Evening star., 1947-07-21
This and That
By Charles E. TracelDeH.


GLEN ECHO Md.
Dear Sir:
I'VE have chipmunk in our back yard.
II want to tame it.
But do not know how.
Gould you tell me how? We put corn out
for the chipmunk and the squirrels and the
birds help them eat it.
Thank you. VERY truly, M. G."
The best way is to let the chipmunk alone,
and just enjoy watching him in what is called
his native habitat
That's just the same as saying "in his home -
He likes his home, and his own way OF
living
To tame chpmunk completely it is neces-
sary to trap him, take him indoors, and keep
him there, as q pet
This means much skill, and sometimes the
little fellow pines away as result.
So the best thing is to let him alone, but
try to tame him just little bit.
This may be done by much patience and
food. Corn is good, along with other grains,
seeds and nuts.
These beasties like hickory and beech nuts,
along with acorns.
Grasshoppers please them. At the nesting
season they are not adverse to taking few
baby birds and bird eggs.
Chipmunks can climb well enough for that.
No one should hold this against them, how
ever, since the bulk of the food they eat is
not live food.
The food they store u.s. of course, the dry
things such as nuts. seeds and grains"
One must keep very quiet, after placing a
favorite food not too close to the entrance to
the den.
To find these entrances-because there
usually are two, three or more-one must look
around good deal, and watch the creatures.
These little animals, sometimes called the
fairies of the animal world, on account of their
coloring, bright eyes and graceful movements,
need all their wits about them to escape their
natural enemies.
All carnivorous .(meat eating) animals will
catch them, and in order to avoid this the
chipmunkS build several entrances to their
dens and runs, and then have many paths lead
ing to them.
One time they enter one way another time
they go in at another door, sometimes making
long jump to the entrance, so as not to leave
any odor, or trail, behind
So the observer must watch carefully, and
see if he can see just where the entrances are
when he discovers them, he may know just
where to expect the chipmunk to come out
Then he puts little seed or grain about six
feet away and keeps STILL
The animal peers out.
Seeing no notion he will come forth.
Selling seed, he scampers back to his den.
This is an intelligent animal and stores his
food for the cold winter
In his den he may sometimes have as much
as half a bushel of food in a single chamber.
He also may have more food in other followed
out places beneath the rocks or earth.
After the chipmunk becomes accustomed to
seeing some one nearby he will in time come
closer, and at last to the extended hand with
food in it.
This will require patience, however, and not
many persons will be able to be so quiet, es-
pecAlly children. But it makes no difference.
The best way to like the chipmunks is simply
to watch them, and try to see what they do.
It is not at all necessary to tame them, but
the really necessary thing is to try to under
stand them and to sympathize with them
This is easy to do when the observer hap
pens to see a group of them gathered together
to sing. Yes. chipmunks do sing. II you are
quiet, they may go chip, chip, chip" for you.
That is why they are called chipmunks.