What do chipmunks eat?
Do chipmunks eat plants, bugs, seeds, nuts, or meat?
The answer to the question of what do chipmunks eat depends on where they live.
Chipmunks that live in forests typically munch on tree bark and fungi (a type of fungus), while those living on prairies will feed on seeds from plants.
Generally, these small rodents are omnivores that eat both meat and plant material.
Chipmunks are members of the squirrel family – they have furry tails, chubby cheeks, rounded ears, and sharp claws for digging.
They spend most of their life on the ground but can climb trees to keep away from predators.
Chipmunks often live in burrows, which they dig with their large front teeth.
Most chipmunks are active during the day – some species are nocturnal (active at night).
What Chipmunks Eat
Chipmunks love to eat nuts and seeds, including acorns.
But these little guys also enjoy berries, fruits, grasses, roots, bulbs, insects, larvae (caterpillars), earthworms, millipedes, snails, and slugs.
Sometimes chipmunks even eat small invertebrates like sowbugs and worms.
Chipmunks also gobble up mushrooms in the forest or fungi growing on tree bark.
When they live on prairies and fungi.
They also snack on mushrooms, roots, or even insects.
When food is abundant, chipmunks can eat a lot – up to 3/4 of their weight every day!
Chipmunks store the leftovers in underground burrows for later.
Some species stash nuts and seeds with leaves or soil, but others simply hide them underground.
In forests, chipmunks will eat conifer cones and will strip off the scales to get at the seeds inside.
They can climb trees and even hang upside down to reach cones high up on the tree.
Chipmunks will also eat acorns, nuts, mushrooms, and fruits such as berries and apples falling from trees.
An American chipmunk in the grasslands will hunt for seeds, nuts, roots, and small insects to eat.
As autumn approaches, these chipmunks gather up food supplies for hibernation during the winter months.
They have strong front teeth that are used to open acorns or hard-shelled seeds.
These chipmunks also use their sharp teeth to dig up roots and bulbs. A chipmunk’s diet varies depending on where it lives.
What Do Chipmunks Do For Hibernation?
In winter, when food is scarce, they go into hibernation.
All chipmunks are rodents – they have long incisor teeth that grow continuously throughout their lives, so they need to chew on hard stuff to wear them down.
Not all species of chipmunks hibernate.
Species living in temperate climates typically do, but those inhabiting more tropical regions tend not to.
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