*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

Last summer, we had a chipmunk population explosion in our country garden
and it seems they decided the coziest place they could find to shack up and
tunnel was under our ponds, stream liners, and rock-garden edging. Last
fall, everybody but me thought they were cute scurrying around the garden
collecting goodies for the winter. Last winter while we were inside out of
the snow, they must have decided rubber liner was tasty or good waterproof
bedding materiel because they gnawed away the rubber stream edges under two
bridges after tunneling under it. The liner must have then collapsed into
the tunnels and drained two long sections of stream under the snow pack.
That was bad enough, but repairable, after I pulled the bridges and found
out where the water went on a warm day in early March after the snow melted
and exposed the problem. I also found a third, golf-ball sized, chew hole
under a third bridge after I started our other stream system to flush it
out-still easily repairable-and quickly turned it off, noting the main pond
had floated over the winter and under the snow, probably because of the
hole.

Anyway, yesterday (Saturday) we went out to patch that hole and start that
system for the summer and it was almost two feet low! This is a fourteen by
twenty foot, .6 mil roofing rubber-lined pond, installed five years ago, and
it's never leaked or been this low before! I looked a few seconds and saw a
large (baseball sized) hole in an old wrinkle in the shallow end, right at
the water line. On further inspection I saw the same teeth marks around the
hole as were along the liner edge under the bridges in the other stream and
pond system. The *#^!$%& chipmunks had struck again!

On further inspection around the perimeter of the pond, I found two other
large areas that not only had holes chewed through them, but then had been
gnawed completely away and hauled off, probably to line their nests. These
shredded areas were over a square foot each and any surrounding creases in
the liner radiating from the centers were also gnawed to shreds.

The big problem is, there is rock work covering most of the rest of the
liner now above the water line and I have no idea how many more holes are
hidden there so we're going to have finish draining the pond and completely
pull the liner to either patch or replace it after a thorough inspection.

On further inspection on Sunday, I discovered something had been gnawing on
the now exposed and drying cattail and other aquatic tubers in the now, half
drained pond. I'm guessing our excess chipmunk population got hungry because
of the excess snow we had in February, to gnaw through the liner, causing
leaks higher up first (and I hope at least the original culprit drowned if
it flooded his tunnel). This lowered the water level enough for them to get
to some of the cattail and iris tubers along the bank and then they started
new tunnels through the liner even deeper, exposing even more food and dry
liner after the water drained through the new holes and hopefully flooded
their tunnels.

So, this is a warning to the group, chipmunks may be cute in the garden, but
they can quickly devastate a rubber-lined pond if they figure out how to
start gnawing along an edge or a crease to drain it. Now, I have two
questions for the group:

1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon?

And:

2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? By our
sightings, we're assuming we have over a dozen in an area of about two acres
around the house, barns/garages, and gardens. Lethal suggestions are
preferable now that the gloves are off, since they've already done several
hundred dollars worth of damage (even factory-direct wholesale, that 32'x50'
special ordered roll of .06 mil roofing rubber cost over $350.00).

We already tried mothballs last summer when the varmints started getting
thick and I bought and tried a live-trap that only caught the neighbors cat,
showing a cat prowling in our garden hasn't worked. I can't shoot them (yet)
because the Significant Other has three girls and is afraid their knowing I
was planning on assassinating the cute little forest darlings would be too
traumatic for their delicate natures to handle (gag!), and we've also got
snakes in the garden that I've finally convinced the S.O. to not make me
catch and haul off to the State Park, even if they do eat the occasional
toad or frog. The point is, I've tried everything I know of to run the
little terrorists off, short of gunfire, and some sort of reasoning to allow
that with my PETA sympathizing, S.O. would also be much appreciated.

RGB
Zone 5 (OH)

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

Roger Bennett wrote:


So, this is a warning to the group, chipmunks may be cute in the garden, but
they can quickly devastate a rubber-lined pond if they figure out how to
start gnawing along an edge or a crease to drain it. Now, I have two
questions for the group:

1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon?



yes, unfortunatly rodents love plastic and rubber :(



And:

2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village? By our
sightings, we're assuming we have over a dozen in an area of about two acres
around the house, barns/garages, and gardens. Lethal suggestions are
preferable now that the gloves are off, since they've already done several
hundred dollars worth of damage (even factory-direct wholesale, that 32'x50'
special ordered roll of .06 mil roofing rubber cost over $350.00).



try the ultrasonic sound reppelers
or
a pellet or paintball gun ;)




We already tried mothballs last summer when the varmints started getting
thick and I bought and tried a live-trap that only caught the neighbors cat,
showing a cat prowling in our garden hasn't worked. I can't shoot them (yet)
because the Significant Other has three girls and is afraid their knowing I
was planning on assassinating the cute little forest darlings would be too
traumatic for their delicate natures to handle (gag!), and we've also got
snakes in the garden that I've finally convinced the S.O. to not make me
catch and haul off to the State Park, even if they do eat the occasional
toad or frog. The point is, I've tried everything I know of to run the
little terrorists off, short of gunfire, and some sort of reasoning to allow
that with my PETA sympathizing, S.O. would also be much appreciated.

