Will rats attack dragon fruit?

[kangtt]

Hi,
So we bought this abandoned house near the stream.  The neighbor said
giant rats would come up and eat all the avocados on his tree. I was
thinking of growing dragon fruit on the fence since I don't think rats would
like the taste of dragon fruit but I really don't know.  Does anyone have first
hand experience with this?  Do you know what fruits rats don't like and would
leave alone. Thanks.

[Dangermouse01]

My DF are not growing on the fence, but on trellises about 4 feet away from the fence.
I will find fruit on the plant that has been eaten into from the side closest to the branch. Nothing noticeable until you move the branch and get a cloud of fruit flies lifting off.
I suspect rats climbing along the branch and eating into the fruit.
Maybe a possum.
Squirrels are pretty much kept in check at my place.
Raccoons would tear the fruit down and drag it off.

[Cookie Monster]

Same experience at my place. I suspected either rat or squirrel.

My DF are not growing on the fence, but on trellises about 4 feet away from the fence.
I will find fruit on the plant that has been eaten into from the side closest to the branch. Nothing noticeable until you move the branch and get a cloud of fruit flies lifting off.
I suspect rats climbing along the branch and eating into the fruit.
Maybe a possum.
Squirrels are pretty much kept in check at my place.
Raccoons would tear the fruit down and drag it off.

[hrnsyrk]

Sure , rats and mouses. They mostly empty the fruit from 1 spot and leave you only the shell.

[spaugh]

They chew on the bottoms of my vines too. 

[Fiddler]

Last year I watched a red-bellied woodpecker poke holes in the dragonfruit, and once the woodpecker made the hole and ate its fill, a mockingbird would come along and finish it off.
     This year, I'm going to stretch some maggot barriers over the fruit and see if that deters the birds.

[simon_grow]

Rats will definitely eat up ripe fruit.

Simon

[waxy]

Sure , rats and mouses. They mostly empty the fruit from 1 spot and leave you only the shell.

Agreed, they ate 6 of my dragon fruits leaving only the outer shell.
They ate it from the backside, so when it turned read for me to harvest I only received a 2" hole with an empty shell.

- Papaya
- Dragon Fruit
- Sweet Citrus

[Coach62]

I have a formerly ferral cat that is mostly outdoors and goes a long way towards keeping the rodent,population in check. Also bunnies. She doesn't even use the litter box. She goes outside.

[bbudd]

Defiantly
Rats - squirrels - numerous birds
There all there helping harvest the ripe dragonfruit
Our solution is just grow extra - lol

[waxy]

Growing extra means a larger rodent population.
The only solution is extermination.

I have 6 massive clusters of dragon fruit and growing extra makes it worse without rodent control.

[Kada]

Here too they are the majorRpest of commercial growers.  Rodents, birds and snails in that order.  Here they are always bagged which stops snails, majority of birds and a good 90% of rodent attacks.