What kind of animal nibbles on a tomato plant?
 

Something has been nibbling on one of my tomato plants. I'm quite confident that it isn't an insect. It has to be an animal. I would guess a rabbit, although I thought rabbits didn't eat tomato plants. I'm about ready to bust out the old sling shot and kill some rabbits. They make for pretty decent stew.

I went out one day and noticed one of the biggest leaves had been removed. About three days later the leaf on the opposite side had also been removed. Is it a rabbit or something else?:|

Oh yeah, and I put some blood meal around the plant. Hopefully that will deter the rabbit or whatever...or not.

Deer nibble on fresh transplants. They've also yanked them out of the ground and thrown them around.

Never seen rabbits eat tomato plants...yet...

However, one year about 3 days after I plants about two dozen mater plants...I went to look... nothing but 4 inch green sticks left. :x :x :x

Later I saw the culprit...
Groundhog!!!!!

Got some rabbit fencing...no more problem from him.

I really don't think it is a deer. It was nibbled on really close to the ground, and I don't think we have groundhogs around here. And presumably a deer or a groundhog would have eaten the whole plant or most of it. I'm baffled. I will probably take it out on the rabbits if I get a chance. I'm not kidding either. I will eat them and put their decapitated heads near my plants so their homies get the message. You know, "This is a message from Don Corleone" style.

Could it be a rat, a mouse or a vole?

I had a field mouse nibble on mine in my shed -

~ Tom

I hadn't though about mice and rats. That's a definite possibility. I'm not going to eat any rats.

[quote=organichris;98249]I hadn't though about mice and rats. That's a definite possibility. I'm not going to eat any rats.[/quote]

You just eat mice? How do you like them? Do you grill them whole, like rotisserie chicken?:lol:;)

Well, I have eaten squirrel. That's the closest thing to a rat or a mouse I would even think about eating. Besides, mice don't have enough meat on them.

Mice, Rats, Squirrels, Rabbets, Beavers, Ground Hogs and many other critters are all part of the rodent family.
If they don't chew on something there teeth will continue to grow.

Some such as the Rabbet chew a cud like a cow.

As far as I'm concerned they are all tasty if you go without food for about 3 days.;)
I had rather eat a big rat than eat a nasty old alligator./puke

Worth

Not much meat, but it sure is tender!

Squirrel is a fine tasting critter. Don't cook it where it will dry out, as then you might as well eat a shoe. What about pill or sow bugs aka rollie-pollie bugs? They sometimes try to eat the lower leaves near the ground. I just break those off, and they stop, as they can't reach the others.

If you have these, take some crushed red pepper and make a ring around the plant. I did this to my squash this year and haven't had a problem.

The reason I don't think its a deer is because with the way the cage is situated it would be really hard for a deer to have gotten access where the leaf was removed. Plus I would have seen deer tracks. I'm thinking it was a mouse or a rat. If so that blood meal will probably only attract them.

And yes, as creister said, squirrel is a fine tasting critter. They taste best when fried.

Actually, Rabbits are Lagomorph's, that is the have to eat, crap, then eat the crap to get all of the nutrition from the forage. They are almost as good to eat as a squirrel. Squirrel and dumplings, or we always browned them, then simmered in garlic, onioins, white wine, and salt and pepper until it falls off the bone. Make gravey from wine mixture, mashed potatoes and salad.

In 1992, rabbits ate my starts down to little stumps.

Happened to be the 1st year I planted my own indoors and the "Summer Without a Summer" when we had cold breezes from Saginaw Bay all the time and gardens didn't grow much.

Mount Pinatubo had erupted the previous year and spewed lots of particles in the atmosphere.

I put up chicken wire but the tomato plants just didn't recover. I was able to finish off a few peppers in the house.

[quote=organichris;98251]Well, I have eaten squirrel. That's the closest thing to a rat or a mouse I would even think about eating. Besides, mice don't have enough meat on them.[/quote]

What do you mean, they don't have enough meat on them. Chicken wings don't have enough meat on them and restaurants have made a bizillion dollars on Buffalo Wings.:)


Is this too high for cutworms to have gotten to them?

How about a blue jay or crow? They pull out onions and young corn plants. Several years ago my cuke leaves disappeared - just the stems were left on the trellis. netted loosely more missing - finally - of all creatures - it was a cardinal lining a nest - caught in the act. And Kitty Girl almost ate my seedlings several seasons ago. Piegirl

I don't like crow pie, magpie pie maybe.

I don't think it was a bird or a cutworm. Opossum maybe? Either way the plant has bounced back nicely especially after the addition of blood meal and a good rain.