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Chipmunks have many positive pet qualities Unlike many nocturnal rodents that are kept as pets.
When your buying a chipmunk you must consider if they are the right pet for you.
Chipmunks arent really a cuddly pet they are lively and dont like to be handled much. If you do want a chipmunk they need as much space as you can give them and musnt be kept in hamster cages, in the wild they forage through trees and therefore are agile climbers which means they need their exercise. Chipmunks can be kept indoor and outdoor.
If you do want chipmunks its best to get a pair as they live in groups in the wild and can get lonely on their own. You should have two same sex chipmunks if you dont want to breed and if you get more than 2 and are going to breed you should have more females than males as males will fight over the females in breeding seasons. If you want to breed make sure you get the chipmunks from differant sources to ensure there will be no inbreeding.
Chipmunks are also diurnal which means the sleep at night and are awake during the day and have been known to live until they are 12 years.
When you buy a chipmunk its best to buy from a breeder so you can see how the chipmunk has been handled and you will have a better chance at getting a tamer one, in pet shops you wont know the background of the chipmunk.
The animal should be lively and its coat have a sheen to it.
Also if you want to tame your chipmunk you should go for one thats young about 6 to 18weeks old.
If you have your choice of a number of different animals, choose the one that approaches your hand first. The boldest animals are also the easiest to bond with.
Species
This section is just a little information on a few of the many differant species of chipmunk. In captivity the Siberian chipmunk is the most common but other species have been kept with various degrees of success. All can be kept in the same way.
Siberian
Cliff Chipmunk
The Cliff chipmunk is a medium sized chipmunk. The body stripes are very indistinct and some have no stripes at all. The head stripes are always very clear. The tail is bushy and rusty red underneath. This chipmunk is approx 19-27cm long.
Eastern Chipmunk
The eastern American chipmunk lives in the eastern half of the united states and the southeast of canada. It is more solitary than the western american and siberian species and can be very aggressive. This species is rarely seen in captivity.
These chipmuks need more sace than other secies but do not need as high a cage as they are ground dwellers. They do not form pairs during the mating season and for this reason should not be kept together. If they have to be bred the male should be only put in the cage when the female is calling and then removed as soon as possible. If you leave them together you will probably ed up with a dead male. It is also wise to seperate babies once they are weaned.
The Least Chipmunk
As its name suggests, this is one of the smallest chipmunks. It only grows to 16-22cm long. This species has a very large range, the coat colour varies according to which part of the range the chipmunk comes from. In dry areas this chipmunk will be a yellow tone with tan stripes and in wetter areas it will be a brownish-grey with black side stripes.
The Long Eared Chipmunk
This is the long eared chipmunk. Its distinguishing features obviously are its ears and also the white patch just behind them and the black stripe below.
The Sonoma Chipmunk
This chipmunk grows to 22cm long. The stripes in this species are not as distict as in others. The underneath of the tail is reddish, as are the stripes on the head.
The Yellow Pine Chipmunk
This chipmunk can grow to 24cm long. The colours range from tawny to pinky-cinamon. The top of the head is brown and the ears are blackish in front and off-white behind.
Townsends Chipmunk
One of the largest western chipmunks and the darkest in color (as is common among species in moist climates), Townsend’s Chipmunk has a looser, less sleek coat than other species. It is active all day, but rather shy.
Colours
When you are looking for a chipmunks you will find either Agouti(brown) or Dilute(white). Dilute means the chipmunk is white but still has stripes and so isnt Albino which is completly white and would have red/pink eyes.
A white chipmunk is born when a white gene is passed to it through the parents. If you have two Agouti chipmunks it is still possible for a Dilute to be born if both the Agoutis have a white gene and they both pass this gene to a baby. If you have a Dilute and an Agouti all babies will be Agouti unless the adult Agouti carried a white gene.
As Dilutes are rarer you will probably find they are more expensive than the Agoutis but it has been said that Dilutes can have less personality and are slightly slower than Agouti chipmunks.
Some genetic problems have occurred in the white Siberian chipmunk as a result of inbreeding. These problems include partial and complete blindness, epilepsy and other central nervous system problems, hearing problems, cleft palate, and other facial deformities. Cross breeding whites with standard color chipmunks will strengthen blood lines and produce healthier offspring.
