So, do chipmunks eat bird eggs? No. Not “Alvin the Chipmunks” but we meant “squirrels”.
Well, it’s not so hard to think about Chipmunks especially during the holidays. Chipmunks or squirrels look like rodents, except that they feed on nuts and live on trees. They have striped bodies and are mostly associated with the Christmas season because of Alvin the Chipmunks. Or probably because they usually appear in cold winter months.
But do chipmunks eat bird eggs? Today on the blog, we are going to tackle this interesting question. We’re not here to talk about those chipmunks though. Let’s take a look at some facts that films do not tell you about chipmunks.
Table of Contents
Do Chipmunks Eat Bird Eggs
If you want to ask “do chipmunks eat bird eggs?” The answer is probably yet. Chipmunks eat a variety of food they can find in their natural habitat. Since they live on trees, they feed on seeds, berries, and nuts. They also eat fruits, which are the mainstay in their diet.
However, depending on the situation, they also eat insects, larvae, slugs, snails, and earthworms. If they cannot find their main diet due to sudden changes in weather conditions, they feed on other things.
Only occasionally, they feed on the eggs of small birds such as sparrows and juncos. They also eat frogs and small snakes. Did you know that chipmunks even have cheek pouches where they place their food before putting them in their burrows?
This is the reason why chipmunks have bloated cheeks. When they store food on either side of their cheeks, their cheek can appear full and pert. Chipmunks would have full, rounded cheeks that can only be reduced after they store their food in the burrows.
Do Squirrels Eat Birds And What Are Some Facts I Need To Know About Squirrels?
So, do squirrels eat birds? The answer is typically no. Squirrels mainly feed on nuts and fruits they can find in the woods.
However, when weather changes take away their main diet, they may not have any choice but to eat small birds. Since squirrels are tiny animals, they do not attack birds that are bigger than them.
Baby birds are most likely prone to hungry squirrels. Do you find any squirrels in your home? Do you hear some squirrel cracking nuts in the night? Well, good for you.
Explain The Life Cycle Of A Chipmunk
Eastern Chipmunks in Massachusetts ordinarily mate double a year. They mate once in the late winter from March to early April and again from early June to mid-July. The female rebukes the male after mating and he doesn’t partake in the raising of the youthful.
Baby squirrels are usually 2-5 small. They have smooth skin and are usually impaired. At this stage of life, you cannot expect them to be able to feed on their own. The principal litter is by and large brought into the world in April or May, and the second in July or August.
Following a month and a half, and under their mom’s careful focus, they start to remove little excursions from the tunnel. At week 7 or 8, the mother turns out to be more forceful toward her posterity to set them up for their freedom. After fourteen days the mother denies them admittance to the tunnel, and the youthful are compelled to scatter and find or burrow their own.
When the baby squirrel scatters in the spring and fall, grown-ups involving close-by tunnels give clearly “chip-chip-chip” calls outside the tunnel entrance—apparently to inform the recently free adolescents of the involved domain.
As you may know, chipmunks are common prey for big birds. So if you want to ask do squirrels eat bird eggs? Yes, if they are grown up. But mother squirrels are still careful of their baby because the latter are easily caught by raptors.
Do Chipmunks Eat Bird Eggs? Here’s The Truth
Chipmunks do eat bird eggs so long as they are small. If you are domesticating chipmunks, you need to give their primary diet for them to stay healthy. Since squirrels are omnivores, the following are ideal diets for squirrels.
- Fungi
- Seeds
- Nuts
- Fruits
- Small insects
- Eggs
- Caterpillars
- Small animals
- Young snakes
Do Chipmunks Sleep At All?
Chipmunks are not true hibernators. They may enter a torpid state during which their body temperature and heartbeat will slow down. However, they wake every few days. So, if you see your pet looking dead, don’t be so worried. They could be simply hibernating.
In Massachusetts, they go in their burrows in late October. You won’t be able to see them until March or April.
What Is a Burrow?
So you are trying to grow chipmunks in your home. Then maybe you need to consider how the burrows are. Burrows is the natural habitat for chipmunks. Yet even though they’re quite small, they are amazing.
Chipmunks usually dig an entrance hole on the woods around 2 inches in diameter down to around 2 feet. They would continue digging parallel to the surface for up to 10 feet using their two front teeth. You could imagine that they have sharp teeth.
Inside this tunnel are chambers where they can store food, defecate, and give birth. If you want to create a temporary home for your chipmunks, you might as well have spare wood for them. Once the chambers are completed, the chipmunk uses dirt to plug up the working tunnels. This way, their entrance holes are not easily seen by predators.
The Bottomline: Do Chipmunks Eat Bird Eggs?
While eggs are not chipmunks’ primary food, they may be eaten when no food is available for chipmunks. Chipmunks can eat small insects and small animals, including their eggs. It makes them feel full.
In some other times, chipmunks just gather food so they can store them in their chamber. Once the cold season has come, they would gradually feed on their savings.
