Hopefully someone can help

[Chomp-Mom]

I have yet to find any forum anywhere like this for CHIPMUNKS. That being said, please remove and let me know if this is not allowed. I rescued a baby Munk in early May 2024, she was naked, no fur, ears/eyes closed. She was in the middle of our driveway, which for reference is probably about as wide as a HS basketball court and twice as long. a few feet away was her deceased mother (i know they don't co-raise, so it is my best guess). Any who, syringe raised her, and she was thriving! I was waiting til she was old enough (at least per google answer) to release her. well in that time.. she had very quickly figure out how to Houdini out of her cage. Helps to mention we have 3 large dogs that are the sappiest most derpy baby things alive. they would bring her back to me when she got out - usually she was crawling on them and they'd walk over like uh, here ya go. lol. she has never had the slightest bit of hesitation let alone fear toward ANYTHING. i mean anything. we have hawks that circle our back yard because we have chickens, the chickens come up to the glass doors, things one would think she would at least alert and run. nope. she has less than zero knowledge or sense of predatory defense, I don't think she realizes she is supposed to be a prey animal! bold as can be. we set up a room just for her (like a very large walk in closet) decked out with some tree stumps, logs, a good size tote with dirt and leaves and whatever else she would like to dig in. HUGE hit, she loves and defends that room. as for diet, we have a recurring order for all tree nuts and seeds (we also have an amazon parrot and Chompa (that's the chipmunks name.. Full name is ChipChomp-a-patup-patup-patup as that's how she sounds every trip up and down the stairs) has always snagged and snacked everything. everything still in shells. she's free roam, her room the crack under the door is only big enough for her to fit, actually all but on of our doors only she can fit under, so they're usually closed and she just goes on her merry little way. today is Oct 14, 2024. in the beginning sweetest little thing ever, she would run over to me for literal tickles... if I can post a video, tell me how because its the best thing you'll ever see. I know right now is her time to be defensive over her territory, we all get it, it's whatever. but, today I noticed what looked like a little spotting of blood right by her piddle. she actually goes to certain areas for potties, not sure how we managed that but I love it. I have been searching every where and i cannot find anything to say if they menstruate/heat like other mammals. does anyone here have any idea?!?! and before it gets brought up, the rehabbers near me that I could actually get ahold of said she was too young and one admitted they'd probably put her down as that's not something they usually get and have no experience...

[Spanky]

Chipmunks are very fast and indeed escape artists. I have raised and released a handful of chippies over the years.

Chipmunks... like all squirrels.. have no innate predator fears and babies will walk up to humans, dogs, cats, whatever if they are not being cared over by their mothers. Fear of predators is a learned attribute which is largely why squirrels are "slow released" versus a hard release like opossum and other rehabbed critters.

Here is the link to a thread discussing the proper ways to soft release (all) squirrels:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-How-to-Sticky

Your baby has two things working against her... first, she is older now and more set in her ways. Younger squirrels, like younger people, are more open to being influenced by their environment to change their behavior. Squirrels in a release cage have the opportunity to watch and learn form the wild squirrels in the area... how those wilds react to predator threats etc. Suffice to say in the case of this chipmunk, that will take considerably longer in the release cage versus the standard release times.

Second, her relationship with the dogs will make things very difficult indeed.

I worry about her diet, it should include rodent block and limit the amount of calcium robbing foods (nuts, seeds and dried corn products). Here is a link for a healthy diet:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...-Pet-Squirrels

Also since her diet concerns me, I am posting a link that discusses MBD (Metabolic Bone Disease) which is a lethal disease that many squirrels (all types) in the care of humans acquire as a result of diets high in calcium robbing foods. MBD usually will manifest itself in adolescent squirrels if the are provided too many of these calcium robbing foods:
https://henryspets.com/what-is-metabolic-bone-disease/

TSB is unable to host videos, but you can post them to sites like YouTube, IMGUR, etc. and post the link to those here on TSB for folks to see.

[Chomp-Mom]

I didn't think to add she does also eat veggies.. literally everything our Amazon parrot eats, they "share" and i also have a very large bioactive enclosure for my adult tegu, so she gets mealworms and grasshoppers as well. Do chipmunks eat same as squirrels all the way around? because in the wild i know acorns are a huge part of their diet.

[Spanky]

I didn't think to add she does also eat veggies.. literally everything our Amazon parrot eats, they "share" and i also have a very large bioactive enclosure for my adult tegu, so she gets mealworms and grasshoppers as well. Do chipmunks eat same as squirrels all the way around? because in the wild i know acorns are a huge part of their diet.

