August 9th, 2011

Pregnant Emma


This is Emma, Ruling Queen Chipmunk of Ferret Hollow Gardens.  She always chases away the other Chippy's when she's out and about sometimes in a rather violent looking fight.  She has a small dark upside down triangle of fur over her nose that is very different from the other Chippy's in the area.




This is Emma again, who resides behind the waterfall of the Koi pond.  I regularly, but one at a time, hand feed Emma, Stella and the other visting chipmunks.  Stella has a shortened tail and lives near the far side of the Koi pond.  They both run around me or pause at my feet when I am in the gardens.  Today I hand fed her as I usually do except that I hadn't seen her for about a week or so.  I think that I have found out why - she is pregnant.  Well let me say that she is exceptionally plump around her midsection.  I have read that chipmunks have one or two litters a year, in early spring and late summer if the weather (zone) is warm enough.   I didn't see her pregnant or have little ones in the spring so I guess that she was playing hard to get.  Hopefully I'll see the little ones soon and will post any photos that I am fortunate enough to take.  Hopefully she'll trust me with the little ones once they are old enough to feed on solid food.  We'll wait and see.

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