How to Keep Pet Chipmunks

If rats make you nervous and hamsters don't appeal to you, you can still have fun with rodents if you pick a pet chipmunk. The best way to find one is to ask around or find other owners through the Internet. Get a young one that will be easy to tame. You can successfully keep pet chipmunks using these few simple tips:

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Large, tall wire cage
• Branches for climbing
• Food bowl and food
• Water bottle
• Chipmunk

1. Get your chipmunks a very large and very tall wire cage in which to live. They should be able to romp about freely and have branches and perches on which to climb.

2. Attach a large water bottle to the outside of the cage, with the nozzle pointing in, of course. Fill it with room temperature water.

3. Feed your chipmunks any type of rodent seeds supplemented by fruit, vegetables, berries and nuts.

4. Clean the cage at least once a week, paying special attention to areas that are constantly used as the bathroom or where the food gets hoarded. You can put the food hoard back, but make sure it’s not getting gross or moldy.

5. Play with the critters. Constant handling at an early age will insure that chipmunks become tame enough to skitter about your shoulders and nestle in your hair. If you don’t have hair, you can let him skitter on your scalp.

Tips & Warnings

• Unlike many other rodents, chipmunks are not nocturnal. This means you get the added bonus of watching them play while you’re awake and not hearing the water bottle rattle and bang all night.
• If you keep more than one chipmunk, keep a close eye on them to insure one is not getting too territorial and beating up the others. That can be corrected with separation or a bigger cage.