I don't know about critters like rabbit or groundhog. But deer love hot pepper.

George
Tahlequah, OK

I sure hope it works, and keeps your next cantaloupe from looking like this one ended up.

{{gwi:1132382}}

I was so hungry for cantaloupe that I actually considerd cutting off the chewed-on bits and eating the rest.

Been there, done that... usually cut off a bit more than what was chewed on.

:)

Mom

Lots of animals do like the pepper. If it is squirrels that are eating your melons, the pepper usually repels them. I don't know of many other critters it really repels though. If they are hungry enough or thirsty enough, the pepper won't work on them either. Animals will tolerate pepper on desirable food if they are really hungry or really thirsty. Birds cannot even taste the capsaicin, so if it was birds pecking at the melons, it wouldn't stop them either.

To save your melon, you could try slipping a knee-high stocking around it and tying it closed with a twist-tie. The stocking will enlarge as the melon enlarges, so it doesn't impede the growth of the fruit. Some smaller animals are deterred by the stocking. Some bigger ones aren't.

Dawn

I'm pretty sure it wasn't birds or squirrels....the gashes looked too big. The pic my mom posted in here is of my cantaloupe.

I don't have knee highs....I'll have to go shopping for some. Any color recommendations? :)

Maybe turtles got them.
Last year I had pretty hard gourds and they were tore up.
Just a thought.
Tree

Many years ago my ex-SO grew cantaloupe. They grew to a decent, harvest size only to be plundered by possums. EVERY melon got chomped on to some degree.