Author Topic: Something is Eating Our Coconuts (Read 13931 times)

AEMitchell · « **on:** February 14, 2013, 11:51:06 PM »

My wife and I live in Key Largo Florida. We have several mature coconut trees (not Malayan gold) in front of our house and they produce delicious coconuts. Last week, coconuts started falling from my tree. All of them have holes picked, pecked or poked into their sides. It appears something is drinking the milk and eating the meat. I have searched the web looking for animals that eat coconuts, but found nothing except coconut crabs, which I very much doubt live in the Florida Keys and a controversy involving woodpeckers. We need help identifying what creature is eating our coconuts so we can figure out how to stop it.

Tropicdude · « **Reply #1 on:** February 15, 2013, 12:43:40 AM »

I have seen rats in coconut trees here in the DR.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #2 on:** February 15, 2013, 12:48:52 AM »

Yes it could be rats. The rats we have here don't usually damage coconuts, but in other places it does happen.
http://www.upi.com/Business_News/Security-Industry/2006/05/08/Coconut-eating-rats-plague-Pacific-Island/UPI-78951147104896/

Tropicdude · « **Reply #3 on:** February 15, 2013, 01:28:43 AM »

I was told by locals that rats do make nests up in the trees and have seen em crawling up trunks , but I wasn't sure if they actually eat coconuts, did some looking online, and in read that they are a major problem in Colombia.

not sure if this is your problem in the Keys, but it is one of the possibilities, maybe someone is using your coconuts as targeting practice lol

fruitlovers · « **Reply #4 on:** February 15, 2013, 01:33:27 AM »

Depends on the type of rat and how hungry they are. The ones we have here love to nest up in coconut trees, but never bother trying to gnaw them.

kh0110 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:40:18 AM »

The bark was kind of tore open in order to get to the softer layer, so that wouldn't be rats. Rats don't tear, they chew. I would'nt be surprise if the culprit was a crab.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #6 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:43:32 AM »

Quote from: kh0110 on February 15, 2013, 02:40:18 AM

The bark was kind of tore open in order to get to the softer layer, so that wouldn't be rats. Rats don't tear, they chew. I would'nt be surprise if the culprit was a crab.

Original post says he doesn't think coconut crabs live in Florida keys, so he seemed to rule that out.

kh0110 · « **Reply #7 on:** February 15, 2013, 02:59:38 AM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on February 15, 2013, 02:43:32 AM

Original post says he doesn't think coconut crabs live in Florida keys, so he seemed to rule that out.

The coconut crab that we know of, which looks like a hermit crab, is not the only kind that could go after coconut. I've see "regular" looking red crab that are also amateurs of fresh young coconuts.

In any case, I think we can rule out rodents since they don't tear open but rather chew their way in. Same thing with woodpeckers. They punture their way in rather than tear open the fiber.

fruitlovers · « **Reply #8 on:** February 15, 2013, 03:12:19 AM »

Crabs would have sliced those coconuts completely open. http://www.oceanwideimages.com/images/12430/large/land-crab-24M0444-77D.jpg

fruitlovers · « **Reply #9 on:** February 15, 2013, 03:26:55 AM »

From the book The Coconut Odyssey:

Rats can make fruits fall.
Where common rats are expected
to attack immature fruits, causing
their untimely fall, the manager will
be forced to program more visits to
remove any potentially dangerous
fruit. Rat access can be reduced by
fitting a slippery metal ‘skirt’ around
the trunk, comprising for example
a light gauge (1.2-mm) rectangular
aluminium sheet 700 mm wide and
long enough to wrap fully around
the trunk to be secured with nails
at the overlap. If rats can get access
to the crown from neighbouring
structures or large fruit trees, such as
mango, control will be more difficult.

http://aciar.gov.au/files/node/453/mono101.pdf

fruitlovers · « **Reply #10 on:** February 15, 2013, 03:58:25 AM »

Whether it be rats or crabs, if you apply some metal sheeting around the trunks that should be the end of your problem.

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #11 on:** February 15, 2013, 06:01:43 AM »

Hi,
The only way to stop what ever is going up and damaging your cocos, is by just put something slippery around the trunk...like an aluminum sheet. This will definitely help reduce the loss of cocos

My money is on them coons

fruitlovers · « **Reply #12 on:** February 15, 2013, 05:22:48 PM »

Coons? Racoons eat coconuts? I don't think so.

