Robert, by chance, did you guys have a cicada infestation this year? If so, I wouldn't doubt they had something to do with it..They killed 5 perrenial bushes I had planted outside 8+ yrs..plants are now goners.

Since your tree is large, I doubt it was an animal such as rat, rabbit..squirrels are another thing, they climb and eat foliage/bark..
Are you near a body of water? Could it be beavers..they're quite destructive. What happened to your tree sounds like something they'd do..I've seen trees at the woods devoured by beavers.
When you say the tree is big, how big do you mean? 10', 20', more?
Is it branches that have been gnawed on, or the trunk too?
Have you seen inprovement since starting this thread?
I'd cut the branch that has been eaten from.,..do you have a reliable nursery, a place where ppl can answer your question?
If so, perhaps you can bring the branch in and talk to someone who would know. Actually view the gnawing..
What about leaves? Are they chewed up? If so, totally or did they nibble leaving little holes per leaf? Toni

You sound like you have a nice sweet citrus tree.
I have a 6 foot cherry tree that had full of fruit. I thought the birds are my only enemy and I stopped them by covering the tree with the net but one morning I noticed that there were fruits at the bottom and some falling branches so what I did I dug 4 stakes about 3 feet high around the tree and tied a chicken wire mess about a foot from the trunk and sourround the tree with it. I did not see any more broken limbs after that and I was able to enjoy my cherries till they were riped.

Is it possible that there are fire ants chewing on the tree? that's the only common thing in this area that I know of, that can do such damage. They won't normally work on an otherwise healthy tree, but if the tree has scale insects producing honeydew, or copper deficiency so the bark blisters and oozes sap, then the fire ants just eat the whole thing for lunch.

Jon, it definately sounds like wildlife, not an insect. No insect could do that much damage in a matter of days.
I love animals, so would never hurt one..but for the time being, I'd set out a trap..(not one that will kill whatever is eating your tree, but those that attract, capture, and can be released in a wooded area.
As for your tree, I hope someone can help.
How much bark did it chew off? The outer layer or deeper? Toni

Do you have deer in your area? A guy I work with has a problem with deer eating his orange tree back to just sticks.

ROOF RATS.

Hi Robert. I'm from Punta Gorda, pretty close. (actually just moved to Coral Springs) The roof rats had done the same thing years ago to some of our oranges before Charley blew through. They'll leave behind mostly a whole shell of an orange, completely hollowed out. Set out some traps. We've never encountered them in daily life, but they show up in the traps in the mmorning. They are most likely chewing/gnawing on the wood too.
-JM

Here's a link to everything you need to know..
Controlling Roof Rats in Fruit Trees

Here is a link that might be useful: Controlling Roof Rats in Fruit Trees

I disagree with hopeful. It sure sounds like rats to me. They love citrus. I had an infestation one year and they ate fruit and once the fruit ran out, they started gnawing the bark. The remedy? cats! Not a one to be found now. ::smiles his evil maniacal cat-got-the-rat grin:: heheeee
goooood kitty.
Apply some fresh aloe to the exposed wood and the edges of the bark that have been damaged. Quickly, while the aloe is still wet, dust some cyanne chilly power on it. The aloe will help the tree heal and the chilly will deter the rats (or what ever is chewing on them)

Bark is being chewed off the mostly horizontal branches of my prize Satsuma tangerine tree. I live in the Houston area. I suspect possoms since we seem to have a plague of them invading garage, attic and yard. There are cats around so I don't think it is rats. I don't want to lose the tree so I searched the net and found a product called JB NO CHEW. You can get it in a spray can and it not only protects the tree but helps heal it as well. I am going to try some for $19. I hope this helps other citrus lovers out there.

My trees are in Angleton and possoms are a pest this time of the year. They mostly eat soft fallen citrus, but when really hungry will take low hanging fruit. Use a raccon size live trap from Home Depot or similar Big Box Store.
Bait it w/ ripe banana. They are usually easy to trap. If they still get the fruit and avoid the trap, get some 1 in. chicken wire and some 3-4 ft stakes and encircle the tree and set the trap along side the wire. My brother caught 17 in 17 nights!

