Different Ways to Trap a Chipmunk

There is certainly something cute about chipmunks with their big eyes and racing stripes and tails. They seem playful as they dart in and out their holes and scamper around. The thing is, they can do some real damage while they are playing. They can be true garden pests who eat flowers and crops, burrow and dig and undermine the roots of your grass and plants. They also can get into houses and other buildings and do damage to foundations with their digging. They also reproduce quickly. If you see one chipmunk, you might have many more that you don’t see. What can be done about it? How can you trap them and prevent them from doing more damage? In this article, we will explore different ways to trap a chipmunk.

A Variety of Live Traps

To begin with, you should realize that there is no shortage at all of the different types of live traps that you can use to efficiently and safely trap the chipmunks on your property. You can find them online, at hardware stores, home improvement stores, and garden centers. Once you find one that you like it is time to set the bait. Chipmunks love grains and seeds. Raisins, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, nuts, and peanuts all make great bait for your traps. Don’t try to set the trap right away.

Leave the bait out for at least three days and let them get used to it. They will be comfortable with the traps and then you can set them. In order to make the traps effective, you should study the chipmunks and figure out their patterns of movement. Then place the traps on those routes.

Use Lethal Traps

There are several lethal types of traps that you can use to kill chipmunks. Snap traps lure the chipmunk in with bait. Then they snap close on the chipmunk, killing it instantly. As discussed above, chipmunks love various grains and seeds. You should follow the same method for baiting the trap and waiting a few days.

There are also a number of electrified traps available. They are a bit more expensive than regular live traps or snap traps. They electrocute the chipmunks who becomes trapped inside. You have to make sure that you put the trap in a place that is accessible to chipmunks but not birds or other animals you don’t want to electrocute. One very handy way to kill chipmunks is by drowning them.

To do that, simply fill a bucket with water and prop a piece of wood that the chipmunk can climb up. Then scatter a trail of seeds around the bucket that leads to the wood. Be sure to scatter a couple of seeds on the wood and a couple on the water. The seeds will need to be dry in order to float on the water. The chipmunk will follow the seeds up the wood and into the bucket. There they will drown.

Note: You should never attempt to poison chipmunks. It is an inhumane way of killing them and it is potentially lethal to children, pets, and other animals.

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