Help with Chipmunks

15 years ago

Sorry this is a bit off topic but I am going to need all the ideas I can get so I will post this on several forums.

I am looking for ways to deter Chipmunks from eating up the veggie garden. DH gets SO angry over this and has threatened to start shooting them. It is always MY fault because I feed the birds, he has told me he wants me to stop feeding them. He does not take into account that we live in the woods, he have a big wood pile and several rock piles etc.etc.....Nope it's MY fault we have chipmunks! LOL

SO is there any kind of natural spray or some kind of scent that will keep them away? I have heard coffee grounds, cheap mouthwash, and a few other things. I am open to any ideas you may have. I thank you and so do the Chipmunks!

Featured Answer

lisa11310
Original Author

15 years ago

I sure don't want to hurt anybody. I don't see Squirrels in the veggie garden often but the Chippers think it is their playgroound. Mr Red Tail Hawk has been eying the garden so they have not been out to do much dammage yet. Hubby saw 2 Chipper babies on the woodpile last night, one was only about 2 feet away and eye to eye. He actually talked to it so I am hoping he will leave them be. Vegatable gardens are not native to these woods, but the Chippers are.

Comments (6)

joepyeweed
15 years ago
Cayenne Pepper works pretty good, but it has to be reapplied after each rainfall.

I buy a bulk generic container of Cayenne Pepper and its in the basket with my other gardens supplies.
bellowbelle
15 years ago
Re cayenne pepper, I've read that it can cause squirrels/etc.. to scratch so much that they scratch out their eyes and thus die. In other words, the pepper does more than simple ward them off.

I can't prove that, just saying that I did hear of that.

We have chipmunks, too -- in fact, they can climb right up the bird feeder pole and get into the 'squirrel-proof' feeders with the wire cages around them! So do tiny squirrels.

At least they will run away from me -- they don't attack! I've been attacked, by a cat, so far, and I'm always on the lookout for fishers (have seen them) and even black bears (haven't seen one...yet). I can look outside and know that, if I see chipmunks and squirrels, there's not something worse out there, because they would run away if there were.

Anyway, we just live with them. Though, I don't try to keep a vegetable garden!
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joepyeweed
15 years ago
If you've ever lost thousands of dollars of plants/shrubs/trees to chipmunks and rabbits, you may not care if they scratched their eyes out...

It is an irritant to their noses, making them uncomfortable - which is why its a deterrent. I know I wouldn't want cayenne pepper up my nose.

I've never heard of it killing them - that sounds like an exaggeration, to me.
nohandle
15 years ago
Lisa, you might want to try Critter Ridder.
It's a granular blend of pepper extracts that can be just as effective and last longer than cayenne.
You may have to reapply every once in awhile, but it does work...I've used it myself for deterring squirrels from newly planted areas.
And I know it's sold in Michigan, as I have bought it a garden centre in Port Huron.
Hope this helps.
ellix
15 years ago
I have at least one who gets seed when it falls from the bird feeders ( I have a coon baffle) so only birds can get to the seed. I see him down all around and give him a seed tray full of seed. I haven't seen any problems with othr plants. What kinds of damage does he do? I grew spinach, lettuce and tomatoes and tons of native plants for the birds and butterflies. I would suggest to get yours a tray of food to make him (them) happy and fill up on your seed.