Chipmunks at home. Chipmunk - a small thrifty rodent How to distinguish chipmunk hibernation from death

Many pet owners, in view of the limited living space, prefer not to have large pets, but rodents that feel comfortable in a cage, please with their devotion and nimbleness, and are quite suitable for the role of a pet and family member. This is how they appear in our homes, and even ... chipmunks. Oh, we would like to tell you more about the latter. So, about keeping chipmunks at home, about taming these animals, about how and what to feed them, how to take care of their health- you can learn about all this from our new article ...

What does a chipmunk look like

Chipmunks belong to the genus of rodents from the squirrel family. The length of their body reaches 17 centimeters, and the length of the tail - 12 centimeters, body weight - no more than 100 grams. On the back, the animals have 5 longitudinal dark brown or black stripes, which do not allow them to be confused with some other creature. Their ears are small, slightly pubescent, have a flattened shape, the coat is short and hard. Chipmunks are distinguished by voluminous cheek pouches in which they store their supplies.

When you look at these creatures, you can't help but smile. And, funny characters from the children's cartoon Chip and Dale come to mind. By the way, they were also chipmunks ...

Description of the behavior of chipmunks at home

Of all the rodents in the wild, chipmunks are the most suitable for the role of pets. They have an elegant fur coat, a fluffy tail, they are graceful and graceful, and many of their habits resemble those of squirrels. However, chipmunks are smaller than squirrels in size, and they can be content with less cage space. These animals get used to people well and quickly become tame. Moreover, they are very clean and their cage does not need frequent cleaning, since they do not emit a specific mouse smell, like many other rodents.

The time of activity of the animals falls on the dark time of the day, however, chipmunks are active during the day, therefore, you can easily observe them and even establish contact with your pets, so close that they will take food from your hands without fear and climb on your shoulder.

As the experience of keeping these animals at home shows, 2-3 weeks are enough for them to adapt and get used to the new living conditions so well that you could let them out of the cage for walks around the house. However, trust does not mean that the animal should not be watched so that it does not do stupid things - does not jump out of an open window, does not dash onto the stairs or gnaws at the wire ... You must protect it from the most dangerous pranks, but do it very tactfully and be careful, because sudden movements, noise can negate all your friendship, especially if the animal associates you with the source of such noise.

It is noteworthy that no matter how well you feed your chipmunk, you can’t wean him from the tendency to stockpile. At the same time, the animal chooses the most inappropriate places for the role of a pantry. So, be prepared for the fact that in your slippers he suddenly decides to arrange a warehouse of nuts, or he will like not only something edible, but also some of your decorations. Loss in this case should be sought, first of all, among its reserves. After all, he, like - cannot resist everything shiny and sparkling.

In the wild, chipmunks are able to lay stocks weighing up to 8 kilograms.

By the way, other forest animals often feed on them. And, if the animal can still retreat in front of them, then it certainly will not save in front of its brother and will defend its "treasures" to the last drop of blood. Yes, yes, in their environment, chipmunks behave very aggressively towards each other, therefore, keeping several animals in one cage is very dangerous, they can cripple each other or even kill. This applies to both male-male and female-male and female-female relationships. So, if you want to breed chipmunks in the future, be sure to consider this point - a couple can be brought together only from spring to August, but from September it will need to be seated in different cages, since chipmunks' love ends at this time of the year, and the calculation begins. The animals will constantly fight, behave aggressively towards each other.

Features of keeping a chipmunk at home

Despite the fact that these animals are very sociable and tame, nimble and nimble, and love to make nests for themselves throughout your home, you should not encourage their inclinations, and it is better to keep the rodent in a cage, only occasionally releasing it for a walk. First of all, this is necessary for the safety of the life and health of the chipmunk. The risk of household injuries, damage to your personal property is too great, so give preference to a metal cage for a permanent housing option. A wooden one will not work, since it will pass (in our case, it will not pass) a strength test very quickly.

In order for the chipmunk to have something to have fun, install a running wheel in its cage, make shelves or tiers, and put up a small house - it will act as a nest where the animal will rest and hide its supplies. During cleaning, be sure to clean the cages in the nest.

As for the size of the cage, they should not be less than 100 by 65 by 100 centimeters. Under the cage, it is recommended to install an appropriately sized pallet into which the garbage from it will be poured.

As a filler for the cage, it is better to use fallen leaves or large sawdust. It is not recommended to use small sawdust, as chipmunks dig holes in the filler and the ingress of such small wood chips can irritate their mucous membranes.

