Are Chipmunks Destructive to Home and Garden?

If you are looking at these cuties and planning to pet them- you are wrong! Chipmunks are not as dumb as they look. They are the reason why your plants are getting ruined every day.

And don’t make us tell you about your house! If there are chipmunks, the foundation of your house is at stake! So, are chipmunks destructive to us? How?

Chipmunks in Yard and Home

So, can chipmunks be destructive to the garden and home? What exactly do they do? Are they smart enough to destroy the plants and the house? Yes, they are! How they destroy things, we will tell you here!

Are Chipmunks Destructive to Gardens?

One of the most asked questions about this rodent is- are chipmunks destructive to property? They are so cute that most of us don’t think about them harming our property. But we all know that they dig tunnels. If you see chipmunks in your yards, you must understand that they are not healthy for the plants you have in your garden.

On the other hand, if you see your plants being destroyed frequently, the reason behind this is the rodents. Another fact that we have known forever is that chipmunks live underground. You can check out the details on where do chipmunks live and how long do chipmunks live by clicking here!

At times, you might have checked the garden and found nothing. Is there anything wrong is the searching process? Yes, there is! What we often do is search for piles of dirt in our yard. However, the unfortunate fact is these animals don’t leave dirt lying at their entrance and exit holes.

They dig their holes without the dirt lying on the mouth of the hole. As a result, it gets tough to find them out. The worst part is they stay hidden inside their holes along with behind the plants. The whole day, what they do is eat your vegetable seeds! That’s not what you want, right?

They love the flower bulbs along with the fruits of your yard. If you have plants in your garden, chipmunks will love to stay around. They will go for bird feeders and bowls too. All your trees and shrubs on the lawn will be their snacks!

So, there’s no confusion that chipmunks harm your garden and destroy the plants along with feeding themselves with your plants.

Are Chipmunks Destructive to Homes?

When the chipmunks get larger or longer trees around your house, they climb it. And finally, if the trees or shrubs touch the ceiling of your home, they climb and reach your house. So, no matter how much you keep the doors locked, they can simply get in through the terrace.

Now, you might ask that chipmunks can only eat plants and fruits. What harm will they do to the house? If you have indoor plants, they can get harmed by the chipmunks. But the case is more crucial here. Chipmunks are animals that dig holes.

And their holes are deeper than 2-3 feet underneath. And in the case of length, the burrows last 20-30 feet long. Every year, they expand their burrows and also might create new burrows. And this is what might hurt your house.

· The Structure or Foundation of the House

If the chipmunks do the same thing underneath your house just because it is more protected, what will you do? The foundation of the house can be ruined for these small animals. The nest burrows are extensive and as a result, after a while, a whole part of the foundation of your house might drop!

The process they work on usually helps the soil get to loosen the soil under the structure. As a result, there will be excavated space. It will start with a crack and boom!

· Water or Flood

On the other hand, if chipmunks keep digging holes underneath your house for a long period, chances are the unsupported slab might collapse. And for this, water might enter inside the house too! If the burrows are new, you don’t need to worry.

· Cutting Wires

We talked about the foundation of the house along with the water issue that these chipmunks can make you go through. But do chipmunks destroy things that are inside the walls? Here, we are talking about the wires.

Do they get inside the walls of your house and chew the wires? It’s necessary to remove the chipmunks when there is no young present. At times, we try to remove them when there are young. In that case, the young will starve.

And eventually, the mother chipmunk will keep destroying the walls so that she can reach her children. That’s what any mother would do! If you don’t remove them in the right manner, it will chew the wires and you will see electricity problems now and then!

For these significant ruins that chipmunks do this, we tell you to get rid of them as soon as you can! Though we often think that it’s nuisance but if there are old burrows underneath your house or there are a lot of chipmunks, you are going to be close to death.

Oh wait, as the topic of a lot of chipmunks underneath the house came up; you would love to check out how many chipmunks live together!

Do Chipmunks Attack Humans?

Yes, chipmunks are destructive and they will ruin the plants and foundation of the house. Keeping them near isn’t healthy. But when it comes to direct attack, they don’t attack humans. As we know, they are not friendly creatures.

As they are from the wild, it’s better to let them live there. If they are stressed, they can get aggressive. They can bite or scratch you if the situation is out of control. But this is completely self-defense. Though they are destructive to your yard and house, they are not against humans!

Wrap Up

Never think that these cute creatures will bring good luck to your house! No matter how much you try, they are tough to pet. Though they don’t live too many years, it’s necessary to get rid of them for the good of your house and yard!