns. Feed pets indoors. Store trash and compost in tight containers.

Step 3: Protect Beds And Bulbs

Wire stops digging. For bulbs and small seedbeds, make simple cages with hardware cloth and plant inside. Over raised beds, lay hardware cloth flat and cover with an inch of soil; sprouts will pass through.

Step 4: Trap The Stubborn Few

Traps finish what blocking and cleanup start. Use rodent-size snap traps or small live-capture box traps. Place them along runs or at fresh holes and check every day. Bait with peanut butter, oats, or black oil sunflower kernels. Wear gloves and keep traps away from kids, pets, and birds.

Taking Care Of Entry Points And Burrows

Pick The Right Mesh

Use 1/4-inch mesh for screens and covers. Smaller openings keep out chipmunks and also stop mice. Galvanized wire handles soil contact and resists chewing. For vents, add screens that can be removed for service.

Install An L-Shaped Footer

Dig a shallow trench where animals dig along a slab, shed, or wall. Attach hardware cloth to the structure, bend the lower edge out to form a shelf, and bury it level. Backfill and tamp the soil. This keeps tunnels from starting at your edge. See an example of an L-shaped footer.

Shut Down Old Holes

Wait until the animals are out. Kick loose soil into the hole and pack it with a stone or a wad of hardware cloth, then top with soil. If a plug pops out within a day, a resident is still inside. Re-open, wait, and try again.

Food And Shelter Cleanup That Works

Bird Feeders

Mount feeders on a smooth pole with a baffle and keep at least a few feet of side clearance. Sweep seed daily. Mix in hulled seed to cut shells that pile up under a pole. Move ground feeding to trays you can clear fast.

Storage And Waste

Use metal cans with tight lids for seed and pet chow. Set compost in a latched bin. Pick up windfall fruit and rake nuts near hardscape where sweeping is quick. Thin stacked stone and wood piles near foundations. Sunlight and airflow make those spots less appealing.

Garden Defenses That Save Bulbs

Cages For Bulbs And Seedbeds

Line a planting hole with hardware cloth, set bulbs inside, and fold the wire into a lid. Backfill and water. In seedbeds or small plots, lay wire flat across the surface and cover with soil or mulch. Shoots pass through the grid while digging stops cold.

Repellents: Use With Realistic Hopes

Some taste products can help protect plants not grown for people. Results fade with rain and new growth, so plan on repeats. Use these only where labels allow and never on food beds. For a science-based summary of what works and what does not, see the Penn State Extension chipmunk guide.

Getting Rid Of Chipmunks Safely At Home

Choose A Trap

Snap traps work fast and stay put. Box traps catch live animals and let you release on site. Either style needs smart placement and daily checks.

Where To Set

Watch at dusk and early morning. Look for fresh soil at holes and narrow runways along edges. Place traps flush to a wall or stone, baited end against the path. If sprung traps miss, swap to a mouse snap model for juveniles that are too light to fire larger bars.

Baits That Hold Up

Peanut butter sticks to the trigger. Oats, cracked corn, or a few sunflower kernels add scent and texture. Keep bait small so the trigger trips when the animal nibbles.

Check Local Rules On Release

Moving wildlife off your property can be restricted or banned. Many states require release on site or use of permitted operators. Always check your state wildlife agency before any transport.

Trap Setup Cheat Sheet

What To Avoid

Poisons And Fumigants

Skip poison baits and burrow fumigants for chipmunks. In many places there are no products labeled for this use, and off-label use risks pets, wildlife, and the law.

Mothballs Outdoors

Do not scatter mothballs in beds, crawlspaces, or yards. Labels restrict these products to sealed containers for fabric pests. Outdoor use is unsafe and illegal.

One-And-Done Cleanups

A single weekend of raking and plugging holes helps, then the yard drifts back. Plan a quick weekly sweep: seed, lids, and a walk to spot fresh holes. Ten minutes beats starting over.

When To Call For Help

Some jobs need a crew, a ladder, or a permit. If animals keep breaking through, bring in a wildlife control company or your local extension office. For stubborn cases on farms, parks, or campuses, contact USDA Wildlife Services for guidance and referrals.

How To Read The Signs

Fresh activity tells you where to work. Chipmunk burrows measure about two to three inches wide, sink almost straight down, and rarely show loose soil at the mouth. You may see tiny tracks in dusty spots and narrow runways hugging walls or timbers. Seed shells, nibbled sprouts, and tulip tops cut clean are classic clues. If you keep feeders, watch where a chipmunk darts after stuffing its cheeks; that line often leads you to an active hole.

Mark each spot with a flag or a rock. That simple step speeds up sealing and trap placement.

Seasonal Timing

Late spring and early summer are friendly windows for blocking and trapping. Young of the year are moving, so you can end a small problem before it turns into many burrows. Chipmunks cache food for winter. If you move one away from that cache late in the season, it may not make it through cold months.

Winter is quiet above ground, but tunnels continue to shift and settle. Use that downtime for planning, buying materials, and cutting screens. Once the soil thaws, you can install wire and set traps as soon as you see fresh soil at a hole.

Non-Target Safety

Keep pets and songbirds safe while you trap. Place snap traps inside a covered station. A simple option is a plastic storage bin turned upside down with two side openings cut near the corners. Weigh it with a brick and leave only a narrow slot for chipmunks. For box traps, set a piece of cardboard over the top and wire it on so kids cannot reach in.

Do not set traps where owls, hawks, or neighborhood cats can snag the target or get caught by accident. Avoid bait piles that draw birds. A small smear on the trigger works better than a big gob that invites picking.

Materials And Tools

Keep a short kit on hand so fixes happen fast. A roll of 1/4-inch hardware cloth covers most needs. Stock tin snips, gloves, a driver with self-tapping screws and fender washers, and masonry anchors for block or brick. For vents and downspouts, buy clip-in screens or fit custom pieces with sheet-metal screws.

For traps, one pack of rat-size snap traps and two small box traps will cover a typical yard. Add a few short pieces of scrap lumber or bricks to brace sets and guide animals through. Store everything together so you can react the same day you notice new digging.

Legal Notes In Plain Language

Rules differ by state and by city. Many places allow landowners to remove problem chipmunks on their property, yet limit transport. Some states require release on site, some require permits for any relocation, and some forbid moving wildlife to parks or public land. When in doubt, call your state wildlife agency before you move an animal off your lot. If rules point to on-site release only, lean on better sealing and more thorough cleanup so new animals are less likely to move in.

Troubleshooting Stalls

Traps Are Sprung, But Empty

Reduce bait size so the bar fires sooner. Angle the trigger toward the wall.

An Animal Steals Bait Without Firing The Trap

Switch to a mouse-size snap trap, or lace the trigger with a twist of dental floss to hold a smear of peanut butter in place. You can also pre-bait for one night with the trap locked open so the animal gains confidence, then arm it the next evening.

New Holes Keep Appearing

Expand the blocked zone. Push weekly cleanup harder so there is less food reward. Swap from general seed mixes to hulled sunflower or safflower, which produce fewer shells to sift through.

Quick Checklist

• Screen vents and cap downspouts.
• Add an L-shaped footer at dig-prone edges.
• Baffle feeders and sweep seed.
• Lock up seed and pet chow.
• Plant bulbs in wire cages.
• Set and check traps daily until activity stops.
• Confirm local rules before any release.

Block, clean, and trap. That’s the plan that keeps a yard chipmunk-light without unsafe shortcuts. If the plan stalls, send photos to your extension office and ask for site-specific tweaks from a wildlife agent in your area.