Despite the fact that these rodents are quite clean - still, do not forget to keep their house clean, then no one will guess by the smell about which animal lives in your apartment.

Features of feeding chipmunks at home

Despite their somewhat predatory behavior towards each other, chipmunks mainly feed on plant seeds. They especially like sunflowers, nuts, apple seeds, and also cultivated cereals while they are in the stage of milky-wax ripeness. From animal feed, you can offer the rodent cottage cheese, milk. Some individuals willingly feast on mealworms, grasshoppers and other insects. There are cases when chipmunks attacked indoor birds - and parrots, therefore, it is better to keep birds in a closed cage, reducing the likelihood of meeting a feathered pet with a chipmunk to a minimum. But, mainly the diet of rodents consists of greens, cereals, fruits, buds and shoots of branches, it can also include dried and frozen fruits.

You should not accustom chipmunks to food from your table. Despite the fact that the rodent can willingly feast on sausages and sweets, this will subsequently negatively affect its health and can lead to the early death of your unusual pet. So remember that Chipmunk should eat what is intended for his diet… You should also not give him too much peanuts and sunflower seeds - they are too fatty, plum pits - they contain cyanide, citrus fruits and a lot of vegetables - this can cause diarrhea in your pet.

Considering the peculiarity of these animals to hibernate in winter, it is worth increasing the portions of feeding the chipmunks in the fall so that they can save fat reserves for themselves. Otherwise, the animal may not come out of hibernation or get sick and recover for a long time after it.

Also make sure that your pet always has access to clean and fresh water. And, since chipmunks love to make a mess in their cage, it is better that the water is poured into the automatic drinking bowl, which is used for birds. So your fidget will certainly not turn it over.

Chipmunk health care at home

With good care, following our rules regarding the features of keeping these animals in captivity, your chipmunks can live 5-7 years. At the same time, throughout their lives, if you keep them clean, feed them with high-quality and balanced food, they will be healthy. It is the poor conditions of detention and the wrong menu that become the causes of their illnesses.

As the experience of veterinary practice shows, most often owners of chipmunks turn to specialists for help in cases where their pet has constipation, diarrhea, dental problems, skin diseases, injuries, heat stroke, inflammation of the cheek pouches... Despite the fact that some problems seem to us at first glance not serious - it is recommended in any case to contact a veterinarian so that he can provide timely assistance to his patient. If this is not possible, you will have to provide first aid. So,

for cuts and scratches - wounds should be treated with an antiseptic with moderate strength, for constipation - it is necessary to include fresh vegetables in the diet and give more water to drink, with diarrhea - on the contrary, it is necessary to exclude vegetables and fruits from the diet and replace them with cornmeal ...

Chipmunk is a small rodent of the squirrel family. Its length is up to 15 centimeters, and its tail is up to 12. It weighs up to 150 grams. It looks like a very cute and beautiful animal that you want to pick up, stroke and feed.

The name chipmunk comes from the characteristic sound called "breaker" made before the rain. Chipmunk looks similar to, only on the back it has five black stripes along the back. There are light stripes between them.

These animals have 25 species, but the most numerous and common three species are:

1. Chipmunk East American
2. Chipmunk squirrel or red squirrel
3. Siberian chipmunk (Eurasian)

Chipmunk features

Their coat is gray-red in color, and on the abdomen - from light grayish to white. They shed once a year at the beginning of autumn, changing the fur to dense and warm. Their pulse rate reaches 500 beats per minute, and the respiratory rate is up to 200. The body temperature is normally 39 degrees. They are partially similar to a squirrel:

• The front legs are longer than the hind legs
• Big ears
• small claws

And also chipmunks are similar to some external signs and behavior:

• They dig holes and live in them.
• They have cheek pouches.
• No tufts on the ears.
• Gets on its hind legs and monitors the situation.

Chipmunks are not aggressive, compared to squirrels, and quickly get used to people. Therefore, it is not rare cases of residence chipmunk in a cage at home.

Chipmunk Habitat

Most chipmunks live in northern deciduous forests. Siberian chipmunk spreads from Europe to the Far East, and south to. Living in the taiga, chipmunks climb trees well, but the animals make their homes in a hole. The entrance to it is carefully disguised with leaves, branches, maybe in an old rotten stump, in a dense bush.

A burrow in animals up to three meters long with several dead-end compartments for pantries, toilets, accommodation and feeding of cubs in females. The living room is covered with dry grass. Chipmunks have large bags behind their cheeks, in which they carry food supplies for the winter, and also drag the earth away from it when digging holes for the purpose of camouflage.

