Being a survival and pest creature, the chipmunks make 2 different burrows: one for usual living and another to live in the period of hibernation.
Only one burrow which is massive and puzzling in looks contains the nest for resting during the inactive journey.
But where do chipmunks nest are? The location is underground which can’t be seen. They ensure to build it under forest, logs, and bushes. The chipmunks also make nests under different kinds of soils which are dense, loam, grassy, clay, slit, rocky, and so on.
In this guide, I’ll explain all the details with the illustration so that you can catch the point easily. Let’s Drive into It!
Usually, Chipmunks Do Nest Underground!
A lot of folks don’t know the location of chipmunk nests. They get confused with den, tunnel, hole, and so on.
In the summer, fall, and spring seasons, the softly made burrows are where do chipmunks live. But after the period of activation, they need to store food in a stronger and deeper homes to survive in the winter period and go to the hibernation mode.
And this home is what we know as a nest (it’s inside a tunnel). Here’s the basic picture of the nest for visual understanding:
If you compare the home with a basic shallow burrow, it has complex chambers with big space to ensure food, urinating system, a sleeping zone aka nest, hoard, and so on. The nest is underground and big enough to live.
Nest Diameter
The complex burrow contains a bigger area for the nest which is around 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) in diameter.
Plus, this nest is more than 132 inches (335.28 cm) in length. And it’s mostly deeper to ensure warmth against the winter cold.
Home, where chipmunks live in winter, needs to be big to ensure food, shelter, and other necessary things. That’s why they prepare to make the nest before spring to live well during hibernation.
Nest Behavior
Chipmunks make their nest near food, water, and protection. The nest usually has a warm, dark vibe with less aeration system for winter season use. Here are some of the places where they nest:
- Below the logs
- Under the bushes
- Rocky soil
- Dense forest
- Grassy soil
- Loam soil
- Clay soil
- Silt soil
The chipmunks usually choose places where they can take rest without feeling fear due to predator animals. No matter how long do chipmunks live, the burrow system might not change until they leave the place.
Chipmunks Can Burrow Quite Deep
According to most studies, the main burrow can be more than 24 to 72 inches (2 to 6 feet) deep under the soil. However, it isn’t fixed since chipmunks have 26 different kinds of species which makes individual-style burrows that can be less or deeper.
The burrow depth depends on the length and entrance system. For instance, if the burrow is 180 to 240 inches (15 – 20 feet) and contains more than 2 main gates, then it will have 72 inches (6 feet) depth.
Then again, the burrow can have 36 inches (3 feet) of depth when it’s 120 inches in length and contain 1 entrance.
Number of Chipmunks Living in A Burrow
In most cases, the chipmunks live alone in the burrow since they usually don’t have a social life to maintain by roaming around.
However, in the spring and summer seasons, the male and female chipmunks can gather to live inside the same den in order to continue the mating work.
During these 2 periods, you’ll see 8 to 10 chipmunks in one burrow and staying for around the whole mating seasons (February to April and late June to August). Learn how many chipmunks live together if you need detail.
Other than these, the mommy chipmunks can live with her kids for more than 6 – 9 (on average 3 – 5 pups) until they grow to 6 to 9 weeks.
Overall Thoughts
Now that you know where do chipmunks nest are, it’s time to prepare bait to get them out of your garden.
Placing the live trap with their favorite dishes or catching them via DIY techniques to release them in a zone (5 km away from your yard) is what you should do.
Hope this guide helps you in a positive way and provides the needed details. See You in The New Guide Soon, TC!