Tegus are also susceptible to MBD and the conventional advice on tegus is the same as for squirrels:
Prevention: Provide a calcium to phosphorus ratio of 2:1 in your tegu's diet.

MBD is not something we see in the wild because the squirrels have the entire wild to forage and get foods to help balance everything out. I also am personally of the opinion that wilds get much more exercise than captive squirrels, and like humans being very active (exercise) helps to stave off osteoporosis and the like, it is similar with squirrels running up and down, to and from one tree to another 80 feet in the air. Meal worms are another "calcium robbing food" and I know many meal worm sellers "gut load" calcium when they are selling them to reptile owners.

While humans tend to believe nuts are a huge part of a squirrels' year round diet, we should recognize that (ripe) nuts are only available a few weeks out of the year. Yes, they store lots of nuts and may eat many of those nuts as long as they don't rot, get moldy, sprout or otherwise become inedible. However, storing hoards of nuts for large consumption year round is a human phenom. Squirrels take advantage of whatever foods are available at different seasons of the year. And they tend to eat a lot of things we never think about and cannot safely provide in a captive environment. Dirt. Wood louse. Flowers. Tree bark. The list is virtually endless. And there is not a reason to fear feeding wild squirrels in your yard lots of nuts and seeds.. they'll love it but will also still eat a lot of other things to more balance their diet and get more exercise every day than a captive squirrel will in weeks or months! I would venture to guess most wild squirrels would starve to death if seeds and nuts were required as the majority of their diet year round because these things are simply not available in the wild all year round.

When I share that feeding a captive squirrel diet consisting of a lot of calcium robbing foods (these are relatively low in calcium versus the amount of calcium to phosphorus (Ca:P) ratio) will over time lead to a lethal disease known as Metabolic Bone Disease, I am not speculating.

I have treated many squirrels suffering MBD as a result of a calcium robbing diet.. mostly adolescent squirrels that were being being fed nuts and seeds and "big box store" squirrel food (poor Ca:P ratio). These are x-ray confirmed MBD cases, which is the only definitive way to diagnose but most folks don't have the ability to get x-rays performed for the diagnosis.

The poor Ca:P ration results in their bones becoming very weak and brittle. In the x-rays their bones are almost translucent compared to a healthy squirrel's bones that appear white in x-rays.

MBD is very painful. Most people don't realize the squirrel is heading towards MBD until one day they find the squirrel with a rear end paralysis (keeping in mind that MBD symptoms in tegus is very different). Squirrels are masters of disguising weakness, since weakness signals an easy target predators. One day the squirrel can be just fine from all outward appearances and the next day they are dragging their back end around. Sometimes they fall.. even short heights of 3 -4 feet.. and break bones which normally would not happen with a healthy squirrel. We've had people find squirrels dead and laying on the bottom of the cage as a result of MBD.

Once MBD sets in it takes months of diligence and devotion to reverse if it is caught early enough. Best just to avoid taking the chance.

Parrot food usually has higher amounts of dried corn and less calcium than is typically healthy for a squirrel. Parrot food has less protein and less fat (typically) than rodent (mouse and rat... closest cousins to squirrels!) foods.

Chippies (like flying squirrels) tend to have a higher protein diet than tree squirrels, by the way of eating more insects and small reptiles, etc. than what a tree squirrel typically eats. Chippy diet is more in line with a flying squirrel (more protein).

We know the cause of MBD. We know how to prevent MBD. And if preventative measure are not followed, if caught early enough, we know how to reverse MBD... though sometimes permanent damage incurs.

[Chomp-Mom]

I understand the MBD and what/how they affect them. My current concern is the "hormonal" things. I have searched many pages, but thus far there are very very few pertaining to Chipmunks that live in captivity. i find page after group after forums on squirrels, but nothing really even pertaining to their hormonal changes, if that's even what it would be considered.

[Spanky]

Here is the TSB forum on Chipmunks:
https://thesquirrelboard.com/forums/...p?72-Chipmunks

This is from the Internet:
Eastern chipmunks are mate twice per year, during early spring and summer through early fall. They have a 31-day gestation period. Two to 5 young are born in April or May, and again in August or October.

[Chomp-Mom]

quick update 11/12/24... she has been hibernating the last 4 full days... has not come out of her room, but you can hear her in there rumbling around here and there. she has a water bowl in there that i've been able to fill as long as i am super quick and as quiet as possible lol... it's so strange her not being out running all over the house full cavity searching you for nuts and just random scampers across the floors and her iconic stair hopping sounds that i love so much. i miss her! lol