Each chipmunk has its own territory, and it is not customary for them to violate its borders. An exception is the spring mating of a male and a female for procreation. During this period, the female convenes the males with a specific signal. They run and fight.

The female mates with the winner. After that, they disperse to their territories until next spring. Animals are diurnal. At dawn, they come out of their holes, climb trees, feed, bask in the sun, play. At nightfall, they hide in burrows. In autumn, I prepare food up to two kilograms for the winter, dragging them behind my cheeks.

Mid-October to April chipmunks sleep, curled up in a ball, and hide the nose to the abdomen. The tail covers the head. But in winter they wake up several times to eat and go to the toilet. In the spring, on sunny days, the animals begin to crawl out of their holes, climb a tree and bask.

Chipmunks can spend the night right on a tree, covering themselves with their tail like a blanket.

Chipmunks are forest animals and interesting facts about them

When danger approaches, the animal stands on its hind legs and emits an intermittent whistle. For 15 meters from a predator or a person, a chipmunk runs away, continuing to whistle more often, taking danger away from the hole. Usually runs and hides in thick bushes or climbs a tree.

Listen to the chipmunk whistle

By whistling, you can recognize the animal is sitting or running. There are rumors that chipmunk suicidal animal. If someone ruins the animal's hole and eats all the supplies, then he finds a forked branch, sticks his head into this horn and hangs himself :). If this were so, then in the taiga one could see numerous gallows made of chipmunks. However, this is not observed.

About chipmunks it must be said that they sometimes become carriers of certain diseases dangerous to humans: tick-borne encephalitis and toxoplasmosis. But they themselves are prone to many diseases:

• Skin - dermatitis
• Cardiovascular from fright
• Respiratory. There is sneezing and fluid from the nose.
• Gastrointestinal
• traumatic

The chipmunk is used as a pet in many families. He quickly adapts next to a person and behaves calmly. Being not non aggressive animals, in a few days chipmunk is already beginning to take food from the hands of a person. But for its maintenance at home, special conditions are needed:

• The cage must be at least 1 meter by 1 meter and 50 centimeters high
• Must have a wheel
• Inside the cage is a house for overnight stay with dimensions of 15 by 15 centimeters with a hole with a diameter of 3 centimeters. Lay the inside with dry grass.

In a cage, they live on the principle of a hole. In one corner they go to the toilet, in the other corner they put supplies. Though chipmunks animals forest, but they are unpretentious to food at home. They love all kinds of cereals, fruits, cookies, lumpy sugar, carrots. Animals need to be given chalk, boiled eggs.

The chipmunk itself is a clean animal, but you should sometimes remove supplies from his pantry, because they deteriorate. The presence of stocks indicates that the animal is full when feeding. After a few days, you can let him walk around the room. At home, the animals do not sleep in winter, but lead an active lifestyle, but offspring are very rare.

Reproduction and lifespan

With the onset of spring, the male and female mate, and a month later, babies from 5 to 12 appear. After mating, the female drives the male to her territory, and, in the future, brings up the cubs alone. Feeding babies lasts about two months. After that, they can exist independently.

• seeds
• Berries
• Cereals
• Mushrooms
• Leaves
• acorns
• nuts

Sometimes chipmunks take animal food: larvae, worms, insects. If a person plants vegetables near the dwelling of the animal, then the chipmunk will gladly eat cucumbers, carrots, and tomatoes. On a grain field, he bites a stalk of cereal, picks out all the grains in his cheek pouches from a fallen spikelet in a matter of seconds, and runs away.

A chipmunk can hide a lot of grains behind its cheeks.

Animals make stocks in a hole, laying out different types in separate rooms. These bins are needed for spring, when there is practically little food. When the sun begins to warm well, the chipmunk pulls out the rest of the supplies to dry.

Chipmunks have become so beloved that their characters have appeared in cartoons: Chip and Dale and Alvin and the Chipmunks. And the cities of Krasnoturinsk and Volchansk in the Sverdlovsk region have the image of a chipmunk on their coats of arms.

On the screen, viewers meet with a trinity of chipmunks speaking in a squeaky voice. They do not just talk, but also create a musical trio and perform chipmunks' songs. The film "The Chipmunks" glorified the musician Dave Saville, who wrote the songs for this series.