BENDERSGROVE · « **Reply #13 on:** February 15, 2013, 05:38:30 PM »

I know a year or two ago the upper keys had a problem with those huge Gambian rats that escaped a facility,don't know if they eat coconuts but maybe they adapted and they all havent been caught,might want to check into that,I remember seeing pictures of them they were the size of small cats! nice!

bsbullie · « **Reply #14 on:** February 15, 2013, 09:58:57 PM »

Might want to contact City of Key Largo and Monroe County to see if they could lend any insight. There are enough coconuts within Key Largo and Monroe County as a whole that they may have seen this and know what it is.

nullzero · « **Reply #15 on:** February 15, 2013, 10:13:16 PM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on February 15, 2013, 05:22:48 PM

Coons? Racoons eat coconuts? I don't think so.

Raccoons are an extremely adaptable animal. I would not doubt seeing raccoons seeking coconuts.
coconut enrichment for the raccoons 4-15-2012.

Tropicdude · « **Reply #16 on:** February 15, 2013, 10:32:34 PM »

This is what I thought you were talking about when you mentioned coconut crab, these babies are humongous.

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #17 on:** February 16, 2013, 07:52:51 AM »

Quote from: fruitlovers on February 15, 2013, 05:22:48 PM

Coons? Racoons eat coconuts? I don't think so.

Oscar,
Anything is possible

And, you won't get in the way of a health conscious coon :-)

BENDERSGROVE · « **Reply #18 on:** February 16, 2013, 07:58:12 AM »

Quote from: Tropicdude on February 15, 2013, 10:32:34 PM

This is what I thought you were talking about when you mentioned coconut crab, these babies are humongous.

Holy cow! that ting looks prehistoric!!

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #19 on:** February 16, 2013, 08:02:56 AM »

Quote from: BENDERSGROVE on February 16, 2013, 07:58:12 AM

Quote from: Tropicdude on February 15, 2013, 10:32:34 PM
This is what I thought you were talking about when you mentioned coconut crab, these babies are humongous.

Holy cow! that ting looks prehistoric!!

I hear they are delish too...

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #20 on:** February 16, 2013, 08:06:38 AM »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gyoon20U-E

AEMitchell · « **Reply #21 on:** March 07, 2013, 12:11:23 AM »

Update:
I had a suspicion my tenacious well fed coconut guest was of the black rat variety. Although it had already destroyed about two dozen coconuts I had my doubts it would come down from the tree until it ate or decimated every last one. So I designed and built two platforms and installed them beside the last two remaining coconut clusters. I bungeed a mail box shaped electric rat trap to each platform and baited them with peanut butter mixed with coconut oil. I placed a critter cam on the light pole across from the traps and waited. That night the traps worked perfectly, I caught one very fat well fed male rat. Unfortunately the video camera was angled wrong so I missed documenting the event. One thing for certain, if it taught any of its rat offspring the location of my Coconut tree…. I’ll be ready.

Thank you for all your ideas and suggestions

Mike T · « **Reply #22 on:** March 07, 2013, 12:30:42 AM »

Cultivator White tailed Rats barely reach 1kg so are only the 3rd biggest rat in NQ and way smaller than many around the world like some of the whoppers in NG.They sure do mow through the coconuts and Melomys follow them and clean out the flesh.Coconut crabs have a really limited range in the indo pacific.I bet the Florida one is a rat but maybe not Rattus rattus.Can squirrels do that sort of damage?

fruitlovers · « **Reply #23 on:** March 07, 2013, 04:45:42 AM »

Thanks for posting to tell us the real culprit was a rat. Suggest putting metal collar around your coconut trees before next rat gets to the crown. Here this kind of metal collar is very commonly seen around coconut and avocado trees.

Jackfruitwhisperer69 · « **Reply #24 on:** March 07, 2013, 05:37:20 AM »

I lost the bet

That rat sure got teeth of steal

Rat's here look like rabbits

fruitlovers · « **Reply #25 on:** March 07, 2013, 06:55:04 AM »

Quote from: Jackfruitwhisperer69 on March 07, 2013, 05:37:20 AM

I lost the bet That rat sure got teeth of steal Rat's here look like rabbits

Stephen, i've actually seen a rat trapped behind a galvanized metal roof chew right through the metal. It found a little nail hole and just enlarged it till it could escape!

Tropicdude · « **Reply #26 on:** March 07, 2013, 12:33:14 PM »

Aha ! so it was rats, and you nailed him, good! "that will learn em"

bovine421 · « **Reply #27 on:** October 09, 2022, 08:44:52 PM »

I'm curious is there any issues with squirrels damaging small immature coconuts

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Author Topic: Something is Eating Our Coconuts (Read 13931 times)