Im planning to get a pet chipmunk... need some advice?

i dont want to keep it in a small cage.... because theyre like little ninjas and they space to run up walls doing backflips and stuff....





but i dont want to keep it in the garden in a big cage thing...... because thats cold and theres guaranteed to be a cat or bird that tries to eat it through the cage if its in the garden....





so i was thinking.... is it ok if i keep it in a small-ish cage with a sleeping area and stuff during the night......


then during the day ill leave it to wander around outside the cage (keeping an eye on it)


but then wheres it going to dig holes and bury stuff ???.... like chipmunks do





so... can you have them as indoor pets...?


i dont want to rush into buying one before i have it planned how im going to keep it... so pleeeasee help me out with anything u know about them....Im planning to get a pet chipmunk... need some advice?
You cant leave a chipmunk to run around your room during the day...its very dangerous for the chipmunk, theres electrical wires, little holes he can go into, fabric to tear and get caught up in...you cant. Even if they are there they move too quick for you to stop them, also I really doubt you are going to spend the 12 hours of daylight with your chipmunk for its whole existence. Its actually safer outside, chipmunks dont mind the cold but cats are an issue. You would need to build an indoor aviary, a small cage is not going to cut it...you're talking like 4ft long, 3ft wide and 5ft high at the very least. Otherwise you're just being cruel.





I hope you are aware that chipmunks dont become tame. At the most you will be a launchpad for them, they might climb on you but that will be it, they are not tame and not friendly. Even in the largest of cages they often show stereotyped behaviour (pacing back and forth, running the same path in the cage, head weaving, etc, its a sign of mental problems). They dont really make good pets no matter whether they are bred in captivity or not.Im planning to get a pet chipmunk... need some advice?
Ha!


DONT BE CRUEL!


They dont like bieng in cages


they like bieng in the wild





answer my question


http://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AjlsopNqo9QOM4dvzZvoIjYgBgx.;_ylv=3?qid=20090918023326AAwgbxS
don't get a pet chipmunk. those are wild animals. its cruel to lock a wild animals up in cages. i believe chchipmunksre illegal to own as pets...
A chipmunk?


You serious?


Good luck with that.
Im a uk member who is qualified in pet care.


Chipmunks are getting less and less popular due to them being a threat to our wildlife and also being an wild american ground squirrel.





Chipmunks like to live in groups and should be kept in an aviary not a small cage as they are very active. They are wild animals from america and like to have branches to climb. They are not totally tamable and will bite.


You must not let a chipmunk escape in the uk. It is an offence to do so. This rule protects our wildlife.


They also should have a chinchilla wooden nest box to sleep in with plenty of hay. They are fed on a chipmunk mix and like fresh food.





You can keep them indoors where it is safer and there is less chance of them escaping into our countryside if they make a bolt for the door.





If you cannot keep it in an aviary indoors them i suggest you don't purchase them.
A chipmunk isn't an ideal pet. They don't like being kept captive and this will make them a bit wild. If you do get one and it escapes, protect your hands before you try to catch it - better still don't use your hands for the job. I knew someone that had one and when it escaped he tried to catch it, with the help of a friend. They both ended up with very badly bitten hands - they can bite very hard and they're quick. Eventually I caught it by putting a bucket over it and then slowly (to give it a chance to move) sliding a piece of plywood underneath it. In my opinion they shouldn't be kept as pets at all, they really don't like it.