Eastern Chipmunk

Tamias striatus inhabits most of eastern North America including southeastern Canada, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, and Michigan. They live in shallow burrows in the ground. They are partial to areas near rocky crevices, decayed tree trunks, and fence corners. They do not like dense forests where no sunlight reaches the ground. Burrows are made by digging and carrying away the dirt in their pouched mouths. Unlike prairie dogs and other sciurids, eastern chipmunks do not leave the dirt in mounds near the entrances of their burrows. This makes it harder for predators to find chipmunks in their homes. These burrows can be up to 30 ft. in length with several different exits and tunnels. Eastern chipmunks conceal the exits with leaves and rocks. They may inhabit these burrows for several years.

Eastern Chipmunk
Perhaps the most distinctive characteristic of all chipmunks is their pouched cheeks. The pouches are located in the sides of their mouths and are used to store food. When the pouches are full they can be as large as an entire chipmunk's head.
Eastern chipmunks are larger than most chipmunks. They are reddish brown in color with 5 black stripes on their backs. These stripes are separated by brown, white, or grey fur stripes. They also have white and dark markings around their eyes. The stomach is usually a yellowish brown or white color. Their tails are reddish brown and furry, but not bushy like common squirrels. Like many rodents, Tamias striatus has 4 toes on the front feet and 5 toes on the rear feet.

Reproduction
Tamias striatus has 2 breeding seasons. This is unusual among sciurids. One season begins in February and lasts until April, the second begins in June and ends in August. They do not form monogamous pairs. Females are in estrus for 3-10 days. The gestation period is 31 days and the usual litter size is 4 to 5, although litters as large as 9 have been found. Young eastern chipmunks do not appear above ground for 6 weeks after they are born. Both male and female eastern chipmunks reach sexual maturity at about 1 year old.
Young are cared for in the nest by their mother until they are weaned at about 6 weeks old. Soon after that they disperse from their mother's range.
About half of all chipmunks in any given year are young that were born in that season. Chipmunks in the wild live, on average, just over one year.

Behavior
Eastern chipmunks are usually solitary animals that defend small territories around their burrows. There is considerable competition during the mating season for estrus females, but even if a male out competes his comrades the female may reject him by biting him and chasing him out of her burrow.
Although Tamias striatus are solitary animals, they have been seen gathering to "sing," or make noise in chorus. They also make a variety of other noises. The name chipmunk comes from the noise "chip, chip, chip" commonly made by these furry animals.
Many kinds of sciurids hibernate during the cold winter months. eastern chipmunks, however, do not hibernate continuously through the winter, nor do they "fatten up" before retreating to their burrows. They keep large stores of food in their burrows and build nests on top of this treasure. During the winter months they wake up periodically and snack on their stored nuts and seeds.

Food Habits
Tamias striatus eats a wide variety of foods including nuts, acorns, seeds, mushrooms, fruits, berries, and corn. They also eat insects, bird eggs, and sometimes small vertebrates such as young mice. In captivity they should be offered a complete diet of rodent lab blocks, and rat or mouse mix, with bits of fruit or veggies regularly. Cheerios or wheat bread are great treats, in small quantities. Do NOT feed chocolate, fried foods, salted foods, candy or junk food! They may enjoy crickets and mealworms if they are captive bred, never feed wild insects as they may carry parasites. Vitamins, like Nutri-Cal are a good addition to their diet, and added calcium during nursing and growth due to demands on their systems at those times, but take care not to overdo it. Water bottles should be used to proved constant, clean water. Ceramic or stoneware food dishes work well for keeping seeds or fresh foods off the floor, and a wire mesh hopper that allows them to eat the lab blocks through without extra waste.

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