August 31, 2012

  • Chipmunks

    The book I read to research this post was About Pets: The Chipmunk which is a very good book which I bought from my local petshop. Technically any striped squirrel is called a chipmunk. In britain it usually refers to the asian or siberian chipmunk especially when someone says they have a chipmunk as a pet. If you buy a chipmunk from a petshop it will almost certainly be a siberian chipmunk. There is other similiar breeds and there's even some close relatives in america but they don't make as good pets. Also in britain if you have an animal in captivity it's normally a requirement that it came from domesticated parents and not the wild. Chipmunks aren't as domesticated as hamsters and gerbils and they are exotic pets meaning they come from a completely different region namely russia, siberia, korea, northern china and mongolia. They are found further afield they have even been sighted living wild in france. They need a really big cage preferrably one you can stand up in. They like things like logs and branches for them to climb. If you have more than one each individual must have plenty of space or they will fight. There food must be scattered around for the same reason. Their fights can be serious and are by far the most common reason a chipmunk gets injured. If a chipmunk escapes you need a net and heavy duty gloves because they have a nasty bite. Sometimes a chipmunk can be attracted back into his cage by leaving the door open and leaving a treat in there. If a pair escapes your only chance of getting them back in the cage is to catch them. You should have a concrete base under the cage as they can burrow through most things. A lot of pet shops sell petfood specifically for chipmunks. Don't be tempted to feed them rabbit food as it will upset there stomach. You may notice chipmunks will eat partly digested droppings you should allow this as it is an important part of their diet. Some food has to pass through twice before it is digested. If you keep chipmunks outside they may hibernate and this helps prolong their life. Of course if kept indoors it's unlikely they will get this urge. They should be allowed to hoarde food and you should leave it in the cage when you clean it.

oldscratbag

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