Housing

As mentioned before Chipmunks are ground squirrels, they generally live in the lower canopy of the forest. They rarely climb above six feet and usually build their nest and store food in burrows under tree roots. Occasionally in the summer they nest in tree holes but when the autumn arrives they build deep burrows underground, which they fill with leaf litter, dry grasses and any other soft material they can find, ready for their hibernation during winter.

The size of the cage is very important, the bigger the better. Some people recommend a cage no smaller than 3'x 2' x 1.5'. I feel a height of 1.5'(18") is much too small, I recommend at least a 3' high cage. The first cage I made was an indoor cage, it was 4' x 2' x 6' high. There were different levels to the cage with plenty of branches and logs for climbing and a thick layer of wood chipping's in the bottom for burrowing. I thought it was perfect until it was time to clean it out. It was a nightmare to clean, it took hours to fully clean it. So, if you do decide to build your own cage make it simple but affective. A pull out tray at the bottom of the cage would be a good start, this will make it quicker and easier to clean the cage, as all the dropping will fall into the tray which can be pulled out and cleaned without disturbing the Chipmunks.

The correct material should also be considered when building your cage, if you are building it out of wire mesh, do not use chicken wire as Chipmunks can easily chew through this type of wire. Twiweld / Weldmesh (I have recently used 3/4" x 3/4" x 14G from 'FMM Weld Mesh' and found it much better than the thin mesh you can get from your local hardware stores) or any other similar branded wire is ideal. If you want to make a wooden cage with a wire mesh front, Formica or laminated chip-board should be used. This will prevent the Chipmunks from chewing the wood when they are bored. The most important thing to remember is to make the cage interesting, provide your Chipmunks with plenty of things to do and if you do use a small cage buy a Chipmunk wheel so they can exercise. A bored Chipmunk is a sad and depressed Chipmunk.

By building a large outdoor cage you can keep a colony of Chipmunks instead of a pair. One of the main concerns with an outdoor cage is the weather, your cage/aviary (Chipmunkery as I call it, although should it be called a Chipmonastery) must be sheltered from the worst of the weather. The north facing side must be fully protected from the winds and rain. Hardwood should not be used as this can contain harmful substances if chewed. A polyurethane varnish should be used to weatherproof the wood, stay clear of phenol-based wood preservative. (I have found if there are plenty of branches, logs and other similar items, the Chipmunks tend not to chew on the cage). You must also take into account of your Chipmunks burrowing, so either line the cage with wire mesh or build it on a concrete base. A quarter to a half of the cage should be covered, prefabley with roofing felt, do not use corrugated metal or plastic as a roofing material, as this can be noisy in the winter rains and over heat the cage in the summer sun.

The outdoor cage I built was only meant to be a small outdoor run connected to the shed, but while I was planning its design, I decided to go with the full size Chipmunkery. The size of the cage is 20' x 10' x 6' high. It has a sloping roof with a gutter on the back which is connected to a water barrel, this collects the rain water. The water is then filtered and poured through a pipe into a small stream inside the cage, creating a natural water supply. A small air pump, pumps oxygen into the water to prevent the water from going stagnant.

The base of the cage was dug out about a foot deep, lined with wire mesh and the soil filled back in. A mixture of peat and wood chipping was placed on top of the soil for the Chipmunks to burrow and hide their precious hoard. Over time I have added more and more items to the cage, there are plenty of plants, logs, branches, rocks and numerous nesting boxes. Use only safe trees such as apple, pear and oak. Avoid yew, laburnum and rhododendron as these are poisonous.

There should be at least one nesting box for each Chipmunk, plus one or two extras which maybe used as food storage. They should be placed at different levels within the cage; preferably at the top and bottom of the cage. This will allow your Chipmunk to choose it's ideal nesting place. I have noticed my Chipmunks use the the top nesting boxes for food storage and sleep in the ground nesting boxes. Although I think the reason they prefer the ground nesting boxes is due to the fact they are built out of stone and the only way in and out is via underground tunnels (this creates a more natural habitat).

Various types of material should be supplied for the nesting boxes, such as large wood shavings, dried leaves and good quality hey. Do not use man-made fibres or wool as these maybe dangerous as a bedding material. Other types of bedding such as those supplied from pet shops for Hamsters and Gerbils may be used, but I tend to stay with natural materials. Fine sawdust should be avoided as it can irritate the delicate membranes of eyes and nostrils and get into ears during burrowing.

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