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Gray-collared chipmunk
Reproduction
Mating occurs two times a year, during early spring and again during
the summer or early fall. There is a 30-31 day gestation period. Two
to five young are born in the spring (early May) and during August -
October. They are born naked and blind. The young are sexually
mature within one year and adults may live for up to three years.
Young appear for the first time above ground when they are 2/3 full
size. The babies are reared by the mother without any help from the
fathers.
Behavior
Tamias cinereicollis are most active during the early morning and
late afternoon. They are generally solitary and protect their
territories except during courtship, or when the young are
developing. Populations of chipmunks average between 2 and 4 animals
per acre. The home ranges often overlap among individuals, and the
home ranges of adults are larger than those of juveniles. The home
ranges of females tend to be smaller than those of males. With the
onset of cold weather, chipmunks enter a restless hibernation during
late fall or early winter and are relatively inactive during the
winter months. Some individuals, however, occasionally come out on
warm, sunny days during the winter. By early March, most
gray-collared chipmunks have emerged from hibernation.
Male T. cinereicollis are the first to emerge in the spring. The
females emerge one or two weeks later. Once the females emerge,
breeding takes place near the female's burrow. Competition occurs
between males for females, and a male may mate with more than one
female during a mating season.
The burrows of T. cinereicollis are well-hidden near buildings (such
as basements and garages), gardens, stumps, woodpiles or brushpiles.
The burrow entrance is usually about 2 inches in diameter. There are
no obvious mounds around the burrow entrance because the chipmunk
carries the dirt in its cheek pouches and scatters it on the ground
away from the burrow to make the burrow entrance less conspicuous.
The chipmunk's main tunnel is between 20 and 30 feet in length, but
complex burrowing systems occur where cover is sparse. Burrow
systems normally include a nesting chamber, one or two food storage
chambers, various side pockets connecting to the main tunnel, and
separate escape tunnels.
The average territory of a chipmunk is about 1/4 to 1/2 acre, but
the adult usually only defends an area about fifty feet around the
burrow entrance.
Food Habits
Tamias cinereicollis spends much of its day collecting and storing
seeds, which are its most important source of food. They often
forage on the ground and they easily climb trees and shrubs to
harvest nuts and fruits. The diet of these chipmunks consists of
various kinds of nuts, berries and seeds, but they also eat
mushrooms, cherry and plum pits, insects, worms and carrion. Rare
instances of T. cinereicollis preying on birds or small mammals have
been observed.
When the chipmunk prepares its food for storage, it holds the seeds
in its dexterous front paws and with its specialized incisors. Those
incisors are especially long and directed forward. T. cinereicollis
removes seeds from pods with them, then uses its tongue to shift the
seeds backward and stuffs them between its teeth and inside of its
cheekpouches. The capacity of these cheekpouches increases with
maturity. When they become full, the chipmunk deposits the seeds in
its nest or buries them in shallow holes.
After hibernation, the gray-collared chipmunk diligently search the
ground for any seeds that remain from the previous summer. Since
these are usually uncommon, T. cinereicollis may eat young leaves
and shoots until new fruit and seeds become available.
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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