Each year I put out Halloween pumpkins on my open front porch, and each year rats and/or squirrels chew on the them. It's gross to look at and of course, it eventually spoils the pumpkin. I have tried amateur discouragement solutions like sprinkling hot pepper around them and spraying them with hairspray. These haven't been effective.

I like having decorative pumpkins outside. Is there any way I can keep the rodents from nibbling on them? BTW, when I say "cut" pumpkins in the subject line, I mean that they are not on the vine, not that they are carved.

This is in the San Francisco Bay area of California, though I don't see how that would affect the answer :-)

You could also just get so many pumpkins and gourds that the squirrels eating them isn't a big deal, obviously costly. Or since the squirrels are eating your pumpkins because they are hungry you could try feeding them something tastier so they leave your pumpkins alone. I know it sounds horrible to feed a pest but they're clearly eating whatever they want anyway.