RGB
Zone 5 (OH)


--
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401-781-9642 cell 401-225-0556
Importer/Exporter of Goldfish,Koi,rare Predators
Shipping to legal states/countries only!
Permalon liners, Oase & Supreme Pondmaster pumps


Please Note: No trees or animals were harmed in the
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that a signicant number of electrons may have been
inconvenienced.

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

"Roger Bennett" wrote in message
rthlink.net...
snip
2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village?
snip

Paintball gun?

-or-

On a garden show (can't remember which) they suggested the only way that
works well consistently is a 50/50 mixture of water and human urine. Sprayed
on the ground where the little critters are seen. They smell it, and
run...apparently afraid of the big smelly predator. The show said the 50/50
mix would prevent any unkind smells.

BV.

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

yes, they will go after permalon
warfarin, like for rats. or, get em in a cage, then either use a pellet gun or drown
them in ice cold water. of course, you might think about getting an outdoor cat OR,
get a male ferret from a ferret farm. they keep most rodents down and ferrets
actually can go down their holes. Ingrid

"Roger Bennett" wrote:
1. Do you think chipmunks can do the same thing to Permalon?
2. How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village?

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 11:20:12 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote:

How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village?

That I do not know, but I've had two ponds for several years around a
large chipmunk population. The only thing I can think of that would
have kept them away from my liners is the lime-sand mix I put under as
a pad. It's about two-three inches thick and gives the pond bottoms a
softer feel, too.

Cybe R. Wizard

--
Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P.
Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P.
"Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y.
Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

In article pan.2003.04.21.13.31.10.348975.25201@WizardsTower ,
Cybe R. Wizard wrote:
On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 11:20:12 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote:

How do you completely exterminate a large chipmunk village?

That I do not know, but I've had two ponds for several years around a
large chipmunk population. The only thing I can think of that would
have kept them away from my liners is the lime-sand mix I put under as
a pad. It's about two-three inches thick and gives the pond bottoms a
softer feel, too.

Why not line the hole with chickenwire or hardware cloth? Put some
kind of cushion (earth, cardboard, newspaper, etc.) between the wire
and the liner to prevent punctures, and you should have a rodent-proof
pond.

Kelly

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

Sounds like a plan since I'm going to have to pull the liner anyway.
Question is, will lime wash away after a few years, if a chipmunk bites a
small hole that just drips for a year or two to begin with? We've had small
numbers of chipmunks foraging in the garden since I moved out here, with, in
retrospect, only two other gnawing incidents.

Two years ago we thought it was a lightning strike, but I now remember the
gnawed, toothmarked edges of the hole. Last year, there were several other
smaller holes near the bridges and I noticed they weren't burn't looking
like I thought a lightning-strike would be. In retrospect, the first hole
looked like something had licked all the iron-oxide off the liner instead of
being burnt, so I'm leaning towards believing that was a chipmunk hole too.

Still, I can get farming grades of bulk lime and it doesn't react with
roofing rubber since rubber is chemically inert.I'll try it.

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

Chipmunks can squirm through chicken-wire. Besides, any galvenized metal
decays when introduced to acidic chipmunk urine. It might be a temporary
patch, but there will eventually be another invasion from the woods sort-of
next door. Besides, any type of metallic, protective lining would only
absorbe any acidic urine to destroy the metallic properties.

RGB Zone 5 (OH)

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

On Mon, 21 Apr 2003 14:51:48 -0500, Roger Bennett wrote:

Question is, will lime wash away after a few years, if a chipmunk
bites a small hole that just drips for a year or two to begin with?

My back pond is a leaker up near the rock edge and has been since day
one. I can't seem to find exactly /where/ the leak is, but it leaks
down about two inches and stays there. There is nowhere for the water
to go except through the lime/sand mix and into the earth. There has
been no washout of lime yet, but, if it was above ground, say behind a
wall of some sort, I can't be sure that it would not lose someof the
pad. As long as your liner is underground it should be no problemo.

Cybe R. Wizard

--
Unofficial "Wizard of Odds," A.H.P.
Original PORG "Water Wizard," R.P.
"Wize(ned) Wizard," A.P.F-P-Y.
Barely Tolerated Wizard, A.J.L & A.A.L

*#^!$%& Chipmunks ate liner last winter
 

if you are going to have to remove the liner, then line the hole with
hardware cloth, then something to cushion the liner, then the liner. that
ought to work.
mad

--
"Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity".




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