Squirrels are taking a single bite out of every vegetable in my garden, except for my tomatoes. How can I deter them? Fully enclosing my garden isn’t an easy option.
I’m considering live trapping and relocating them or using kill traps (I’ll check my state laws first). I don’t like the idea of killing them, but I’m running out of patience. I have a small game license, so I believe I can “hunt” them as well.
Does anyone have other ideas? Also, if a squirrel takes a bite out of a cucumber, is it safe to cut out the bitten part, wash it, and eat it raw? Can they spread diseases this way?
I had the same problem a few years ago with so many squirrels. They took bites out of everything I grew, dug up my flowers, elephant ear bulbs, and herbs. They even chewed through the wire harness in my car, costing me $750 to replace! I was ready to kill them.
The next spring, I had an idea to turn an old wash basin into a fountain for the birds and started feeding them. I quickly realized the squirrels were eating the bird food and drinking from the fountain. That year, they left my garden and plants alone. Now, I put out the fountain every year, and the squirrels come to my door for peanuts. My neighbor asked why the squirrels weren’t bothering my plants, and I told him I feed and water them! Now, I just find peanut plants growing everywhere, lol.
Exactly, I’ve always heard that if they just take a bite and leave, they’re probably looking for water.
I solved my squirrel problem by putting out water too. I always had a birdbath, but now I leave out a big stainless steel bowl.
Now, I have a raccoon problem, haha. They started coming for the water, found the fruit and veggie scraps in the compost, and decided to visit every night. If the compost pile isn’t good enough, they steal veggies. I also had to start bringing in my bird feeders at night because they would empty them.
I live in the country with lots of wildlife, so this might not be a city problem.
I’ll give this a try. Do you have any specifications for the water bin? I assume it shouldn’t be too deep, right?
I’ve seen many people solve this problem by putting out water! I do the same, and I’ve only had one tomato with a bite taken out before they decided they didn’t like it. Nothing since.
That didn’t work in my yard. The squirrels and chipmunks still take bites out of everything.