EATING MY RIPE TOMATOES ... have a guess?

That's totally the MO for chipmunks in my garden. In really dry years I've had birds peck the tops of tomatoes (higher in the plant) but low plants are always chipmunks.

I hate them!

I've killed several moles and one vole that were doing just this to my tomatoes this year. They seem to prefer the yellow tomatoes as do I. They are after the red ones also. A few mousetraps has stopped it for now. Untill other moles /voles find the garden.

Chipmunks, groundsquirrels, and woodchucks (groundhogs) have done similar damage to our tomatoes. This year I caught 3 and shot 2 woodchucks and we haven't had a problem since.

check around building see if groundhog has burrowed in -we had same thing here till last week when groundhog was terminated.

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If the bite is triangular I would guess a chicken or turtle. My chickens used to love to take one bite out of each tomato and leave the rest. Grrrrr! I started eating lots of Fried Green Tomatos because that was the only way I could get a tomato before the chickens got to it. Little stinkers. I wouldnt mind so much if they ate a whole tomato but to take just one bite out of each!!!! Its like the kid at the party who likes all the frosting off all the cupcakes and leave the rest.

No one has suggested mice. My SIL says mice eat her tomatoes all the time on the vine.

Jenn

Same thing has been happening to mine. I thought it was probably a rabbit since I've seen one sneaking around. Just one side will be eaten or one long bite off one side. It's always on the back side so that you don't see it until you start to pick it. Yuck. It's only the ripe tomatoes, not the green ones, and whatever it is hasn't bothered the red cherry tomatoes or the little yellow pear tomatoes. I'm about to give up and just start picking all the green ones.

I caught a grasshopper eating my cherry toms today. Maybe grasshoppers, and yes you could be infested and still not see them.

I've got the same problem, but my garden is entirely enclosed in netting. Mouse or a rat could get in but not the larger critters. My guess is disease, as only one of the three varietys of tomatoes I planted has this trouble.

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Libertarindependent

I blamed mine on rats, armadillos, or turtles--found a few turtles--but they couldnt possibly eat that many. I had one tomato with a large wedge shaped bite out of it--3 feet in the air!!
Set my live trap--yesterday, I had a large 'possum in it--he wont eat any more--traps reset...

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In my garden this year, the culprit was a SNAPPING turtle; we're within 200 yards of a big lake! Other years, it's been stray dogs, possums, raccoons and squirrels!! ldc