Chipmunks are cute rodents of the squirrel family, the closest relatives of ground squirrels and marmots. Of the entire large family, it is chipmunks that are most often kept at home.

Chipmunks: photo, appearance

There are usually three subgenera of chipmunks:

- Siberian (Asian), inhabiting Siberia, the Far East, the Urals, the North of the European part of Russia. Consists of one species Tamias sibiricus.

Siberian chipmunk Tamias sibiricus

- East American (eastern), living in the Northeast of North America. Also consists of one species Tamias striatus;

- the third subgenus - Neotamias, numerous species of which live on the west coast of North America.

The animal is small: length up to 17 cm, tail - up to 12 cm, weight - up to 110 g. It resembles a small squirrel in terms of structure. The general tone of the color is reddish-gray, the belly is grayish-white. The main decoration of a chipmunk is 5 longitudinal black stripes and a fluffy tail, although not as luxurious as a squirrel's. The hind legs are slightly longer than the front.

Chipmunks, like ground squirrels, hamsters and some other rodents, have voluminous cheek pouches that are invisible to the eye when empty, and swollen when the thrifty animal stuffs various food there. Pictured is a chipmunk with tightly stuffed cheek pouches.

Chipmunks are diurnal animals, their large, slightly protruding eyes provide the animals with a large viewing angle. It is the eyes that play the main role in protecting against natural enemies, and the animal has a great many - birds of prey, ermines, foxes, martens, etc.

All types of chipmunks are similar both in habits and appearance, only slightly differing in color and size. Very rare is the so-called "white" color (not to be confused with albinos), caused by the presence of a recessive gene.

Chipmunks: habitat, lifestyle

Chipmunks live in coniferous, deciduous and mixed forests, most often they can be found along the woods, along the edges, river valleys, in cluttered areas of the forest, where there is deadwood. They settle in the mountains up to the limit of the forest distribution. Avoids park-type forests without undergrowth and windfall, as well as swampy areas. Eastern chipmunk often lives among rocks and stony placers.

Under natural conditions, chipmunks feed mainly on the seeds of various wild and cultivated plants, from time to time diversifying their diet with insects and mollusks. Animals perfectly climb trees, it is on trees that they get most of the provisions.

In dense grass, under fallen trees, their roots and stumps, chipmunks dig holes with many rooms, hiding the entrance among the branches of shrubs and stones.

Each animal has a separate dwelling, often chipmunks' burrows are close to each other, and even close to each other - animals can create entire colonies. But by nature, these animals are loners. Each has its own area, and violation of the boundaries of the latter leads to heated fights. In grain fields, you can often meet a large number of chipmunks, but still, each of them tries to emphasize its isolation - the animals mark their areas with urine or body odor, which they leave when they rub their stomachs on the ground. Chipmunks strictly monitor that the neighbor does not violate the border.

The chipmunk's dwelling has all the necessary premises: an entrance hall, a bedroom, a pantry and even a restroom. The sleeping area is always well lined. The pantries store food supplies for the winter - seeds, cereals, acorns, nuts, etc. Each animal weighing 100 g collects from 2 to 8 kilograms of food supplies for the winter period!

It is clear that even a kilogram of provisions will be more than enough for the winter, but the instinct does not allow the rodent to sit still and makes the animal stock up, and the more the better. A neat rodent carefully sorts provisions and puts them in separate pantries. Chipmunks start harvesting in the second half of August. Stocks are carried like ordinary food, in cheek pouches, often overcoming a distance of more than a kilometer.

Winter hibernation in animals is long, from October to April, almost throughout the entire distribution area. All this time they spend in the sleeping area of ​​their hole, sometimes waking up in order to refresh themselves. During the hibernation period, as a rule, chipmunks do not eat all the stocks, leaving most of them for a hungry spring. If any animal devastates chipmunk stocks (mainly bears sin with this), then wintering can end badly for the animal.

There are rumors that chipmunks are suicidal animals, they allegedly hang themselves on branches if their pantries are ruined. However, this is nothing more than the tales of Siberian hunters. Animals have an extremely developed instinct for self-preservation, and they cannot have such a thing as “commit suicide”.

After the chipmunks come out of hibernation, they start rutting. During this period, females announce their mating moods, calling on males with characteristic sounds similar to a thin whistle.

The time of gestation by the female of the cubs is 30-32 days. Usually 3 to 6 babies are born, rarely more. Chipmunks are born blind and without a coat, but the coat grows so fast that within 2 weeks after birth, each animal becomes the owner of a good striped fur. Around the twentieth day of life, the eyes of the cubs open. And after 4-5 weeks, when the feeding time ends, they first leave the hole. Animals reach puberty quite late - at the age of 11 months.

