Hey guys,

In this post, I’m going to tell you how you can get rid of chipmunks quickly and easily and keep them away forever.

As well as sharing with you my own tips for getting rid of chipmunks, I also consulted with my buddy John who runs the website Get Rid of Chipmunks and is a professional pest control expert, so you’ll benefit from the combined advice of the two of us

Why Get Rid of Chipmunks?

But before we go any further, let’s take a moment to ask why anyone would want to get rid of chipmunks? They’re cute and funny and have even made it onto the big screen and television (Alvin & the Chipmunks and Chip n’ Dale: Rescue Ranger).

Unfortunately a chipmunk does not have the sweet singing voice that the media might have you believe – in fact, as anyone that has a chipmunk infestation will attest to, their high-pitched chirping sound is migraine-inducing and exceedingly annoying.

And if they’ve made it into your house, you’ll have sleepless nights aplenty as they shuffle and scratch in your roofspace and walls.

But apart from the head-splitting noise they make, they are also very destructive creatures.

They dig their tunnels under your foundations that can potentially lead to structural damage in the worst cases and will think nothing of pulling up all your plants and seedlings in their constant search for food. They’ll also gnaw and rip up any material they can find to use as bedding in their homes from your newly-washed clothes to the cushions on your patio chairs.

They can even scare small birds away from your garden by eating their eggs and stealing any birdseed you’ve left out for them.

To be fair to the chipmunk, in small numbers they don’t usually cause a problem and they can be entertaining to watch scampering around your yard but in larger numbers they are a very annoying pest.

Chipmunk Traps

There are four main types of chipmunk trap; electric, cage, spring-loaded and water.

Electric Traps
The most effective (and most expensive) is the electric trap, which electrocutes any chipmunk that attempts to take the bait.

AgriZap Rat Zapper Ultra

Of all the electric traps available, the best is the AgriZap Rat Zapper Ultra. As well as being the best way of getting rid of a chipmunk infestation, it is also a very ‘clean’ method because there is no blood and gore and the chipmunk’s carcass will just slide out of it and into the garbage can (so you don’t even have to touch it).

Cage Traps
Next, we have the cage trap. It’s a little cheaper than the electric trap and catches the chipmunk alive (which can be either a pro or a con depending on how you look at it). If you want the most humane method of getting rid of a chipmunk, then this is the trap for you, however you’re just going to kill the critter after catching it, then spend a little extra on the electric trap.

HavaHart Humane Cage Trap

One of the best manufacturers of humane cage traps for chipmunks is a company called HavaHart. The triggering mechanism incarcerates the chipmunk almost every time.

Once you’ve caught a chipmunk, it is advisable to travel at least 2 miles away from your home before releasing it into the wild.

Spring-Loaded Traps
The next type of chipmunk trap, and the most traditional method of catching all manner of rodents, is the spring-loaded trap or the ‘classic’ mousetrap.

Big Snap-E Trap

These traps (such as the Big Snap-E Trap) implement two strong springs that, when triggered, force a metal bar onto the back of the chipmunk’s head, killing it in an instant. There may be some blood and gore to clean up afterwards, so they can be quite messy but they have stood the test of time and are very effecting.

Another type of mousetrap that has become quite popular of late is the Better Mousetrap. Rather than smashing down on the back of the rodent’s head, it uses suffocation, which results in a lot less blood to clean up afterwards.

Water Trap
Finally, you can construct your own water trap out of a gallon bucket and a plank of wood.

Just fill the bucket with water and rest the plank against it, then scatter some seeds on the surface of the water, the plank and the ground near to the plank.

The chipmunk will be attracted by the seeds and climb the plank to take a look in the water. As it tries to fish the seeds out, it will fall in and drown. Well, that’s the theory anyway – personally I’ve never had any luck using this method but there are lots of folk that will testify it is the best method of chipmunk control so it is worth giving a try.

Other Ways to Get Rid of Chipmunks

Apart from getting a cat to keep the rodent populations of your property down, there are also a few other methods you can use; air rifles, poison, fox urine, mothballs and decoys.

Air Rifle
If you own an air rifle, you can drastically cut down your chipmunk infestation by taking a morning or afternoon to snipe at them. There’s a video on YouTube where a guy killed around 50 chipmunks in just a few hours with his gun.

Poison
This is a method I would definitely not recommend. As well as harming the environment, using poison against chipmunks can also harm other wildlife, family pets and even children so in my opinion it is best avoided.

Fox Urine
Chipmunks are terrified of foxes because in the wild a fox will hunt and kill a chipmunk. So, any evidence of a fox being in the area has the potential of scaring them away and the best way to do this is by spraying some fox urine around your yard. Fortunately, you don’t need to acquire the fox urine yourself because you can buy it online. Although marketed as a natural chipmunk repellent, I haven’t heard of anyone that has had success with this method.

Mothballs
For some unknown reason, chipmunks have an aversion to mothballs. Although mothballs probably won’t get rid of your chipmunk infestation for good, they can be used to keep them away from certain areas. I know a guy that had success using mothballs around his garden to stop chipmunks digging up his newly-planted bulbs.

Decoys
Finally, we have decoys. They are basically models of owls or hawks that prey on chipmunks. The sight of them can potentially scare chipmunks away.

In Conclusion

The best way to get rid of chipmunks is to use electric traps, or if you don’t want to kill the chipmunks, then use Havahart humane traps.