Housing

• 1). Provide a large cage or aviary for your pet chipmunk that is a minimum size of 4 ft. long and 4 ft. high. Two sides of the cage should be solid metal or plastic. The other two sides should be constructed of a 16-gauge wire mesh. These cages can be kept inside or outside.
  
  
• 2). Line the bottom of the cage with hay or soft paper.
  
  
• 3). Place nontoxic perches, pipes, branches and rocks in the cage. Change around these furnishings weekly to keep your chipmunk active and happy.
  
  
• 4). Provide one wooden nest box per chipmunk in the cage. The nest box should have an entrance hole of 50 to 65 mm in diameter. Place extra hay or paper in the box for bedding.
  
  
• 5). Clean the cage weekly. Remove and replace all cage-lining and bedding and clean the cage and its furnishings with an animal-safe disinfectant. Check nest boxes and remove stale, rotting food.
  
  

Diet

• 1). Provide up to 28 grams of food for your chipmunk daily. Your chipmunk needs a varied diet that consists of grains, seeds, fruit, vegetables, protein and calcium. Hamster pellets high in protein should be a staple in your chipmunk's diet. Grains and seeds such as oats, barley and sesame seeds provide your chipmunk with necessary vitamins and minerals. Vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage should be given with the main meal of pellets and fruits such as papaya and apple should be given as treats. Cover raisins in yogurt to provide both fruit and calcium to your chipmunk.
  
  
• 2). Change your chipmunk's diet weekly, but make sure to provide them with all needed foods.
  
  
• 3). Hang mineral stones and cuttle bones on the side of your chipmunk's cage to supplement their diet and trim their teeth.
  
  
• 4). Provide clean water in water bottles at all times. Change the water daily and make sure the bottles are clean. Add calcium drops to the water.
  
  

Handling

• 1). Begin handling your chipmunk when it is very young. Sit quietly with it for an hour a day so it becomes comfortable in your presence. If the cage is big enough, sit inside it with the chipmunk. This will allow you and your chipmunk to bond.
  
  
• 2). Leave a piece of your clothing in the chipmunk's cage so it becomes used to your scent.
  
  
• 3). Place fruit or other treats, such a peanuts, in your open hand while sitting with the chipmunk. For smaller cages, open the cage door and put your open hand into the cage. Do not make any sudden movements or loud noises.
  
  
• 4). Allow the chipmunk to approach you and eat the treat from your hand. Continue this process until the chipmunk is comfortable sitting in your hand. After your chipmunk is comfortable being near you, you must spend at least 15 minutes a day with it to keep this bond. It can take years of daily contact for your chipmunk to become completely comfortable with being handled.