Keeping chipmunks at home

Among all rodents, chipmunks are perhaps the most suitable for the role of pets.

Chipmunk as a pet

As a pet, a chipmunk has many advantages. The animal does not require much space, does not have a specific "mouse" smell, is clean (it is enough to clean the cage once a week), and most importantly, the chipmunk is active during the day and sleeps peacefully at night, which compares favorably with many other rodents leading a nocturnal lifestyle. Caring for a chipmunk is not burdensome, and you don’t need to rack your brains over compiling a diet - a chipmunk is omnivorous, it is easy to provide food for it.

Chipmunk is trusting and easily makes contact with a person. To tame it, you just need to constantly feed it from your hands. True, if you do not pay attention to him for some time, all skills are forgotten, and you will have to re-establish "friendly ties".

At home, a chipmunk can live up to ten years, while in its natural habitat its age is not long - no more than three to four years.

Among the shortcomings, one can note the possibility of falling into hibernation and aggression towards brothers in the winter in the event that hibernation did not take place. In nature, hibernation in these animals lasts from autumn to the end of March. Chipmunks living in an apartment become slower during this period. It happens that they do not leave their houses for a long time, but periodically wake up to stretch their bones and refresh themselves. In addition, the animals are too curious, so you can’t let them out of the cage and leave them unattended.

Joint keeping of chipmunks

Females get along easily, but when males are kept together, conflicts are usually inevitable. Males and females are recommended to be placed in the same cage only if you want to get offspring. If you're planning to breed chipmunks, don't breed from the same litter!

The natural desire to save their supplies from their relatives explains the relationship between chipmunks. From spring to the end of summer, the animals are set up quite peacefully; in captivity, sometimes during this period a pair or a brood of rodents can be kept in a common cage (although it is still better not to do this). But by the end of August - September, they become very intolerant of their cage neighbors and constantly fight. It happens that during this period relations even with the owner deteriorate, because the chipmunk needs to protect the supplies for the winter from “strangers”.

Housing for chipmunks

Chipmunks are very nimble and active animals; in nature, they are able to run a distance of more than 12 km in 1 hour. In order to satisfy the need for movement of such active pets, the cage must be spacious enough - at least 50 cm long, 50 cm wide and 100 cm high. A meter height is necessary because chipmunks love to climb up. If the cage contains two animals, the size of the cage should be at least doubled.

The cage must be metal with nickel-plated rods, the distance between the rods is not more than 1.5 cm. Inside the cage, it is necessary to install branches along which the animal could climb. A sleeping house is another necessary accessory, its minimum dimensions are 15 × 15x15 cm, the diameter of the inlet is at least 3 cm. It is better if the house is made of wood. If several animals are kept in a cage, then a separate house should be provided for each. For easy cleaning, the floor of the cage can be made in the form of a drawer. It is recommended to use peat as bedding, sawdust is also suitable.

Make sure that the cage has feeders, an automatic ball drinker and a running wheel (choose a wheel from 18 cm in diameter, with a solid surface).

Even if there is a sufficiently spacious and equipped with everything necessary housing, chipmunks periodically need to be let out of the cage for a walk, otherwise they develop a monotonous movement - the animal jumps from the floor to the wall of the cage, from the wall to the ceiling and down again. And so endlessly. This behavior of the chipmunk suggests that he does not have enough living space. But do not forget that while walking for a curious animal, you need an eye and an eye!

Chipmunks can hardly tolerate high temperatures and can even die from overheating, being under the scorching rays of the sun. Therefore, it is better to keep the cage in a shaded place. But you should not completely deprive your pet of the sun either. Sometimes, in the morning, when the sun is still not baking, you can put the cage on the windowsill. There must be a place in the cage where the animal can hide from the sun.

hibernation

As already mentioned, nature is arranged in such a way that under natural conditions in winter, chipmunks hibernate. When keeping chipmunks at home, hibernation may not take place, especially if the animals are kept at a constant room temperature. It's just that the animal becomes less active, rarely leaves its shelter. But if you have a couple of animals, and next summer you want to get offspring from them, hibernation will need to be artificially arranged by lowering the temperature in the room where the pets are kept to + 5- + 10 C. Such is the physiology of these animals, without hibernation of the female, the appearance of offspring unlikely.

