He saves 28,000 acorns for 14 chipmunks

Name: He saves 28,000 acorns for 14 chipmunks
Uploaded: 2021-01-19T21:00:06Z
Duration: 4 min 38 s
Description: Three and a half years ago, a man bought a bird feeder and saw his first chipmunk. He named her Stinky.

Three and a half years ago, a man bought a bird feeder and saw his first chipmunk. He named her Stinky. more

He fell for her right away. He spent four to five hours a day with Stinky, and he says she would stare at him with what felt like love. She got him started. Today he feeds 14 chipmunks.

His day begins with a patrol. He walks the property where they all live and makes sure no sneaky hawks or owls are waiting. Then he starts with Squishy, who lives apart from the rest, and works his way around. With 14 to feed, he never stays with one chipmunk too long.

They know their names, and that still amazes him. He calls each one in a high, cartoon-ish voice. Chipmunks live alone and don't want anyone to know where home is, so he sets the food down at least 10 feet from each hole.

Spend that much time with chipmunks, he says, and you see that no two are alike. They come up to him differently and look at him differently. Once the day's feeding is done, he stays to hang out with them. “We’re best friends.”

Even the tails are different. Dinky has a skinny little one. Bob has a bobtail, very short and stubby, so the name fits.

Before winter, chipmunks have to gather food that will last until they wake up. He would give Stinky 2,000 acorns on her own. With 14 chipmunks, that adds up to 28,000 acorns, enough that nobody has to wander hundreds of yards from home to find a meal. This will be their third winter sleep together.

A chipmunk with brown fur and cheek pouches held in a natural outdoor setting with greenery and sunlight filtering through trees. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third. — Three and a half years ago, a man bought a bird feeder and saw his first chipmunk.

With Mushy, it'll soon be four years. “Just want them to have the best life,” he says. He never thought he would end up spending his days with chipmunks. Now he calls it the greatest adventure of his life.