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What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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Posted by knightstick Ohio (My Page) on Sat, Aug 30, 08 at 23:19
| I am totally perplexed about a problem I am experiencing with my tomatoes. I have harvested an exceptional crop this year. I have noticed that something has been taking bites on my ripe tomatoes. Upon examination of the damaged veggies, I have discovered teeth marks. The animal will only eat the ripe tomatoes...never the green ones. It has the ability to climb to reach the tomatoes if necessary and knock the plants & stakes down. The animal likes to eat at night also.
Today I was weeding my flower bed, I noticed a hole in the ground behind the plants. The hole is about 4 inches in diameter. There was no dirt to indicate any type of digging. The hole was approximately 3 inches from the foundation of the house (no basement). When I went to the tomato garden, I noticed another hole exactly like the one in the flower bed! I saw rather large paw prints through the garden. The only structure between the two holes is my home. I know tarpens will eat plants but I don't think they live underground. Moles live underground, but I thought they ate grub worms & spent time making tunnels making a mess of the yard! I can't imagine a mole climbing a 6 foot tomato plant to eat a red tomato!
If anyone has any idea what this animal may be, please let me know. I have never experienced anything like this before!
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Follow-Up Postings:
RE: What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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| Hi Knightstick, Welcome to Garden Web, and The Tomato Forum. I'd suggest you asking on the Discussion side of the forum. This side is for (off topic) Conversations, and there haven't been many of those for some time now. The link to Discussions is found at the top and to the right of the list of threads. Sue...an unofficial member of the Unofficial Garden web welcome Wagon |
RE: What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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| My experience has been that squirrels love tomatoes! I wish, though, that they'd not be so wasteful and only take one or two bites out of them. I see several half-eaten tomatoes in our yard each week during the growing season. |
RE: What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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| RATS! I've had the exact same experience. The guy behind me grows avocados and the fruit rats love them. Seems they need a little tomato taste to complete their meal, so they hop over to my side of the fence and eat the bottoms out of the very best tomatoes. The cure? I have a small optical tool -- with cross hairs! I haven't seen one yet that can run faster than 1400 feet per second. That's how fast the little lead thing goes I send their way to chase after them! Of course, the BANG scares off the rest of the crew, so I can only "manage" them one at a time. They're gluttons for punishment though; they keep coming back. |
RE: What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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| The holes sound like Groundhogs/Woodchucks. When thirsty they take 1 bite out of each ripe tomato. Sound right? 1. Put out some water for the chucks.
2. Find a store (HD) that sells the smoke bombs for Woodchuck & other rodents. The hardest part is finding their hole(s), you've done that. Wait til sundown so you know they are in and then cover the holes
1. so the smoke doesn't get out
2. so you know if anything has left the den. fwiw - there is usu. a whole family of these rodents, so getting one really does nothing. |
RE: What animal eats ripe tomatoes?
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| This animal at the end of my arms |
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