Chipmunk feeding

A complete chipmunk diet consists of dry food and succulent food with small additions of animal proteins.

Dry food

The share of dry food in the diet of a rodent should be about 70%. Today, in specialized stores, you can find ready-made food for chipmunks, and a feed mixture designed for squirrels or hamsters is also suitable for them. But it is better to choose products from well-known, trusted manufacturers, such as Fiory, Padovan, Beaphar. These foods will provide your striped rodent with almost everything they need.

Chipmunks enjoy eating all kinds of nuts. But keep in mind that almonds should not be given to animals - they contain harmful hydrocyanic acid. Nuts, except for pine nuts, are given peeled. Oat flakes, seeds, acorns, cereals, branch shoots - all this will serve as an excellent and healthy food for your striped pet.

Juicy food

Juicy food - green parts of plants, berries, fruits and vegetables - should make up about 30% of the animal's diet.

Fruits and green food should be thoroughly washed and peeled, as the animals are susceptible to pesticides.

Protein supplement

Twice a week, a striped pet is given a protein supplement. In this capacity, crickets, zofobos, flour worms, grasshoppers, slugs are suitable. Some individuals are not averse to tasting low-fat cottage cheese, eggs, boiled chicken (fatty meat and poultry should not be given).

Despite the fact that the animal will eat almost everything, no matter what is offered to it, food from the human table, such as sausage, sweets, etc. sooner or later lead to health problems. Chipmunks, like most rodents, are contraindicated in fried, baked, salty, sour, sweet (the exception is a drop of honey, which can sometimes be pampered by a pet), salt, spices and preservatives.

Remember to keep fresh water in the cage at all times.

Regularly check the chipmunk pantries so that the accumulated food does not start to spoil. By the number of stocks, you can determine whether the chipmunk receives enough food.

If you decide to have this handsome man at home, then we do not recommend buying a chipmunk from your hands or in the bird market - it is likely to bring home a sick and wild animal. It is better to spend time looking for a good breeder - this way you will get a vigorous, healthy and tame chipmunk, and in addition, you will be able to get competent advice on care and maintenance.

Urban residents perceive the chipmunk as exotic, although in fact, in our country, its natural habitat is quite large - from the northeast of the European part of Russia to the Far East inclusive. This species is called Asian or Siberian. Another 25 (and possibly more) species are inhabitants of the forests of the United States and Canada.

Description

chipmunk, it rodent from the squirrel family. It looks like a squirrel, but is somewhat smaller and has a different color. And the ears are rounded, without the famous squirrel tassels.

The Asian look is colored variegated, but at the same time discreet. The main color is grayish-brown or reddish, and along the back there are five black stripes, interspersed with white. The abdomen, like that of many rodents, is light. The tail below, sides and cheeks are slightly touched by "rust".

In nature, this color helps to merge with the terrain. Especially in autumn, when there is an active collection of supplies for the winter and the animal has to spend a lot of time on the ground in search of seeds and nuts. The grass has already withered and cannot hide anyone in the thick. This is where natural camouflage comes to the rescue - a frozen chipmunk is not so easy to see, it is indistinguishable from the forest floor.

Lifestyle

Although the chipmunk is a squirrel and relatives, he climbs trees worse than her. But runs well. And he prefers to make his dwelling closer to the ground, and not on trees. Basically it's burrows.

Chipmunk apartments necessarily have two main "rooms" - for sleeping and under the pantry, and several small otnorki. A clean animal uses shallow branches from the main passage as a toilet.

Under natural conditions, the rodent feeds on seeds of cedar, larch trees, herbs, nuts and acorns. In spring and summer, when there are no seeds yet, it eats buds, shoots of plants, cereal grains, mushrooms and berries. He will not refuse animal food - insects, slugs and snails.

Trouble starts around August. stockpiling for the winter. A chipmunk carries selected nuts, acorns and seeds, dried mushrooms in voluminous cheek pouches (some cunning people, so as not to dry themselves, successfully steal protein). For a successful wintering, one animal needs to collect 5–6 kg of supplies. This is a very dexterous picker, having time before other forest dwellers to get the most ripe nuts and "poured" acorns. But if, due to inexperience, a young chipmunk poorly disguised the entrance to his mink, he is almost certainly in trouble. In the forest there will always be those who want to feast on freebies. Boars and bears easily dig shallow holes, and the latter also catch the owner trying to escape, falling from above with a swing.

