Diaries_2003

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30th November 2003
As the winter is drawing in fast, most of the Chipmunks have bedded down now, with only two or three remaining active, I'm sure they will also bed down soon. I will not be taking any more photos over the winter, as there is nothing really to take, so I will start back up again in the spring. Have a good winter and I will be back again soon to report on The Chipmunkery.

Thank you for your support over the last year.

Colin

19th October 2003
There are even more underground burrow entrances now in the enclosure, I'm afraid to walk in there now in case the floor gives way. There are less Chipmunks around now, I have only seen one of the dilutes and he keeps moving from one nest box to the other and back again. A few of the others are still hoarding food and a few small fights and chases are taking place, nothing too serious though, just a quick chase around the enclosure and then back to searching for food again.

29th September 2003
The majority of Chipmunks have now gone underground due to the cold weather coming in. I have not seen all eleven Chipmunks out for quite a few weeks now, the most I see is about five or six. There are numerous burrows scattered all over the enclosure and they have been collecting all the hay from the nest boxes and placing it in their underground nests.

I have noticed a number of Chipmunks are sharing their burrows and have been happily sharing the search for food, whereas others are hoarding for themselves and placing it in their individual burrows and are guarding it like crazy.

The two dilutes who used to share a nest box together have now split up, one has built a underground burrow near the stream and the other has taken over two nest boxes on the opposite side to their original nest box.

Over the next month or so I'm sure I will see less and less of them, but I should still get some photos for the site hopefully till the end of the year anyway, by January they will be all nested down for the winter.

30th August 2003
Once again I have had another busy time this month with holidays etc. The enclosure has been very active, all eleven Chipmunks are doing fine, they are all adults now and I am finding it very hard to tell each other apart.

The oldest female is looking very large, I am hoping this is just layers of fat for the winter, as I don't think I could handle another set of babies just yet. I keep promising myself I will start building the second enclosure, but I have not had a chance, maybe next month. I will have to start it soon before they start burrowing for the winter as I have already found two new burrows and I'm sure there are more on the way.

I have been taking more photos of the Chipmunks this month, they are so fast that out of about sixty photos I have taken, I only manage to get about a dozen good ones for the site. The rest of the photos are just pictures of blurred Chipmunks or half a Chipmunks while he runs past. I am hoping to get some more video footage of the Chipmunks and placing it on the site, so watch this space.

28th June 2003
I have not had much time lately to enter any logs into the diary this month, I have been so busy on a few other projects, but I will try and make more of of an effort next month.

The enclosure is very active at the moment, I still have all the babies so you can imagine it is pretty crowded in there. I am considering building another enclosure, a smaller one this time. I intend to split the males and females up so I can keep them all without them having more babies. I think the majority of them a females so I will probably keep the males in the new smaller enclosure.

The two dilutes are doing well, they tend to stick together and nest in the same nest box. The others do pick on them from time to time, but they don't seem to be too worried, they just head for another part of the enclosure and start searching for food again.

I have ordered another camera, so I am hoping to have two cameras in the enclosure soon, I will keep you informed. Once again thank you for all your e-mails you send me, they are much appreciated. I have taken a few photos of the Chipmunks this month and I have more to follow, so I will place the rest of them on the site soon.

24th May 2003
I have introduced two dilute Chipmunks to the enclosure today, they seem ok but the dominant female does not seem too happy, but I'm sure they will be fine. I will be keeping a eye on them over the next few weeks to make sure they settle in ok.

The babies are now becoming very independent from their mother, so I will be giving them away if anyone is interested, I think I have a home for two males up to now, so if you are interested in any of the others please e-mail me.

I will be taking some more photos over the weekend, especially the dilutes, so I will place them on the site very soon.

11th May 2003
Over the past week I have been counting and re-counting the babies, I have now come to the conclusion that I have seven babies not four as stated last week. They were all out today, they seem very happy and very active. They are still a little weary of my presence but I am sure they will become a lot braver over the next week or so, especially when they see their mother harassing me all the time for shelled peanuts, they are sure to follow suit soon.

Life seems a little easier for the two adult males, the female does not take much notice of them unless they start hassling the babies, which they do from time-to-time, but a squeal from the babies and the mother is there to the rescue, chasing the adult males away.

I have spent today placing even more wood chipping's into the enclosure making it very summery, as these are green wood chipping's which make the place much brighter than the usual brown ones.

I have had a large amount of e-mails lately congratulating me on the website and recent photos of the Chipmunks, I am trying to improve the site week by week, although it can be quite time consuming. So keep the e-mails flowing as they keep me going and please sign the guest book if you haven't already done so.

2nd May 2003
You may have noticed on the webcam that the baby Chipmunks have now emerged from their underground burrow, they made their first appearance a few days back. I think there are four babies, but I am not quite sure as they tend to head straight back into the burrow when I enter the enclosure and they take for ever to venture back out again, although one has been out and has been climbing all over me to see what I was.

