behaviour

[sioux]

Hi Folks i was watching my two chipmunks this morning , one is quite shy [floss]the other very nosey [candy]Floss  was eating a dandylion leaf Candy came and took it of her, she streched her self out wagging her tail to steal another dandylion leaf from the pile, what does wagging the tail meandoes any one know?

[stephen1970]

To be honest I am not sure why they do it, I have seen my chipmunks doing it before. My thoughts are that they get annoyed and swish their tales like a cat to let everyone see how they feel.

maybe i am wrong

[jennyb]

Hi Sioux, i think Chipmunks swish their tails when they are unsure about something. I've seen mine do it when i've put something new in their cage or when they have been out and they encounter a new object, they usually start off by swishing the tail slowly and approach the object stiff legged and then as they get nearer they may start swishing the tail faster. Sometimes if they get frightened they will run off making an alarm call and hide and at the same time swish their tails.

[Nate]

That's exactly how mine behave, if they see something new they approach slowly, with their tails swishing slowly like a snake making a moving S shape. If they're alarmed or in a fight the tail will go faster. If I stroke mine they will raise their tails up over their backs.

We need a Dr Doolittle to join the board, it would great to know what they really think. I'm not so sure they really like being stroked on their backs, their sides and their noses mine seem to like.

[DizzyMoo]

Hi i know its a bit late , But yes chipmunks waggle their tales mainly when they sense something new & are being inquisitive, Sometimes why do it during play but its mainly when they are checking something out.

Lyndsey