If everything went well, then from October to March, inclusive, the chipmunk spends in a light sleep. The body temperature during hibernation is only 3-8 degrees, and the respiratory rate is reduced to two breaths per minute. But he cannot sleep soundly, like a bear, he has to wake up to feed himself (which is why supplies are needed).

Striped hustlers are ardent individualists. Only young individuals can get along together for a short time (and then until the time of gathering supplies). adults will fight hard and if the weaker one cannot retreat, he will simply perish.

The spring breeding season (April - May) is the short time when chipmunks start families. But if the female is quite experienced, then the future dad will be evicted from the house even before the birth of the cubs (since cases of cannibalism among chipmunks are quite common). Pregnancy lasts 30 days, and babies are born blind and naked. The eyes will open after 31 days and will stay with the mother for up to two months.

Chipmunks live in nature for only 3-4 years.

Seeing a cute little animal in a pet store or in the "bird" market, you should not immediately buy it. First you need to learn about the habits of the future pet and the conditions of its maintenance. Then ask yourself a couple of questions:

1. why is the animal purchased;
2. how difficult it will be to provide him with optimal conditions.

How to understand - for what? And so understand. With him can't play and cuddle, even stroking will not always be possible. Chipmunks are quite unsociable, and although they easily get used to a person, they almost never go into hands themselves. Well, except for a meal. But as an object for observation, they are very interesting.

But the rest of the time it is a very active and nimble animal. And keep it in an apartment without a cage is not worth it. There is always a danger of crushing the weasel with the door, or the domestic cat will suddenly perceive him as prey, although he seems to be “friends” with him. In addition, even domesticated, they do not change their habit. stock up in secret places and the owners can expect to see crowds of cockroaches and mice that have come to eat someone else's food.

The choice and arrangement of the cell

So, you need a chipmunk, there is a cage where to put it. The place of residence for the future pet must be arranged in advance.

A chipmunk accustomed to people can be let out for a walk around the apartment, but nevertheless, he will spend most of the time in a cage. Therefore, it is worth choosing the most spacious one possible and be sure to equip it with a running wheel. There are special squirrel cages with a “hollow” house built on top, and the wheel is immediately included there. But they don't always fit.

The squirrel is larger and stronger than the chipmunk, and the distance between the bars of the cage is often wider. A slender chipmunk can simply slip into the wild. And the squirrel wheel is a rather powerful thing, usually metal and too “loud”. Chipmunk, of course, is a diurnal animal and he will not rattle at night. But listening to constant noise all day long is a dubious pleasure. So it’s better to choose a plastic or light metal wheel, according to the size of the animal, and be sure to check it for “noise” before buying - spin it and listen.

In addition to the wheel, you need a spacious, easy-to-clean house, so that the pet has somewhere to hide from annoying attention and where to store its supplies. Additionally, you can place a “climbing frame” in the cage - a piece of a dry branch. You also need a feeder, a drinker and a corner "toilet". The last acquisition will facilitate the cleaning of the cage. A chipmunk is a clean little animal and usually does its business in one corner. Then a toilet is placed there with a small amount of wood filler or sawdust (and someone puts it empty and just washes it more often).

Recently, special cages for chipmunks began to appear on sale. But still it’s better not to rely on the manufacturer, but on your own pay attention to some important nuances:

• the distance between the bars;
• How silent is the running wheel?
• convenient access to the house;
• ease of cleaning the cell itself;
• dimensions.

Choosing and purchasing an animal

In nature, like all rodents, the chipmunk is a carrier of diseases, and serious ones, including tick-borne encephalitis, toxoplasmosis and rickettsiosis. That's why never take an animal from the forest or buy from hands, from unverified sellers.

But even if the source of acquisition is reliable, you yourself need to carefully look at the animal before buying - the animal must be active, with a shiny coat and clear eyes. Crawled into a corner, disheveled - either unhealthy or under severe stress (which, by the way, can cause his imminent death).

Chipmunk care at home

Carry your purchase home better in closed carrying, and at first do not annoy the little animal with increased attention. This will help the pet avoid unnecessary stress and quickly acclimatize in a new place.

It is better to tame to hands gradually. First, chipmunks are offered through the bars. When the animal is comfortable and will calmly take a treat, you can try to stroke it while it is busy eating. It is advisable to arrange the first walk around the apartment “on an empty stomach”. Give a short run indoors, and then put a treat in the cage, and wait for the return of the animal.

