Indoor Chipmunks

[jennyb]

Hello everyone, erm my question is that from what i have seen on forums it seems that Chipmunks breed better outside but i just wondered if any of you have ever had Chipmunks breed indoors and what size cages did you keep them in, the reason i ask is that Asriel's parents bred indoors in a cage the same size as ours and have bred successfully more than once but apart from a few litters from a female who is no longer alive, none of mine have bred at all, even though they have been mating. I'm wondering if my mother Chipmunk that bred, did in my first chipmunk cage which was bigger but i can't remember for sure because it was 7 or 8 years ago, we stopped using that cage about 5 years ago.

Its more of a curiousity than anything but i am interested in improving the lives of all of my Chipmunks, particularly as i have problems with agression between them. Hazel is being agressive to her brother again and i don't know whether i should separate them again but don't really want to if i can avoid it as they generally get on well apart from disagreements every so often, Hazel does seem to be abit of a bully. Separating them could cause more problems as Hazel seemed unhappy last time and Ginger likes the company of another Chipmunk and he's getting old now and i don't want to upset him or stress him too much. The only thing i can think of is the aggression is being caused by not being enough space to keep away from each other but i have kept Chipmunks in these cages together successfully in the past.

[whistler6752]

Hi, Chips will breed indoors, but they are best kept in a spare room with natural daylight hours. Birds can be brought into breeding condition with extended light, but it is believed that Chipmunks don't respond in the same way and may stop breeding altogether. Cage size is not as critical as you may think, when I started breeding I obtained stock from as many different breeders as possible, one breeder bred in the smallest hamster cages you can get, and another bred in cages that were 12 inch cubes ! You may not wish to know this but if your Chips are coming into season and mating ,the only conclusion is that they are eating the babies, sorry. You might try housing females alone after you've seen them mated. Mike.

[jennyb]

Hi Whistler, i think you may be onto something with the artificial light, our Chipmunks have light 24 hours a day as we always have a light in the front room and they have a flurescent light on from 8 am until 8 pm every day, we got this for Pearl's benefit as after she got ill i read that having access to full spectrum lighting such as used for lizards would help give Vit D to her to help with calcium, as she was suffering from a calcium deficiency. She seems better now and we are not sure whether that is due to the light or to the calcium diet she is given but decided to carry on with the light anyway.

I always thought cage size was important but maybe not as much as i'd heard. The cages i have may be smaller than my first cage but they were sold as Chipmunk cages, i would never keep one in a cage meant for a Hamster that would be cruel, the Chipmunk would probably go mental in there. Didn't those Chipmunks at the breeder fight in there? Pearl was the only one kept in a Hamster cage but it was to restrict her movement as she was weak and could have hurt herself in the main cage, once she got better we was put back in the larger cage, originally with Abigail. I'm not sure they are having babies, the females were coming into season every 10 days now its 14 days but they are coming into season in the time frame for Chipmunks not pregnant. Only one female mated last month so their later calling can't be because they are pregnant. For one female, two weeks is now up, for the other two wednesday will be 2 weeks since they last called. I expected them to call today but they didn't so i expect they will tomorrow or wednesday, i wouldn't be surprised if two call on the same day like last time or i could be wrong and all three will call on the same day as all three are nearly overdue, that will be a headache!

Everything i have read about breeding Chipmunks says that the male will not harm the babies, the mother will just kept him out of the box until they are a few days old, it is also said that males help look after the babies which they wouldn't do in the wild.

Thanks for replying

[whistler6752]

Hi Jenny, I agree hamster cages are way too small, that was an example to show that they will breed in small cages. They didn't get the opportunity to fight as they were housed individually.Lots of males will most certainly harm babies, as will females and even mothers if they feel stressed or threatened in any way. You are right, your females are not pregnant if they are comming in season within the normal time frame. The light you speak of is fine but it should only be used to match seasonal natural day length if breeding is not to be effected Mike.

[jennyb]

Hi, i know that your chipmunks aren't kept in cages that small but the breeder obviously didn't know much about chipmunks. It's probably best to separate the mother from the dad when pregnant then so he doesn't harm any babies. Ok so perhaps if i turn the flurescent light off about 6 when i get in from work and try to keep the other lights low in the room after dark. I think having light on all day and night does affect their behaviour, nearly all of them get up during the night, some several times which was something my Chipmunks i had in the past didn't do when at night the lights were off, but then everyone went to bed before midnight, now there is always someone up all night in this house.

[Doghouse135]

Mmmm that's really interesting.  Although I don't have any intention to breed, I find the information you've given Whistler about the cubes really interesting.  I complained in a pet shop once about the cages that they kept their chippies in as they were way too small.  The owner of the shop said that he kept them in small cages purposely so they didn't breed - they were in small budgie cages.  He had them all paired up but weren't breeding due to lack of space and lack of a nestbox    (according to him)

I didn't know any different as I haven't bred so took his word for it.  The poor little things looked as miserable as sin.

[jennyb]

Hi everyone, we have removed the bulbs in the lights by the Chipmunks so it is now dark after 6 when i turn their flurescent light off and it has changed their behaviour quite alot, all the Chipmunks now are in bed when i get back from work (6). Also i open the curtains to the patio doors 7 am when i get up and close then at 6 pm when i get in, by this time it is getting dark and the Chippies are already in bed. The same three are always up when i wake up - Hazel, Abigail and Asriel. I don't see alot of Ginger or Pearl although Pearl does sometimes still get up during the night, she seems to be more nocturnal. I cleaned all the Chipmunks out on friday and all five appeared, although Pearl looked out then went back in her box, guess she didn't like the disruption. Ginger was out for quite a time and i also saw him yesterday for a while, he was eating sweetcorn, it is now easier to tell him and Hazel apart as he is now grey on his white stripes and the back of his head.

[jennyb]

The Chipmunks have stopped calling, they have all gone over two weeks. Not sure what is going on, my dad said one called earlier this week but only for an hour and he don't know which one it was as he only heard it, it may have even been a male. No females have showed other signs of being in season. I'm wondering what i have done, if i have by changing the lighting confused them even more. It is going to take along time before we can get an avairy sorted so i want to give them as good life indoors as i can

[tarcus/Kevin]

Unlike adult movies the copulation process for chipmunks is far quicker than that of humans the fact that your girls have stopped singing could mean either they have been and done what they are supposed to or they haven't whichever it is you will not know for another couple of weeks when they will either sing or not.
The next stage after not singing would be within 28/33 days from the last time you can remember them singing when they may suddenly appear fat and disappear into their nest box for a day or two mind each and every chip is different so you can never be sure as to when or how they are going to react to giving birth.

[jennyb]

Thanks Tarcus for your reply, that would seem the most obvious that they are in fact pregnant but i don't think that is the case and i know it can't be with Abigail as she is on her own but yet she has not called for three weeks now, same with Pearl and Hazel. Theres more chance of the other two being pregnant as they live with males so have the opportunity.