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Cottage Q&A: Is feeding chipmunks okay?

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I’ve always wondered: is it okay to feed chipmunks?—Nerissa Jones, via email

Yes. At least, it’s okay assuming that you’re feeding them food similar to what they’d eat anyway. 

“Natural foods such as unsalted nuts, fruits, and vegetables will do them no harm,” says David Hackett, a small mammals specialist with Nipissing University in North Bay, Ont. “In the fall, chipmunks are busily hoarding food in preparation for the potential hardships imposed by winter. Presumably, they will find enough wild food to last through the season, but they will also gladly accept help from humans.”

Wild Profile: Meet the chipmunk

Peanuts in the shell? Go for it—watch them stuff their wee faces! Cheetos and gummy worms? Hard no. Keep that stuff for yourself.

But feed in moderation or else your kind gesture could backfire. Chipmunks were put on this earth to hoard food. This means that unlike some other wildlife, they’re not likely to become dependent on humans as a food source. But “if you’re constantly supplying them, there is almost no limit as to how much they will take,” says Hackett. “If the food is not durable, and they’ve collected more than they can eat soon, then that food will begin to rot—potentially contaminating their winter larder.”

Also—and this is probably going to be obvious—if you feed a chipmunk, it’ll begin to check back frequently, hang around you more, and generally try to get all up in your business. “Luckily, chipmunks are not dangerous to us in the sense that bears are,” says Hackett. “Still, you shouldn’t let them climb on you. They may harbour parasites and viruses.” Ew. Not cute.

This article was originally published in the Winter 2022 issue of Cottage Life.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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Q&A: Mouse-proofing a winterized cottage

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What’s the best way to deal with mice during the long winter in a winterized cottage?—Mike Miles, via email

The best way? The best way is to make sure that they can’t get in ever, by sealing up all possible entryways. (Remember that mice can fit through a hole as small as a pencil. Consequently, this amounts to a lot of entryways.)

You may believe that you’ve done this, but—in a quest to be hyper-vigilant—it’s common to overlook one or two obvious entry points, says Lauralee Proudfoot of Cottage Country Pest Control in Victoria Harbour, Ont. “Under the kitchen sink—or any place where water is coming in—is a good place to check,” she says. The attic is another one. Mice love insulation, “and it’s so easy for them to get into the soffits,” says Proudfoot. “People should really get their attics—and their crawlspaces—checked more often than they do.”

7 ways to keep pests out of your cottage

You say that your cottage is winterized. We assume that means you visit it during the winter. The happy news? You have an advantage over cottagers who leave their places vacant six months of the year. “Places that are lived in year-round, or almost year-round, have food, water, and heat available year-round, but they also have people to notice if and when pests try to sneak in,” says Proudfoot. “So things are less likely to get out of hand. Mice are so quick at breeding. Even if you get one or two a week coming in unchecked, you’ll never get ahead of them,” she says.

6 secrets to successful mouse trapping

If you want to DIY your mouse control, our experts almost always recommend traps over poisoned bait—it can harm non-target animals, for one thing—and they usually recommend regular snap traps over the other options.

“Don’t use glue traps,” says Proudfoot. “They’re just terrible.” (Caveat: unless these glue traps are for cockroaches. “Cockroaches can die on a glue trap.”)

Peanut butter is the go-to trap bait. Cheese dries out (and who wants to eat dry cheese?). Other expert-approved options include bacon, chocolate, and Nutella—but heck, food is expensive! Don’t waste that good stuff on mice.

Don’t put too much bait in the trap, assuming that more food will be more enticing. It usually just allows the mice to eat the food without actually springing the trap. Place traps around the perimeter of rooms—mice like to hug walls—and in concealed areas, for example, behind the fridge. In areas where you’ve seen a lot of mouse traffic, place several traps close together, in a row. Wear gloves when you set the traps. This prevents you from leaving your scent behind for the mouse to detect.

Could mice start a fire by chewing strike-anywhere matches?

Mice, like all mammals, are wary of new things. It could benefit you to, for several days, first put out baited traps that aren’t set. It’ll allow the mice to stop perceiving the traps, and the food, as a threat. This’ll take some patience on your part. But…dealing with wildlife—especially the pesty variety—takes a lot more patience than you’d ever expect. Good luck!

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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Cottage Q&A: How can I mouse-proof my fridge?

