Chipmunks are a type of rodent that eat almost any type of food, including fruits, berries, and other plants. They also enjoy seeds, nuts, and grains. But what do chipmunks eat when winter comes?
Chipmunks get creative with food sources during the cold months as they cannot find many types of food outside. In this article, I am going to more into detail about things that chipmunks eat.
Foods that Chipmunks Eat?
1. Seeds
Chipmunks are known to eat just about any type of seed such as corn seeds, sunflower seeds, and other types of seeds. They will eat the whole seed and because they have a digestive system that can digest the shell they do not need to take it off.
2. Nuts
Nuts are also a big part of what chipmunks eat as well. This includes nuts that are found on trees such as acorns and walnuts, but also nuts that are harvested from the ground such as peanuts and almonds. They will also eat the whole nut and leave the shell behind.
3. Berries
Berries are also a big food source for chipmunks. They like blueberries, strawberries and raspberries among others. The berries will make up a large part of their diet during the winter months as it is one of the only foods available to them when everything else is frozen outside.
4. Grubs
Chipmunks are also partial to one other type of food called grubs. These are very small insects that live underground and come in different colors. They will eat grubs by the handful if they can get them as this is a good way to get the nutrients that they need.
5. Grains
As mentioned above chipmunks also consume a lot of grains such as corn and rice. They enjoy eating grains when they are available because they can get a lot of nutrients from them. They will eat the whole grain and leave the husk behind.
6. Tree Buds
Chipmunks will also eat buds from trees and plants. They love eating buds from trees such as willow and poplar. Buds are a great source of nutrients for the winter months when there is not much more to be had.
7. Fruits
In addition to eating seeds and nuts chipmunks also eat some fruits during the winter months. They like eating apples, cherries, pears, plums, and many other fruits. They will eat the whole fruit and leave the skin behind because they can digest it.
8. Grass
In addition to the berries and other fruits that they eat in the wintertime chipmunks will also eat fresh grass sometimes. They like to eat uncut grass because it is green and tastes good. This is why you may find a lot of half-eaten pieces of grass around your yard during the winter months because chipmunks love it.
9. Fungi
At certain times of the year chipmunks will also eat fungi. They eat various types of mushrooms and other types of fungus. This makes a great snack for them during the winter months when everything else is covered in snow and ice.
What is a chipmunk’s favorite food?
Since chipmunks are omnivores (they eat both plants and animals) they eat different types of food at different times. They love eating seeds and nuts, but when the weather gets cold these are not such good foods for them to get their nutrients from.
This is why they start to turn to other foods such as fruits, berries, and grains. These are a lot easier for them to get at this time of year so even if the climate is horrible outside they will still be able to feed themselves.
What can I feed a wild chipmunk?
A wild chipmunk can be fed most of the things that you give to your pet chipmunks. They are similar to pet chipmunks but because they are wild they will not have that expensive environment around them. So if you want to feed a wild chipmunk you can get some fish, pellets, or even better yet grain.
Final Thoughts on what Chipmunks Eat
I hope this article helped you learn a bit more about what do chipmunks eat. If you have any questions or would like to add anything please feel free to leave a comment below. Thanks!
Lydia King is a huge animal lover and has always been fascinated with learning about the animal kingdom. She enjoys writing about anything animal related from scientific information about rare species to animal references in pop culture.