It is not advisable to try to catch the animal and forcibly place it in a cage, he will only get scared, bite the owner, and instead of a "prison" he will try to find a new "home" for himself. After all, what is Home, from the point of view of a chipmunk? This is a place where it is warm and cozy, there is a lot of food and offenders will never be missing. I want to return there. Here also it is necessary to try, that the cage would become such House.

How long chipmunks live in captivity depends on the conditions of its detention. As a rule, there are no problems with feed; now pet stores have a large selection of various feed mixtures for rodents. But lack of stress significantly extend the life of the pet. Unlike wild counterparts, domestic animals can live up to ten years.

Breeding

For those who are going to just enjoy communicating with animals, it is not at all necessary to breed them. A troublesome job. Of course, babies are always so funny, but don't forget that chipmunks don't always live in pairs. Not only that, during the period of procurement of supplies, they begin fight to the death. Therefore, if, nevertheless, the desire to have a bunch of small chipmunks is very strong, then you need to either immediately take care of the place where the second adult chipmunk is kept, or find the same obsessed owner with an animal of the opposite sex and simply bring them together during the "rutting" period.

As in nature, they “reduce” them in the spring, after hibernation. At the time of the wedding, the future parents must be healthy and "want children" (otherwise they will just fight). Females ready for breeding begin to call for cavaliers with cries similar to the phrase “hook-hook”.

Only about a month after birth, the babies will get stronger enough to start leaving the nest. Up to two months it is desirable to keep with mom, which will continue to feed the children with milk, and then it is better for them to find new owners. Or resettled, if there is a desire to keep someone.

Five for

While the chipmunk is still a relative newbie as a pet, there are five big pros to getting a chipmunk:

We tamed Chika for two months, probably. And he sharpened his teeth about us a couple of times. But now such a beggar - just stretch out your hand, he climbs into it and begins to look for sweets.

Veronica

The older sister brought an already adult chipmunk from the school "Live Corner". There was a birdcage and he escaped on the first day. We found out where he lived for about two months when my father put on his overcoat for the first time in the autumn, which had previously hung in the hallway. A heap of rubbish mixed with chipmunk supplies fell out of the sleeve, the owner of this good flopped down from above, whistled and flashed along the corridor. Dad almost "Kondraty did not hug")).

Zheka, Khabarovsk

I also want to give a short review. I had a chipmunk as a child. To be honest, I just caught him in the country, when he ate sunflowers with us. I will not talk about my method of domestication (although all the boys here knew it), it is cruel and normal people do not need it. But my pet lived in the room for a long time, until he left for a walk through the window. It’s still a pity - he was such a good friend, even though I didn’t treat him very humanely.

If you have already brought the animal, then you need to keep it in a cage, so that there would be no trouble.

Nikolay Vasilievich

Under the conditions of life in its natural habitat, the chipmunk is in a state of suspended animation (or hibernation) for almost the entire cold season. However, the life of animals (in particular, rodents) at home differs sharply from the natural one. That is why, in order not to disturb the biorhythms of your pet, consider a number of significant patterns that allow you to bring environmental conditions closer to optimal ones.

How does a chipmunk prepare for winter?

So how does a chipmunk hibernate? In nature, the hibernation of the animal begins in late autumn and ends in early March. At home, this process proceeds somewhat differently. Despite the fact that chipmunks are warm-blooded animals, the ambient temperature does not significantly affect their health.

Most often, the animal hibernates at home when the temperature drops significantly. Immediately before hibernation, the activity of the animal is significantly reduced, it becomes sleepy, lethargic and lifeless. Most of the time the animal spends in a small wooden house, which should be installed in the cage in advance.

Most of the day the animal sleeps; metabolic processes in his body slow down. Chipmunk wakes up solely for the sake of meals. The hibernation itself is intermittent and lasts in "blocks", each of which lasts approximately a week. The final awakening is in March. How to help an animal to hibernate?

And how does a chipmunk living in captivity prepare for winter?

Make sure that the ambient temperature does not rise too high: chipmunks tolerate heat much worse than cold. Make sure that the animal can check and replenish its food stores and is always full. The air temperature must be lowered, however, this should be done gradually - in order to avoid shock to the animal.

During this period, it is also permissible to move the cage away from the battery and other heating elements.

The conditions of hibernation of the animal should be as close to natural as possible. Despite the fact that the animal will be in a state of suspended animation, keep the cage clean, and also make sure that the feeder and drinker are always full.

Hibernation is a natural state that most rodents go through - including domestic chipmunks. The cold season will allow the animal to gain strength and properly prepare for a new stage of life; you can give him all the help he needs.