By Szasz-Fabian Jozsef/Shutterstock

I have a secondary fridge in my shed that I use approximately from May to October. Once I turn it off, I wipe it down with a heavy bleach solution and put a stick in each door to keep them open in order to prevent mould from forming. However, the open door attracts the mice and they leave their droppings behind. How do I prevent both from happening?— Sheri Krajnc, via email

First of all, good call on keeping the fridge doors propped open; allowing air to get inside the fridge will for sure help to prevent mould. But cleaning with bleach may not be the right move. When we previously answered a Mould vs. Secondary Fridge in Shed question (see Spring 2017 Cottage Q&A—everyone has a secondary fridge in their shed), the experts gave bleach the thumbs down. “Bleach is absolutely the wrong product to use,” Ron Arena, at the time a senior consultant with Chem Scope in North Haven, Conn., told us. The problem? Bleach can be strong enough to scratch the surfaces in the fridge. “This creates a roughness on the finish and makes it more susceptible to mould,” he said. Arena—and other experts we consulted—suggested gentler cleaning methods. For example, a slurry of baking soda and water, applied with paper towels or a vegetable brush; dishwasher detergent tablets dissolved in lukewarm water; or ordinary dish soap.

Freshen up your fridge with these cleaning hacks

Now let’s talk about the mice. In an ideal world, you’d make the shed itself more mouse-proof. But we get it: sealing up every mouse-sized crack and crevice is a lot of work. You can of course set traps, or try deterrents like Bounce sheets (some folks swear by them). But the simplest strategy may be to make the fridge itself less attractive to mice. Mice, like a lot of prey creatures, like hidden, protected spots. Propping the fridge doors open with only a stick makes the interior of the fridge dark and cozy and snug. If you prop the doors wide open, on the other hand…the interior could appear, to a mouse, like a giant, gaping, scary space. In other words, not a safe place.

Cottage Q&A: How to keep mice out of your ride

We ran the strategy by the experts, and it got the stamp of approval. “Leaving the fridge door wide open should be quite helpful in deterring rodents from entering,” says Tom Sullivan, a professor emeritus of wildlife ecology and conservation at UBC.

Mice might invade all kinds of other nooks and crannies in the other items in the shed. But they’d hopefully leave the interior of the fridge alone.

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B.C. gov. bans use of rodenticides over concerns about food chain seepage

Photo by Shutterstock/Gallinago_media

B.C. is changing its approach to rodent management.

On October 28, the province’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change announced that it is permanently banning the widespread sale and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs).

These are chemical agents designed to kill rodents by preventing their blood from clotting, causing internal bleeding. Rodenticide poisons have become the default strategy worldwide for handling rodent problems, but they come with a number of side effects.

The B.C. government implemented an 18-month ban on SGARs in July 2021 to further understand the poison’s effects. After public consultations and consultations with experts, the government decided to make the ban permanent starting January 21, 2023, when the temporary ban expires.

SGARs are often mixed with an attractant, such as peanut butter, and baited inside small black boxes. The chemicals are highly toxic to all types of wildlife, and there have been cases where animals other than rats and mice have been poisoned, such as squirrels, cats, and even dogs.

The B.C. government is concerned about secondary poisoning. The deadly chemicals can last in the rodent’s tissues for up to 24 months, even after death. Any predator that eats an infected rodent is at risk of secondary poisoning.

Between 1988 and 2003, scientists collected 164 B.C. owls to test for rodenticide. The study found that 70 per cent of the owls had detectable liver residues of at least one anticoagulant rodenticide. The study did note, however, that only six of the owls died from rodenticide poisoning. The rest died from other circumstances.

Secondary poisoning from rodenticide is most common among raptors, but it has also been found in other predators, such as coyotes and foxes. There is concern among experts that predators are dying through secondary poisoning and effectively allowing rodent populations to thrive and spread diseases contagious to humans.

Despite the risks associated with SGARs, the government is making exceptions to the ban. To balance the need to protect wildlife, while protecting the delivery of essential services, the government said that agricultural operators and essential service providers, such as hospitals, grocery stores, and even telecommunication services, will be allowed to continue purchasing SGARs. The SGARs can only be purchased and used by a licensed pesticide applicator.

Before using SGARs, the pesticide applicator must identify the species of rodent and monitor the population size to assess the risk. After using SGARs, they must properly dispose of the dead rodents, so that they don’t pose a threat to other wildlife. Vendors can only sell SGARs to licensed applicators and they must keep track of all sales for at least three years.

Tips for deterring rodents

  • prune excessive vegetation where rodents might nest
  • ensure doors and windows are flush with their frames
  • plug any holes with steel wool (mice can fit through a hole the size of a dime and rats a hole the size of a quarter)
  • keep all attractants, such as food and compost, in sealed bins

Not everyone agrees with these exceptions, though. B.C.’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said that all anticoagulant rodenticides should be banned. The organization noted that compliance with proper SGARs use has been lax in the past. In 2019, provincial officers conducted 311 SGARs inspections. Only 39 per cent of those inspected complied with proper protocols. The organization is concerned that this type of misuse could continue.

SPCA also pointed out that first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (FGARs) are still legally available for use. These products are slower-acting and less potent than SGARs, but can still pose a poisoning risk to wildlife.

Instead, SPCA is advocating for more humane rodent management strategies, such as prevention.

“The BC SPCA is committed to supporting the transition from rodenticides to more humane pest control strategies,” the organization said in a statement, “and is working with municipal staff to ensure there is a sustainable plan for their communities.”