Chipmunks are small, striped rodents frequently observed darting through yards and forest undergrowth. These diurnal animals are constantly foraging for sustenance, making their diet a subject of interest for anyone who shares their environment. Understanding what chipmunks naturally consume and what they should avoid is important for ensuring their well-being, especially as they prepare for the colder months.
The Natural Chipmunk Diet
Chipmunks are classified as omnivores, meaning their diet in the wild includes both plant and animal matter. The largest portion of their food intake comes from plant sources, particularly seeds, nuts, and grains gathered from the forest floor. They consume acorns, sunflower seeds, pine nuts, and beech nuts, which they open using their sharp incisors.
Their foraging also includes soft plant materials, such as berries, fruits, fungi, and new plant shoots. While the bulk of their diet is vegetarian, chipmunks supplement their intake with protein from invertebrates. These include insects, insect larvae, slugs, and snails. They are also opportunistic feeders and may occasionally consume protein-rich items like bird eggs or small, newly hatched birds.
Safe Foods You Can Offer
If providing supplemental food, offer items that closely mimic their natural diet in a raw, unprocessed form. Unsalted, raw nuts are a favored option, but they should only be given in moderation due to their high-fat content. Sunflower seeds, especially the black oil variety, are highly appealing and can be offered safely.
Small pieces of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables can also be part of a supplemental diet. Safe options include:
- Apples
- Carrots
- Sweet potatoes
- Peas
- Corn
Any food offered must be plain and free of salt, seasoning, or added sugar to prevent digestive upset.
Foods Chipmunks Must Avoid
Certain common human foods can be toxic or nutritionally harmful and must be strictly avoided. Processed items offer little nutritional value and can lead to obesity and nutritional deficiencies. These problematic foods include:
- Bread
- Cakes
- Pastries
- Other junk foods
Sugary sweets and candy should never be offered, as the high calorie and sugar content is detrimental to their small systems.
A number of specific plant and food items are also dangerous. Apple seeds contain amygdalin, which converts to toxic hydrogen cyanide when digested. Similarly, the pits from stone fruits (peaches, cherries, and plums) contain cyanogenic compounds and must be removed before offering the fruit flesh. Other toxic foods include chocolate (which contains theobromine) and raw potatoes (which contain solanine).
How Chipmunks Store and Consume Food
A chipmunk’s most recognizable adaptation is its massive, expandable cheek pouches, scientifically known as buccal sacs, used purely for transporting food. These specialized structures can stretch to nearly three times the size of the chipmunk’s head when full. This allows them to gather an impressive amount of food in a single foraging trip, potentially holding up to 70 sunflower seeds or 12 acorns.
The pouches minimize the time the animal spends exposed to predators while carrying supplies. Chipmunks use this food to create large, organized underground caches within their burrow systems, a behavior known as scatter hoarding. Since chipmunks do not accumulate enough fat reserves to sleep continuously through the winter, they rely on these stored provisions, waking periodically from torpor to feed.