mouse vs chipmunk

[midlf]

I need to know the size of a hole that will allow mice to enter a "feeding station" that will not allow a chipmunk to enter. I am referring to the Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias striatus) as found in SE Wisconsin. I need to modify the mouse feeders to exclude the chipmunks.

I have a very unhappy spouse who has realized that, while we now have no mice, all her "happy little buddies" are missing. If momma ain't happy, nobody is happy.

midlf

 

[EddieWalker]

I don't know about chipmunks, but it you can fit your pinky finger through a hole, you'll have mice using it. Field mice are pretty tiny and there skulls are much smaller than most people realize when they see them.

Eddie

 

[arthr31]

and is it you don't want the chipmunks trapped? you don't want chipmunks too close to your home either, they can cause problems...
As eddie wrote, they, mice, can get into tiny spaces..

 

[SPIKER]

personally speaking the chipmunks are more of a problem as they are simply destructive & love digging holes WORSE than mice however they tend to stay OUTSIDE more than mice. personally I would add larger feeders for both and keep them stocked with decon

I have a cat that seems to take care of most of the problem critters close by though...

markM

 

[billbill1]

I read (in the past few days) that a mouse can get through a 1/4" flat opening and a rat can get through 1/2".

 

[riptides]

Interesting.

We had to call in the professionals on our place, since it was, shall we say, in need.....

Now close to two years later, the mice and rats are no where to be seen, but the chipmunks are everywhere! We have seen four to six out at a time running amok.

I'll have to ask the type of posion they used in the bait stations.

-Mike Z.

 

[arthr31]

You can't easily poison chipmunks, they gather and store food, sometimes forgetting where it is.. They are horders. Other critters might then get the stored food and die, something you might not want to see.

You can trap them, that's better. And, it can be fun too... Latest thing I trapped was a feral cat. Maybe the scariest thing I've caught yet.... VERY aggressive...

 

[midlf]

and is it you don't want the chipmunks trapped? you don't want chipmunks too close to your home either, they can cause problems...
As eddie wrote, they, mice, can get into tiny spaces..

The CFO likes the chipmunks. She has said any chipmunks that are causing a problem, like digging near foundation, under drive or walls, I can eliminate, as long as she doesn't hear about it. The exact quote was "do want you gotta do just don't let me know about it". For nuisance chipmunks I pour some mouse pellets down the burrow.

 

[midlf]

personally speaking the chipmunks are more of a problem as they are simply destructive & love digging holes WORSE than mice however they tend to stay OUTSIDE more than mice. personally I would add larger feeders for both and keep them stocked with decon

I have a cat that seems to take care of most of the problem critters close by though...

markM

Agree on the cat but we have a small Cockatoo that would prove way to interesting for for a cat.

The problem with my current feeders is the chipmunks can get in and they all disappeared at once the cluing the CFO that mouse feeders were also poisoning the chippys.

 

[midlf]

You can't easily poison chipmunks, they gather and store food, sometimes forgetting where it is.. They are horders. Other critters might then get the stored food and die, something you might not want to see.

You can trap them, that's better. And, it can be fun too... Latest thing I trapped was a feral cat. Maybe the scariest thing I've caught yet.... VERY aggressive...

My mouse feeders are 3 short sections of 1-1/2" PVC with a PVC T. The bait blocks go into the stem of the T and the stem is closed off with a not glued PVC cap. The bait blocks cannot come out of the arms of the T, at least until the blocks are chewed down a bit. The arms of the T are long enough to prevent other critters from reaching in and getting the bait. The critter has to be small enough to crawl in. I was hoping the chipmunks would not be interested as it would be too difficult to get the bait off the block can carry it back, unlike the pellets which would be very easy to carry away. Apparently the chippys have no compunctions about spending the time needed to chew off the block. I am trying to exclude the chipmunks from the bait. Those chippys that are still a problem will get pellets in the burrow. Anything else that gets into the poison is welcome to it as we do not have cats or dogs (yet). I'm sure if we had cats or dogs my chipmunk problem would be minimal.