Squirrel, chipmunk or rat? What’s digging in your balcony pots

Guide 29 October 2026 · 3 min read

Start with the time of day

Squirrels and chipmunks dig in daylight. Damage that appears overnight points to something else: a raccoon, or a rat. If you can, check the pot in the evening and again first thing in the morning.

Squirrel

The usual suspect on a balcony at any height. Squirrels bury nuts and seeds in loose potting mix and come back to dig them up, so look for small, tidy holes with a nut at the bottom, or plants pulled up and dropped. They often bite off flowers and leave them on the floor.

Chipmunk

Smaller than a squirrel, with five dark stripes down the back and stripes on the sides of the face; the face stripes are what set it apart from a ground squirrel. Chipmunks live in burrows, so they turn up on ground-floor patios and terraces, rarely high up. They eat bulbs and seeds and dig small, neat holes. They don’t hibernate deeply and may come out on warm winter days.

Rat

Rats are mostly active at night. Signs include gnawed pots, bags or plastic, droppings, holes or burrows, and tracks on dusty surfaces. A rat on an upper balcony usually came through the building, so it’s a building problem: photograph what you found and tell your landlord or property management in writing.

Clean up carefully. Health Canada says never to sweep or vacuum dry droppings, because the dust can make you ill. Wear rubber gloves and a mask, dampen droppings with a bleach-and-water solution, wipe them up and wash your hands.

What to do next

• Squirrel or chipmunk: cover the soil with wire mesh or large stones and stop feeding the birds over your pots. Our squirrel guide has the details.
• Overnight mess, no rat signs: likely a raccoon. See how to keep raccoons off your balcony.
• Rat signs: empty the pot of anything edible and report it to the building. Don’t set poison on a balcony pets can reach.

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