To any fruit cultivators, chipmunks are significantly a threat as they bite on almost every kind of fruit in the garden. As a result, if you are growing apples in your garden, you may worry thinking whether chipmunks are going to eat the apples or not.
So, let’s get to know the answers from the explanations added ahead regarding this query.
Do Chipmunks Eat Apples?
Chipmunks in the wild eat apples as long as apples are within their reach. However, in comparison to other food that chipmunks regularly eat, apples are too big in size for them to eat effortlessly. As a result, chipmunks may take a few bites of apples in the wild but may not eat a whole apple.
Apples are one of those fruits that both pet and wild chipmunks really like to eat, however, apple just makes a small portion of their meal in an entire day.
However, chipmunks can’t eat a full apple due to an apple being a large fruit for them to devour, so the wild chipmunks will just have a few bites of ripe apples.
And since chipmunks eat apples, you may want to know chipmunks can eat apple cores, apple seeds, or an entire apple tree or not. So, the below answers are listed regarding this query.
Apple Cores:
Usually, chipmunks don't eat apple cores because apples are a bigger-sized
fruit for them, so they can’t finish an entire apple and reach the core to eat that as well.
However, if they find any fallen apple core on the ground, chipmunks may eat it.
Apple Seeds:
It depends on the chipmunk whether they will eat apple seeds or not. Usually, chipmunks in wild don’t eat apple seeds they only take a few small bites on the apple flesh and don’t reach the depth where apple seeds are positioned.
But if they can finish eating a full apple, they will eat the seeds too.
Apple Trees:
Chipmunks are very tiny animals. They can’t even eat an entire apple at once, let alone eat an entire apple tree.
How To Tell If Chipmunks Are Eating Fruit Out Of Your Tree?
It can be hard to be sure of chipmunks are eating fruits if you aren’t aware of the signs of chipmunk damage. Therefore, signs that confirm chipmunks are eating fruit out of your trees have been described here for your convenience.
Bites On The Fruits:
The most convincing sign of chipmunks eating fruit out of your tree is having bites on almost every ripe fruit on the tree.
When there is chipmunk habitation in your garden, you will notice small bites on the ripe fruits as chipmunks prefer eating ripe fruits the most. If the fruits are small-sized, chipmunks can devour them effortlessly, but in the case of big-sized fruits, chipmunks will take only a few small bites as they can’t eat big fruits as a whole.
Damage Will Increase In Ripening Season:
During the ripening season of fruits, the number of damaged/eaten fruits will be increased than in other seasons because chipmunks are most active when fruits are ripening as ripe fruits are their favorite source of foods.
Tossed Fruits On The Ground:
A lot of ruined tossed fruits on the ground is another sign of chipmunks eating fruits from your trees. Chipmunks are tiny animals, so they may not be able to toss big fruits. But after eating small-sized fruits out of the trees, they will throw them on the ground.
Small Holes In Your Garden:
Another confirmed indication of chipmunk feasting on fruits out of your trees is to have several small holes in your yard nearby the fruit trees, the foundation of your house, and in the midst of walkways.
Chipmunks like to live nearby their food sources, so they dig small holes around that place.
Piles Of Seed And Grains:
Seeds and grains are chipmunks’ one of the main foods to eat and survive. So, in slightly unseen areas, you will find piles of seeds and grains accumulated by chipmunks to eat and store for the winter season.
And it’s a big sign of chipmunks. They eat fruits to survive in the summer and in the meantime, store seeds and grains for the winter.
How To Protect My Apple Trees From Chipmunks?
It’s essential to protect the whole apple tree to protect the fruits from chipmunks. Here the methods of safeguarding your apple tree from chipmunks have been listed below.
Apply A Chipmunk Repellent:
A constant application of any commercial or homemade chipmunk repellent containing hot pepper or hot pepper oil is the most effective natural method of safeguarding apples from chipmunks.
Chipmunks have sensitive noses, so they can’t withstand the spicy scent of hot pepper at all and instantly flee away from a place with a hot pepper scent.
You can make a homemade hot pepper chipmunk repellent too, just mix hot pepper and water in a spray bottle and spray the solution around your apple tree.
Metal Collars:
Putting a metal collar all around your apple tree’s trunk will prevent chipmunks from going all the way up to the tree and damaging apples. So it’s another effective way of protecting your apples and apple trees from chipmunks.
You can either choose a cone-shaped metal collar of 2ft diameter where the edges are sloped downwards to stop chipmunks from climbing further, or you can select a metal tube of 2 ft off the ground to wrap it around the apple tree’s trunk to prevent chipmunks climbing up.
Bird Netting:
Draping a bird net all over your apple tree is also an easy but expensive means of safeguarding the apple trees from chipmunks.
Whether your apple trees are dwarf, semi-dwarf, or large ones, if you decide to use bird netting, first drape the netting over apple trees, then hold the edges of the netting by using clothes pins, and close the netting to apple branches.
Use clothes pins or rope to drape the remaining bird netting around the trees’ trunks.
Fruit Bags:
Fruit bags are typically small-sized mesh bags that you can easily close by a drawstring. These fruit bags are exceptionally helpful in keeping every ripening apple protected from chipmunks.
All you need to do is to wrap these fruit bags around each apple when it has started maturing and reached 1” in diameter.
Remove All Potential Sources That Attract Chipmunks:
The fallen bird seeds from bird seeders highly attract chipmunks as chipmunks like to eat bird seeds.
Therefore, remove all bird feeders from your garden to lessen the attractiveness of alternative food sources for chipmunks to protect the apple trees. Also, remove your pet’s pet feeder from the garden.
You must keep the garden clean and clear out all tempting habitat spots of chipmunks like fallen logs.
What Other Animals Eat Apples Off The Tree?
Apples make a good meal for numerous wildlife and domestic animals. Here a list of animals that prefers to eat apples the most has been added for your better knowledge.
Squirrels:
Squirrels are regular eaters of apples in the wild. They are great climbers and by taking advantage of their climbing ability, squirrels go up to the apple trees and munch on apples right off the apple trees.
Raccoons:
Raccoons basically eat any fruit they get within their reach, so apples are certainly on their list of favorite meals. If your living area is closer to raccoon’s habitation, they will sneak into your garden and eat apples off the trees.
Monkey:
Apples are like a feat meal for monkeys, thus, they can’t resist but feast on apples very happily. Besides, monkeys are skilled climbers, so a monkey family can finish eating all apples off a tree almost instantly.
Deer:
Deer are the other animal that eats any fruit they come across, so apples aren’t safe either from deer. Deer are flexible and tall so if they see a tree full of apples, they surely will pick every ripe apple from the tree.
Rabbits:
Rabbits being herbivores animals love eating apples, especially the wild rabbits will munch on apples whenever they will get a chance to them.
Possums:
Possums can eat apples off the trees as apples make a tasty regular meal for them. Thus, if
they find apples in the wild or in city life, they will sneak and steal apples to eat.
Bear:
Although apples don’t make a big portion of a bear’s meal, bears will eat apples off the trees while searching for other meals in the wild.
Final Thoughts
Chipmunks eat apples, in fact, it’s one of their favorite fruits to eat, however, both wild and pet chipmunks will eat a small portion of apples as it doesn’t make their only meal in a day. Besides, apples are a large fruit to chipmunks, so wild chipmunks usually eat a few bites of an apple.