Chipmunk vs squirrel: how to tell which one is getting in

To settle chipmunk vs squirrel, start with where you found the sign. Chipmunks usually get in around the foundation, Cornell says. Flying squirrels typically get in up high, and red squirrels go either way.

Chipmunk vs squirrel: how do you tell them apart?

Look at the face first. A chipmunk has light and dark stripes on its face, around the eyes, ADW says. You'll see stripes down its back, too: five blackish and two tan, ending at a reddish rump, Penn State says. The tail's hairy but not bushy. Startle one, and it holds that tail upright, ICWDM says.

Penn State says chipmunks sometimes get mixed up with red squirrels. So use your ears, too. A chipmunk gives a sharp "chuck-chuck-chuck." A red squirrel has a high-pitched chatter.

Look-alikes

Chipmunk or squirrel?

123

Eastern chipmunkTamias striatus

vs

123

American red squirrelTamiasciurus hudsonicus

How to tell an eastern chipmunk from an American red squirrel

Look at	Eastern chipmunk	American red squirrel
1Face	Light and dark stripes around the eyes	A white ring around the eye, all year
2Back and side	Five blackish and two tan stripes, ending at a reddish rump	No stripes down the back; a white belly, often with a dark line along the side
3Tail	Hairy but not bushy, a bit flat; held upright when startled	Bushier than a chipmunk's
4Where you see it	Mostly on the ground; it can climb, but it dens underground	Spends a great deal of time in trees
5Size	5 to 6 inches, plus a 3 to 4 inch tail (Penn State)	Larger: 10 to 15 inches, nose to tail tip (ICWDM)

What types of squirrels live around here?

Michigan has nine kinds of squirrels, and chipmunks are among them. The DNR splits them in two. Fox, gray, red and flying squirrels nest in trees and spend most of their time up there. Chipmunks, woodchucks and ground squirrels have dens underground. They rarely spend time in trees.

In the southern Lower Peninsula, your flying squirrel is the southern one. Our squirrels in Michigan post covers each tree squirrel and how it gets into your attic.

Where do you find the signs, low or high?

Chipmunks usually leave their signs low. Squirrels mostly leave theirs up high. A chipmunk's hole is usually about 2 inches across, Penn State says. You won't see an obvious mound of dirt by it, because the chipmunk carries the dirt off in its cheek pouches. Cornell agrees. In large numbers, chipmunks can dig under your patio, stairs, retaining walls or foundation. They may eat your flower bulbs, too.

ICWDM says squirrels often travel power lines, and they gnaw on wires, get into buildings and build nests in attics. And up at your roofline, MSU says fascia boards can pop loose at the corners and leave small cracks, or soffits can get damaged. So check the whole roofline.

Which one is it? Start with the sign

Pick the sign you've actually got. Two or three taps and you'll have a best guess. Only hearing it? Our post on noises in the walls covers mice and rats, too.

Why don't you see chipmunks in winter?

Because they go quiet for the winter. Chipmunks don't have the fat stores to hibernate, ADW says. Instead, they go into periods of torpor. Our post on chipmunks in winter covers where they go.

Our own numbers fit that. We counted every checked sighting from our seven counties on iNaturalist, where you post an animal photo and others confirm it. Just 22 of 1,547 chipmunk sightings came in December, January or February. That's about 1.4%. For each squirrel, it's 17% to 24%.

Are chipmunks dangerous?

Not directly. ICWDM says chipmunks generally don't pose a direct threat to you or your pets, and they usually run when you come close. They aren't significant carriers of diseases that hurt people, either. Squirrels may carry parasites and diseases, the DNR says, but passing them to you or your pets is uncommon.

Ticks are another story. A 2005 tick study in a part of New Jersey where Lyme disease is well established found chipmunks seemed to adapt well to managed yards. It concluded they apparently play an important role in the Lyme disease cycle in those neighborhoods.

Squirrels bring their own problems. They chew on electrical lines, and ICWDM says that can lead to fires. A red squirrel may bite you if you provoke it, ADW says. And the CDC says rare US cases of sylvatic typhus can happen when people are exposed to flying squirrels and their nests.

What can you do about them in Michigan?

It depends on which animal you've got. Here's what the Michigan DNR says:

• No catch and release. The DNR doesn't authorize or do live capture and release of squirrels, except for permitted research.
• Damage changes things. Where hunting or trapping is allowed, you as the property owner, or your designee, may lethally remove a squirrel other than a flying squirrel without a hunting or trapping license, but only if it's doing damage, or is physically present to imminently cause damage.
• Otherwise, killing one takes a license. If a squirrel isn't tied to damage, you need a hunting or trapping license to hunt or trap it, and only during the regulated season. That season is year-round for red squirrels, ground squirrels and chipmunks, and shorter for fox and gray squirrels.
• Chipmunks count as ground squirrels. The DNR's 2026 small game digest lists them that way.
• Flying squirrels are protected. They can't be taken at any time, the digest says.

The DNR also suggests noise, like a loud radio or banging pots and pans, to get a squirrel out of your attic. But MSU warns that radios and lights could cause a fire. So don't leave anything running up there.

Honestly, you don't need us for a chipmunk on the woodpile. Call us for noise overhead, a hole you can't explain, or burrows along your foundation. We'll confirm which animal it is, tell you what Michigan's rules allow for it, and show you every opening we find. We don't seal or repair. Squirrels and chipmunks are part of Honorable Shield. Our squirrel and chipmunk control page shows what a visit covers.

Common questions

About this page

Hayden Rhinehart, Technician Manager, Honorable Pest Control

License #C003251277

Hayden wrote this. The facts come from the sources below, checked on October 14, 2026. The winter numbers are our own count of iNaturalist posts, so they show when people spot these animals, not how many there are. Look-alike photos: Kaldari (CC0, via Wikimedia Commons) and Donald Davesne (CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist), cropped, with our labels added. See something wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.