Everything You Need to Know About the Chipmunks of Connecticut

If the area around my backyard patio in Torrington is any indication, 2025 may be a good year for Chipmunks in Connecticut.

How did you spend your Sunday? I didn't do anything productive; I spent the better part of the day watching a chipmunk you see in the photo above explore my patio area. I was fascinated watching as the little guy/gal scurried about as it tested my limit on the test holes it was digging around the retaining wall as it tried to find a new home. Connecticut is home to one species of Chipmunk, the Eastern Chipmunk, and I have some interesting facts about the cutest little rodents you'll see in our state.

The average chipmunk in Connecticut averages 8-10 inches long (Including their tail) and can weigh around a quarter of a pound (3-5 oz) according to ct.gov. The average lifespan in the wild is three years, but chipmunks can live up to 8 years in captivity. Chipmunks are loners, living solitary lives in solo burrows until mating season.

Chipmunks are omnivores, feeding on both plants and animals, and they're most active during daylight hours. Chipmunks are a favorite snack for most of Connecticut's predators: Hawks, Owls, Snakes, Foxes, Raccoons, Bobcats, and your house cat too. They live underground, and their burrows can reach up to 30 feet long and three feet deep.

That could be a problem for my new patio, and yours, so as cute as they are chipmunks can and will cause structural damages. They love bird feeders, so keep yours away from your building. Those 'Dizzy Gillespie' cheeks on a chipmunk are their cutest feature, and they expand to accommodate the equivalent of what would be pounds of food in humans. Enjoy them while you can during the Summer, chipmunks don't hibernate, but they do sleep away underground during the Winter only coming up on the warmest days.