First Time my fruit has ever been eaten by something out there

[bsbullie]

ok, I will fess up...since I was cheated out of one of your previous pineapples I had to take matters into my own hands 

[fruitlovers]

My husband swear its squirrels:  -we have huge families of them- they are ornery : they will run in the street and stop right in the middle- defiant and daring y one to run them over.

Very easy to tell apart from size of tooth marks left on the fruit. I guessed rat because your pineapple looks very small. It looks like the culprit had to completely crawl inside the fruit to chew back part of the core.

[BMc]

Looks like the work of rodents... But could be fruit bats as well. Keep an eye on other ripening fruit. Fruit bats love papayas and fruit that are higher up. Rodents will consume low lying or mostly ground level stuff... I'm leaning toward rodents on this one but if there aren't any other fruit ripening at the moment in the yard I wouldn't discard fruit bats.

Fruit bats dont often take pineapples, too close to the ground. They'll stay up in the trees and away from the dogs, cats, humans and reptiles unless they are starving. They also generally make a terrible mess. The one thing that does lure them low is over ripe Jaboticaba - they just cant hwelp themselves and will climb down from the top of the tree to the ground for the sickly sweet smelling ones. Tree rats are usually to blame for this sort of damage. I've seen them eat themselves temporary accommodation in Papaya.

[GwenninPR]

Doesn't bode well for future fruit...once they know a source for a yummy treat, they will return.

[BluePalm]

I'll put my $ on raccoons and/or opossums.  In 4-5 years of growing pineapples here, I have harvested TWO out of approximately 60 fruit. Last year I had 16 pineapples eaten in 1 night...and they were still green!!! Starting last year I started baiting a Hav a hart trap with pineapple slices and I caught 2 opossums and 2 racoons. The pineapple decimation stopped...until 3 nights ago when 2 almost ripe ones were eaten clean.

[natsgarden123]

ok, I will fess up...since I was cheated out of one of your previous pineapples I had to take matters into my own hands 

That was your pineapple!!

( ps - the 2 that I picked were grown in a different part of my yard without any sun-amazing that they grew at all, and they tasted BAD - both were thrown out.)

[Tropicdude]

I believe this was done by the dreaded "Chupapiña" lesser known relative of the Chupacabra.   

[natsgarden123]

I'll put my $ on raccoons and/or opossums.  In 4-5 years of growing pineapples here, I have harvested TWO out of approximately 60 fruit. Last year I had 16 pineapples eaten in 1 night...and they were still green!!! Starting last year I started baiting a Hav a hart trap with pineapple slices and I caught 2 opossums and 2 racoons. The pineapple decimation stopped...until 3 nights ago when 2 almost ripe ones were eaten clean.

Raccoons ( the size of large dogs- yeah, huge), possums are everywhere....  How close to the pineapples did you put the Hav a hart thing?

[natsgarden123]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dewitt-0-25-Bird-Barricade-Deluxe-Netting-/110932972956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d41ed59c#ht_1700wt_1006

[BluePalm]

I put the Hav a hart trap in the pineapple patch.

[Mr. Clean]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dewitt-0-25-Bird-Barricade-Deluxe-Netting-/110932972956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d41ed59c#ht_1700wt_1006

I think a racoon or squirrel could chew through that netting.

[fruitlovers]

Netting only good for birds. Any critter with teeth can easily get in. Even the birds sometimes get through it. I saw one cardinal slip under it. Big mistake as my cat was also watching and she went in and had a nice meal before i could intervene.
I find netting to be a big pain the you know what. You have to remove it anytime you want to get in or to do any weeding. Also the vines here think you've set up a perfect espalier for them.

[phantomcrab]

Also the vines here think you've set up a perfect espalier for them.

How true this is.

[Mr. Clean]

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[natsgarden123]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dewitt-0-25-Bird-Barricade-Deluxe-Netting-/110932972956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d41ed59c#ht_1700wt_1006

Natalie,

I understand your frustration.  You might look into traps that can catch squirrels, rats, possoms, and racoons.

What happens to the animal which are trapped?  I don't have the heart to do it... I'm going to think about caging in my pineapples...if I can get my husband to build one for me

[Mr. Clean]

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[zands]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dewitt-0-25-Bird-Barricade-Deluxe-Netting-/110932972956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d41ed59c#ht_1700wt_1006

Natalie,

I understand your frustration.  You might look into traps that can catch squirrels, rats, possoms, and racoons.

What happens to the animal which are trapped?  I don't have the heart to do it... I'm going to think about caging in my pineapples...if I can get my husband to build one for me

You drown the rats and squirrels. They are rodents..... I have no problem doing this.The possums are cute marsupials so they get relocated. Possums are less abundant here but rats and squirrels have too much food so multiply quickly

[natsgarden123]

any thoughts on this?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dewitt-0-25-Bird-Barricade-Deluxe-Netting-/110932972956?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item19d41ed59c#ht_1700wt_1006

Natalie,

I understand your frustration.  You might look into traps that can catch squirrels, rats, possoms, and racoons.

What happens to the animal which are trapped?  I don't have the heart to do it... I'm going to think about caging in my pineapples...if I can get my husband to build one for me

You drown the rats and squirrels. They are rodents..... I have no problem doing this.The possums are cute marsupials so they get relocated. Possums are less abundant here but rats and squirrels have too much food so multiply quickly

DROWN the squirrels? ?    What happens to the raccoons, dare I ask...

As far as the cage-it would be for the entire pineapple patch- worth a lot more than $3 since you cant buy these incredibly delicious fruit 

[phantomcrab]

I've never tried this but it sure looks good and seems easy to make. This was posted on the forum previously but I can't find it now.
http://www.sarasotafruitandnutsociety.org/information/edlincages.htm
 

[natsgarden123]

I've never tried this but it sure looks good and seems easy to make. This was posted on the forum previously but I can't find it now.
http://www.sarasotafruitandnutsociety.org/information/edlincages.htm
 

Thanks-Im going to try this..look easy enough...

I love the other suggestion! Or, get a recipe for honey-roasted squirrels stuffed with macadamia nuts.

[Mr. Clean]

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