Decide whether the chipmunk truly needs rescue, identify the group, check for injuries and give the mother a safe daylight chance to retrieve a healthy baby.
Confirm the animal group before choosing a feeding or release plan.
Keep the exact find location; reunification and release depend on it.
Look for coldness, injury, pet contact, fly eggs and abnormal behavior.
Human scent does not prevent a mother chipmunk from taking her baby back. If the infant is warm, uninjured and found near a likely burrow, give the mother a quiet daylight opportunity to retrieve it before committing the animal to hand-rearing.
North American chipmunks usually show facial stripes running through or around the eye as well as stripes on the back. A golden-mantled ground squirrel can look chipmunk-like but lacks the chipmunk facial stripes. Location and habitat help narrow the species.
Chipmunk rehabilitation decisions should be based on the animal’s age, body weight, medical condition, species, season and release habitat. These references provide the practical and veterinary framework used throughout this pathway.