I have not had a chance to take any photos yet as I am waiting for a sunny day so they are all out enjoying the warm sun and playing together. They seem very healthy and active, the problem now is finding them a good home. I am tempted to keep them myself but I can't keep them all in the same enclosure, I may keep some indoors, I have not decided yet. I could always build another enclosure but I think the wife will kill me.

I have noticed the mother has not been as aggressive to the other two males since the babies have been out, maybe she will settle down now, at least until next time that is.

21st April 2003
It has been very quiet in the Chipmunkery this weekend, I have not had a chance to do anything in there with easter upon us. Although I have been keeping an eye on the sick male over the past week, he is not looking to too well, he seems very scrawny, although he is always eating when I see him. I will just have to monitor him a little more and see how he goes.

I have just recently been informed that I may be getting a couple of dilute Chipmunks, I am looking forward to having them in the enclosure, but I will have to wait at least six weeks until they have become independent from their mother. I would like to thank a couple of my visitors to the site for these two dilutes, so thank you Pete and Janine.

Still no sign of the babies in the enclosure yet, maybe I will have some news next week. As soon as I see them, I will place the photos on the site, so watch this space.

13th April 2003
I have been very busy in the enclosure this weekend, I have had the tree in the front garden cut back and I asked for all the branches to be left. I have therefore placed these branches in the enclosure so the Chipmunks have more to climb on. I have taken some photos so I will be placing them on the site soon.

The injured male is now back in the enclosure, unfortunately he bit his stitches out again so the vet is now at a loss as to what to do next. He doesn't seem to be in any pain and he seems quite happy running around, so I was advised by the vet to leave him for the time being and see what happens.

Still no sign of the babies, although the mother is in and out throughout the day. She is still throwing her weight around and showing the two males who's boss, but the males don't seem too worried, they just run away and find another part of the enclosure to search for food.

7th April 2003
The female has been out a lot more recently, not sure if this is a good thing but I'm sure the babies are fine. I will still have to wait for at least another few more weeks before any sign of the babies venturing out of their nest, I will just have to be patient.

The injured male is now at the vet for the third time. He went back last Wednesday and had his wound stitched together. The stitches lasted about 12 hours, as he bit them out over night. He is now back in getting the wound glued and stitched, hopefully this will do the trick.

The other male is fine, he is still being chased by the female, but he seems happy.

30th March 2003
The female has not ventured out much over the past week, she only appears for a short time in the morning and then again in the evening. I have not heard or seen any sign of the babies, they are deep underground and I don't think I will see any sign of them for at least a few more weeks.

The male Chipmunk with the sore back seems to be getting worse, you may have seen his injuries on the webcam. His cut did seem to be healing a few weeks back, but now after taking a closer look it now seems the opposite. I will have to take him to the vet this week and see what they can do for him. He doesn't seem to be in any pain, as he runs and jumps around quite happily throughout the day.

The other male Chipmunk is fine, he has been very active over the past week or so, especially while the female is occupied with her babies. He now has the run of the place and he is taking full advantage of this by exploring every part of the enclosure and claiming it as his own. This will not last for long, as soon as the female is finished with her babies, she will be back in charge.

26th March 2003
I noticed on the webcam history that the female was out yesterday around 6:30pm, I have been up bright and early this morning to see if I could see her, and yes I found her running around frantically searching for food and chasing the other two males. She did not stay out for long (which was a good sign) but she did look a lot thinner, so I'm sure she has had her babies.

Unfortunately we will have to wait until the end of April until we get to see the babies, as I think she has had the them in one of the underground nests she burrowed out last autumn. As soon as I see any sign of them I will take as many photos as possible and place them on the site.

25th March 2003
I have noticed the pregnant female has not been out for the last two days, so I am thinking she has bedded down in her nest ready to have her babies, if she hasn't already done so.

The other two males have been very happy while the female is not around, as she is the bully and picks on the both of them. The two males seem very happy to sit around sun bathing together and sharing the food bowls, I suppose that will all change when the female appears again.

23rd March 2003
Another sunny day here in Liverpool, England. There was a slight frost last night but it has not stopped three of the Chipmunks coming out early this morning, still no sign of the other two Chipmunks, I think it's time to give up on those two. I can't see them turning up now, they should of well come out of hibernation, still they may surprise me and show themselves soon.

I have spent this morning adding plants to the enclosure, a few herbs, some heather and a few other various types. Not sure how long these will last, I'm sure the herbs wont last a week, not sure about the heather, they may not like eating them. I gave them a few roses and carnations the other day, they devoured them in minutes, there was petals everywhere.

I also placed some green wood chipping in the enclosure on Saturday, they make the place look very green and summery, the old brown wood chipping always made the place look like autumn. I also placed some small stones around the stream area, which brightens the place up a bit. I will takes some photos of the enclosure today and place them on the site before the Chipmunks have eaton all the plants.