Stone fruit and persimmons loss with small limb breakage can be either possoms or raccons. Bait for raccons w/sardines. Some say marshmellows work. Sardines will catch a cat but it won't return. Use a smaller trap for squirrels and sunflower seed or pecans for bait. There are some tricks to catching squirrels that trip a trap and escape.

Fruit hollowed out is most likely rats. As is small teeth marks in bark. But dont rule out squirrels. Squirrels chew bark from pecans and oaks in my yard but The only citrus damage I have actually witnessed was them digging up small trees in pots and eating the roots beginning about now.

Pretty sure it's roof rats. I came to this site in summer to find out what was eating the peel from my Meyer lemons; concensus seemed to be roof rats. (And there's rat poop around to substantiate that.) Now that all the fruit is gone, suddenly - and I mean, SUDDENLY - I noticed that several branches up in the tree appeared to have been painted. Upon closer examination, they're stripped! You can see in the picture how precisely they're doing it - shoot, I couldn't draw a line that straight! There is a flush of tender new growth just starting to appear on some branches, but they're not touching that - just the bark on older, nude branches. Going to OSH right now for some 33 gallon trash cans to make humane traps! (Oats and peanut butter in the bottom of the cans; put them near a table or something they can climb to get in; supposedly they'll jump in for the treat, but be unable to get out. Not sure I believe they can't jump that high... but I've used a similar trap to catch-and-release mice, and it worked great.)

The picture posted was the exact problem I had. Whatever was eating the tree barked caused too much stress on the tree and it took two seasons but it has died. The bark started to peel off the tree and it seemed to die in sections. Now there is just a mess of peeling bark and dead or near dead branches. What can you do, can't cry about it. Everything is impermanent and we all will die. Enjoy it ALL while we can- Peace!

Hi
I am having problems with SQUIRRELS, raccoons, SQUIRRELS, possums, SQUIRRELS, ground hogs, and, SQUIRRELS. Could any one of you southerners send me up one of them Burmese pythons. I can give it a very nice home with LOTS of food

Thanks Steve

Yep This guy eats about 2 to 5 bushels of my fruit

I just had a groundhog eat my Meyer lemon tree!! It was only about a 2-3 foot tree, but it was beautiful and growing fast. In addition to my tomatoes it ate the ENTIRE TREE!!! It was chewed right down to about 6 inches above the soil. The stock the leaves everything devoured!

Matthew

I am sadden to hear such bad news. Unfortunately I too have a groundhog, but I have a Havahart trap, compost pile, and a 55 gallon barrel fulllllll of water.

Matthew, how long did it take for the animal to destroy your tree? I am just trying to picture the whole event. It is terrible, so sad to hear that!

That seems like deer’s work. It they partially chew cambion layer, plantings can survive. If they chew all around, your plant/tree dies!

Well, Robert... if you had posted a picture, you would have gotten to a good answer a helluva lot sooner

Matthew, that has to be so frustrating. I am sorry man. What will you do to protect another one if you decide to replace it? I can't even believe that they would even like the taste of something sour. Crazy.

Where do you live that a ground hog would come around like that? You caught the bugger doing it?

Mike

Had a small dwarf grapefruit tree growing and put a wire cylinder basket, 2 1/4 inch square openings over it because I saw birds eating the leaves. This morning all the leaves and branches except one was left on the top of the tree. What could have gotten to it? Is there something I could spray on the tree to detract this?

My lime tree has bare patches on branches where bark has

Been eaten away and leaves are dying please advise I am too old to help it myself but who should I call to have a

Now that it's getting colder, mice will look for anything they can eat, including tree roots and bark. I lost a 20 year old grape vine a few years ago when they ate all the roots off just at the soil level during a prolonged cold snap. Killed the grape vine just as if I had taken an axe to shear it off at its trunk base.