From

Location

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Date Posted

Aldie, VA

Dang it! SOMETHING is eating my leaves and it's not bugs. Huge chunks are gone out of some of them and I'm worried whatever it is will move on to eating my pumpkins. My patch surrounds the back deck, which is raised and I've had problems with pests (rats, skunks) under there before when I was filling the bird feeders up everyday.

Hubby heard a noise outside his office window late last night, he's in the basement right below the area in question. *Something* is out there.

My question: in your experience, which animal is most likely to take huge chunks out of pumpkin leaves? I think skunk, but I have smelled nothing. My dogs are out there a lot and they would have scared it enough to spray.

Ideas?

8/24/2004 10:35:35 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Skunks prefer meat & insects. I'd suspect a rabbit or gopher.

8/24/2004 11:12:48 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I have Rabbits and I have seen a few leaves eaten to just a few veins. Whittle Wasgilly Wabitt Bwuggers.

8/24/2004 11:27:38 PM

Western Pa.

Don't rule out deer! They usually eat the whole leaf and just leave stems standing. Groundhogs usually eat at dawn or dusk. Dogs aren't always deterrent enough! You've got to get out there at night and "identify" the "something"!

8/25/2004 7:07:05 AM

Aldie, VA

DOH! Fergot that skunks were carnivors *blush* They like eggs, too.

So, groundhog or rabbit. Possible groundhog, but I'm thinking rabbit. Every year we have a resident rabbit in our pipestem that goes from house to house. No one usually bothers it. Unless it gets into *our* backyard and the dogs are out. They've caught rabbit before -- ick!

This years rabbit disappeared not too long ago. Hrm, I've seen nothing since. Poser, this is.

Thanks guys!

8/25/2004 9:25:08 AM

Aldie, VA

Deer, nope. No hoofprints and it's only at the back near the deck. If it were deer there would be prints from the fence to the patch and probably some scat.

I can't really get out there at night. Got two kids and I can't just leave them alone in the house. I'll set a large rat-trap and see what happens. We nabbed a skunk in one a couple years ago. If anything it might scare off a large rodent or snap off something that might help me find out what it is.

I noticed this morning that the leaves have been left alone. Wonder if my insecticide spraying made him sick or killed him? I mean, he's eating sprayed leaves so it *could* kill him.

Right?
Roan

8/25/2004 9:29:21 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

I had to surroud my patch with 4 foot chicken wire this year to keep the woodchuck and deer from destroying everything like they did last year.

8/25/2004 10:09:56 AM

Aldie, VA

bohica,

I mind is barred with a 4 foot wire fence, but it's buttressed to the house and deck and only 3 sides of the deck are blocked. Whatever it is is probably going in under the far side of the deck and popping up in the middle of the patch.

I know deer can jump, but we have a 6 foot privacy fence surrounding our property so I kinda doubt it's deer. There's a community open area right behind us, couple of acres of grass, and then the small "forest". I've seen deer further south in the other HOA area -- it's got a LOT more brush and secondary growth than we have around here --across the main thoroughfair, but not this far down.

Hugs,
Roan

8/25/2004 10:18:36 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Try Hot Sauce.

8/25/2004 11:22:00 AM

Whidbey Island

Coyote urine concentrate is used by some, but I haven't a clue where to get any.

8/28/2004 5:59:37 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

My vote is woodchuck....Yikes ! I hate em...

8/31/2004 12:49:59 PM

Aldie, VA

Well, whatever it was seems to be gone. Haven't seen any more eaten leaves of late. Heh.

In my efforts to clean up and organize my disaster of a pumpkin patch, I overlooked the fact that pulled tomatoes, green or otherwise, will rot and ooze. I had put them in those paper lawn bags along with all the other vegetation. Few days later i went to move the bag and the bottom fell out. Oh joy! Little cherry tomatoes all over the place.

Any how, a couple of hours later I went to pick them all out and saw a large field mouse run from the house to the tomato pile, grab a tomato and run back. He did this two more times even though I was only standing a couple of feet away from him. Kinda cute, but he's got to go :)

That's the only mammal I've seen.

Thanks for all the help tho, guys!

Hugs
Roan

8/31/2004 2:04:17 PM

Ljubljana, Slovenia

Do you have a dog?
Mine eats the leaves for better digestion I guess.
Jernej

9/16/2004 3:33:45 AM