15th March 2003
I have woken up to another sunny day here in England, it is not that warm but at least it is sunny. The Chipmunks are up and about searching for food as usual, which you can now see on the webcam. Although I said the webcam was up and running on the 12th I had problems again with the new camera, so I had to go back to the old one, but to be honest the old camera looks better.

I have still not seen the older female and the dominant male yet, I don't think they made it through the winter, I will still keep an eye out for them.

The other female is still looking very fat, either she is pregnant or she has been eating to many nuts, hopefully it is not the later and she will have some babies soon. It would be nice to see some new Chipmunks in the enclosure this year plus I can get some photos for the breeding page I keep threatening to start and finish.

12th March 2003
I have been very busy lately working on the webcam PC, I eventually got it working a few days ago, it has been driving me up the wall. I am hoping to get a few different lenses for the new camera and see if it will improve the quality, I may try an IR lens on it, this will let you see the enclosure in the dark (not that the Chipmunks are out then, but hey, it is better than seeing a black screen at night).

The young male is now back in the enclosure, his fair has almost grown back. It didn't take him long to settle back in, plus the other two seem fine to have him back, hopefully there will be no more fighting.

I have not seen the dominant male or the older female yet, I am getting a little worried that they never made it through the winter, they were not in any of the wooden nest boxes, so they must be underground somewhere.

The youngest female now seems like she is pregnant, she is looking a little fatter than normal, I will have to keep an eye on her and see what happens.

I have been taking a few photos over the past week or so and I have placed them onto the site, I will be taking more photos every month from now on and placing them onto the site.

22nd February 2003
Even though the weather has been very frosty over the past week or so, two of the Chipmunks have been out throughout the day and have been very active. I have spent all day today replacing the hay in all the nest boxes, fortunately I did not disturb any of them, as at present they are nesting in the underground burrows they dug out for them selves last autumn.

The young injured male is still indoors as his cut on its back has still not healed although it is getting better. I have decided to keep the male indoors for now, due to the fact it is a lot warmer indoors and it may not adapt to well to the frost if I place him back to soon. I have therefore spent the last week building a new indoor cage for him. I placed him in it on Friday and I have not seen him since. He stays in his nest box most of the day, I am hoping he will get used to the new cage soon.

11th February 2003
The young male was out again today, his back looked very sore where his fur had been scratched. I decided to take him to the vet that afternoon, she explained it was a burst abscess and cleaned him up and gave him an anti-biotic injection. I was advised to keep him indoors for a week or so until his injuries have healed. He does not seem very happy to be stuck in a small cage, I may have to build another larger one if his fur does not grow back soon.

The other young female has been out and about lately, I am hoping to start taking photos of her when I get the chance and place them on the site. I will also get photos of the injured Chipmunk as well and show you how bad his back is.

9th February 2003
I have been busy in the Chipmunkery today, only one of the Chipmunks was out and he didn't stay out for long. It was just as well he went to bed, as I have been giving the enclosure a good spring clean. I have scattered another three bags of wood chipping's onto the floor making it smell very summery. I have also bought a number of rocks which I have placed at the back of the stream to make a rockery.

I am hoping to get some new plants and maybe some herbs very soon, this may make the enclosure a little more greener, at the moment it is very brown and gray with all the rocks and wood chipping's. I may wait until next month though, just in case we get one more cold spell before the spring.

2nd February 2003
I haven't forgot ton about the other two pages that require finishing (breeding and health), I promise I will get them finished as soon as possible, I have been very busy with other projects, but I'm sure I will find some time soon.

I must thank you all for the support you have given me with regards to this site. I receive plenty of e-mails with lots compliments, this makes it all worth while and pushes me to improve it even more. If you can think of any good ideas with the site please feel free and e-mail me, all comments are welcome.

1st February 2003
The two youngest Chipmunks were active today, I did notice a small cut on the young male's back, I think they may have been fighting over some food, I'll have to keep an eye on him.

No sign of the other three, I think it is a little too cold for them to venture out just yet

25th January 2003
I thought it was about time I spent some time working on the Chipmunkery website, so I have decided to create this page so I can keep you informed as to what is going on at the Chipmunkery.

All five of the Chipmunks are in hibernation at the moment, the first to bed down for the winter was the dominant male and female, they spent a lot of time collecting food throughout October and November and disappeared near the end of November. They both share the same underground nest and the entrance has been filled from the inside, so none of the others can steal their food.

The next to go was the oldest female, I think she is nesting in one the nesting boxes up on the wall, not seen her for some time.

The youngest female went next, she is nesting in another underground burrow not far from the webcam camera.

The final Chipmunk to bed down was the youngest male, he remained active throughout December until we had a cold spell in the new year, so he eventually went underground the first week in January.

You may have notice the webcam is down, this was due to a hard drive failure, I will be setting it back up in the spring when all the Chipmunks are active again.

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