Hello all

[stephen1970]

Hi all, I had 13 chipmunks 20years ago but due to work commitments and relocation had to give them up(all went to loving homes) I purchased a male and female about 2 months ago and kept them in the livingroom but remembered how smelly they can be and the little poo's go everywhere so i have built an avairy in the back garden. I took my time and planned how i could make it as natural to them as possible
so i built a false floor with tunnels underneath with a nesting area at the end of the tunnels then covered it all with bark chips that i collected from the near by woods and put a few plants in and plenty of branches etc. Yesterday was the first day that my two wee friends were allowed to move into their brand new world , to be honest i thought they would find the tunnels and i wouldnt see them for a few days but to my suprise they seemed to love bieng there and went straight for the food and were buring nuts and really exploring their new world. I look forward to chating and sharing with you all

[jcoombes2002]

That sounds fantastic my partner and I wish that we could do something like that, but as we live in a top floor flat the only thing that we can actually do is let them run around our frontroom and hallway, and when we are in the house they can also run around our room which they seem to love. Hoping one day we can afford a house with a garden so we can do the same thing!

[Nate]

That's what I want, a house with some land, as each year goes by the more I want to move out of central London. Don't know if it's just an age thing but it's becoming more dangerous and dirty each year. I've been looking around and the Isle of Wight looks like a good escape, but need to go there and check it out first hand. I read they have red squirrels there to which I've never seen in real life.

Don't think I would take on more chipmunks though, I think any more than I have now and I would not be able to give each one the attention they need.

Stephen, the false floor with tunnels sounds really ingenuous, I bet your two have found there way in to them by now.

[jcoombes2002]

Nate you should come to Devon it's another world.  I used to live in Chiswick and work in Baker Street so I know what you mean, Devon is just unbelieveable.

[Gilly]

Hi Stephen, I agree it is a cool idea with the tubes underground. I`ve got some flexi-pipe I was going to hang off the sides, but I might copy your design a bit. Good looking build. I saw it on the other thread.

[stephen1970]

I didnt take them long to find the tunnels, all the tunnels lead to a nesting area which i filled with hay and dried leaves, I think they must sleep in there at night as i have checked the nest boxes and all i find is nuts and seeds. I have a hatch that i can get into the underground nesting area if i need to but for now i will just let them settle in without disturbing them.

[Nate]

Devon it's another world.

Most of my mates think I'm already living in another world. 

I used to live in Exeter for a short time, and went back down there very recently after many years away. It's really changed, so many new roads. They reckon that Exeter is quite a cool place to live now. Choice of beaches, two moorlands and I couldn't spot anybody down there who looked like they wanted to stab me, that's a bonus. My mother, gawd bless her still lives down there, but she wants to come back to London. I've tried to explain it isn't the same place she left all those years ago. No trams running, and you can't get one of those small boys to climb up your chimney for luv nor money these days.

[Nate]

Oh forgot to mention, this is quite a funny website about someone who set up a chipmunkery on Dartmoor.
http://www.brumble.net/chips/

[Gilly]

That is a good site 
Stephen 1970, I went out today looking for Fern like in your enclosure. I searched 3 woods and all I could find was nettles. In the end I went to a garden center where they had 1 tub of it for £8 and it was very dry looking. So I didn`t bother. Does it only grow near certain trees?
I`m also on the look out for a tree stump to have other branches leading off. Thought I would just walk into a wood and find everything I needed.
This is probably against the law I`m guessing  .....I never took anything.

[stephen1970]

I am not sure about where the fern grows but I think its more likely to be the kind of soil thats in the woods, I have to wade through it when i take the dogs a walk. The Fern I have is starting to wilt a bit so i think they have to be watered all the time, maybe if you look near a river you will find them. I am not sure if it is aganst the law to take  branches that are lying on the ground from the woods, if it is i am in deep trouble ...lol