Chipmunk is the common name for any small squirrel like rodent species of the genera Tamias (eastern North America), Neotamias (western North America) and Eutamias (Eurasia) in the family Sciuridae, and around 25 species fall under this name.
Chipmunks can be found in woodlands, forest edges, bushes, gardens, parks, around houses or cemeteries. They have reddish-brown fur, with white and black stripes on their back. They also have long flat bushy tails. The largest chipmunk is the eastern chipmunk, which grows up to 11 inches and weighs as much as 4.4 ounces. The smallest chipmunk is the least chipmunk, which grows up to 8.5 inches and weighs up to 1.8 ounces.
The Eastern chipmunks mate in early spring and summer, and may produce litters of between four to seven young twice each year, while the western chipmunk only breeds once a year. The young Chipmunks emerge from their burrow after six weeks, heading out on their own two weeks later.
Siberian chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus) are omnivorous, and the most common chipmunk kept as a pet in the UK. The Siberian chipmunk has a grey back with 5,wide, blackish-brown and longitudinal stripes. The sides of its body are yellowish-grey and it has a bushy tail. They feed on vegetables, conifer seeds, shrubs, mushrooms, berries, field crops, as well as wheat, oats, and buckwheat. They make a number of different sounds, including a short cheep that sounds very much like a bird call.
Chipmunks in general tend to be awake most of the day and sleep at night. During the summer-time they will generally be out before dawn, whilst in the spring they will not appear until mid morning, they do however tend to return to their burrows during the hottest part of the day to rest.
These furry little creatures are easy to keep and will give you an enormous amount of pleasure. When tame you can easily hand feed them. Giving them sufficient space to run about should be given top priority so the larger the housing you can go to the better.
Chipmunks Food
Chipmunks have a diet consisting mainly of grain, nuts, bird's eggs, small frogs, fungi, worms, and insects. During the autumn, many species of chipmunk begin to store these foods in their burrow for winter. Other species of Chipmunk make multiple small caches of food for future use. It is extremely important when Feeding your Chipmunk that he/she receives the correct nutrients and not overfed.
Chipmunk Housing
Here is my recent diy build, with two seperate areas and a central doorway. This allows me to keep diifferent breeds apart and allows me to enter without fear of an excitable Chipmunk getting loose.
It is a modular structure that makes it both easy and simple to extend. If you want to see a list of materials I used and how it was assembled .....
Click here. for more information on how I built this chipmunk house
Chipmunks For Sale
I often have Chipmunks for sale so have a look in our for sale section. If you have any Chipmunks or related items surplus to requirements that you would like to sell or swap,then you can add them in the Members Offer Zone. You will need to sign in the Guest Book first.
Baby Chipmunks For Sale, Born March 2009 
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