Author Topic: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?  (Read 7956 times)

barath

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Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« on: September 25, 2018, 10:49:28 AM »
Anyone have any suggestions of what fruit trees rodents (rats / squirrels) will leave alone?  I'm guessing there aren't many, but I'm curious if there's anything other than various cactus fruit or something like that.

Jct

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #1 on: September 25, 2018, 10:58:51 AM »
I do not believe that they will bother citrus.  Could be wrong.
LaVerne Manila Mango; Pixie Crunch, Honeycrisp & Gala Apple Trees; Violette De Bordeaux & Black Mission Fig; Santa Rosa Plum & Snow Queen Nectarine; Nagami Kumquat, Pixie Tangerine, Lemon, Australian Finger Lime & Washington Navel Citrus; White & Red Dragon Fruit; Miracle Berry Plant

spaugh

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #2 on: September 25, 2018, 11:17:05 AM »
If you want to be proactive and trap rats and squirrels you probably wont have much issues.  Birds seem to get way more fruit than rodents.
Brad Spaugh

raimeiken

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #3 on: September 25, 2018, 11:18:53 AM »
I do not believe that they will bother citrus.  Could be wrong.

oh they do, they very well do. Roof rats are known to eat ripe citrus fruits here in Arizona. That's why people are advised to remove all ripe fruit from their trees to not attract more rats in the neighborhood.

forumfool

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #4 on: September 25, 2018, 11:33:49 AM »
Yes rats and squirrels loved my navel orange tree they left highly acidic fruit like lemon and kumquat alone.

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #5 on: September 25, 2018, 11:36:08 AM »
Roof rats (tree rats, Rattus rattus) leave just a simple shell (peel) of citrus after consuming the fruit interior.  Many think snails did that. The little incisor marks are usually left. On the contrary, with lemons the peel is eaten leaving the bare naked fruit hanging.  They will also eat the bark girdling the limb.  I get one or two tree rats a week in my macadamia trees with suspended rat traps enclosed with wire to keep out birds.  They have on occasion eaten citrus, avocado, plums, walnuts, etc.  Their favorite here is macadamia.

Yorgos

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2018, 02:03:42 PM »
Squirrels eat just about everything except my citrus (grapefruits, lemons, oranges, mandarins are ignored).  One winter 4 or 5 years ago they ravaged my meiwa kumquat tree but that has not been repeated since (that was a low production year for my pecans, and acorns, so they must have gotten desperate).  Curiously they left my carambola alone (it froze last year so I don't have it anymore) and it was very productive.  Squirrels will eat my peaches, persimmons and pomegranates when they are still small and hard. They are murder on my figs and clean up what the birds leave. 

Best option is to trap, shoot or poison but poison has collateral damage I do not like to consider.   
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spaugh

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #7 on: September 25, 2018, 02:34:23 PM »
+1 on shooting squirrels.  No mercy. 

These little turds will ruin young trees also.


Brad Spaugh

Samu

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #8 on: September 25, 2018, 03:04:48 PM »
Here is what I use, if triggered, no mercy to the squirrels or rats:


Sam

barath

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #9 on: September 25, 2018, 03:07:56 PM »
Thanks everyone.  I agree that getting rid of them / keeping them away from tree is the way to keep the most fruit.  I'm partly asking for situations of public plantings where there's no way I will be able to keep them away -- my hope was there are some fruits that they leave alone.

zephian

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #10 on: September 25, 2018, 05:36:09 PM »
My citrus trees are not affected. Rats and squirrels seem to prefer my persimmon trees, zucchinis and tomatoes. also any melon... I haven't had luck this season with anything but pumpkins and peppers thanks to the rats in my area. (I live near the river and tree orchards)
-Kris

AndrewAZ

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #11 on: September 26, 2018, 12:28:30 AM »
Roof rats love key limes.   My mother had to cut her tree down. We were absolutely inundated with roof rats in my townhouse community in Scottsdale. I even saw them crossing on top of the red lights to go from community to community.  One winter, I killed over 100 with rat traps and peanut butter.
Finally, this year it is under control.  The remedy?  Feral cats moved in, ate them all and left.  From my experience, if you have roof rats, that is the only way to get rid of them!!

BrianL

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #12 on: September 26, 2018, 04:26:31 AM »
They don't eat ginkgo fruits. ;)

Ulfr

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #13 on: September 26, 2018, 05:07:17 AM »
Do they eat macadamia? I know rats don’t really but no squirrels here. I imagine they would have a go.

zephian

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #14 on: September 26, 2018, 11:02:51 AM »
The darn things love my bay tree now too. saw 4 of them in it last night :/
Time for some mass 'removal' anyone have tips for catching large quantities fast? live or dead... I don't really care just fastest removal method besides poison.
-Kris

Samu

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #15 on: September 26, 2018, 12:02:54 PM »
The darn things love my bay tree now too. saw 4 of them in it last night :/
Time for some mass 'removal' anyone have tips for catching large quantities fast? live or dead... I don't really care just fastest removal method besides poison.

You may want to try with this for "Mass removal"...:

Sam

barath

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #16 on: September 26, 2018, 12:03:17 PM »
Do they eat macadamia? I know rats don’t really but no squirrels here. I imagine they would have a go.

Yeah, they love macadamia here.

spaugh

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #17 on: September 26, 2018, 12:59:24 PM »
The darn things love my bay tree now too. saw 4 of them in it last night :/
Time for some mass 'removal' anyone have tips for catching large quantities fast? live or dead... I don't really care just fastest removal method besides poison.

For rats, just buy some of the rat sized snap traps.  Put out 5 or 10 a night with peanut butter.  You will catch a lot of rats.  After a few days you will.catch less and less until no more for a while. 
Brad Spaugh

zephian

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #18 on: September 26, 2018, 01:06:51 PM »
I currently have one of the tomcat rat snap traps (https://www.amazon.com/Tomcat-0361710-Rat-Snap-Trap/dp/B012RGM7BO/ref=dp_ob_title_garden) and it works great with peanut butter 8/10 times. occasionally a rat will get its front legs stuck and I find my trap moved with a live rat in the morning. I let my cat in my garden a couple of weeks ago and he found a nest under some pumpkins and had a fun time.

was that a squirrelnator? those are too pricey for a cheap guy like me.
-Kris

Jack, Nipomo

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #19 on: September 26, 2018, 03:33:59 PM »
I tried the Tomcat rat traps, but they deteriorate in the sun outside and the spring simply collapses the trap.  I have had success with Victor traps, but after a few years in the weather they too deteriorate and rust and become ineffective.  I did find all metal traps on Amazon and they work well and even have a safety catch to release when trap is in location.  The arboreal rats (Rattus rattus) here never go on the ground, but travel from tree to tree.  Nests are also in the trees and in ivy covered fences.  Called "attic and palm rats" too, that is their preferred location.  I won't use poison as I leave the dead rats in a specific location and they are eaten overnight by our possums and raccoons.  One year I buried over 100 rats until I discovered the helpful night creatures would take care of it.  The only bait that works for me is a cracked macadamia nut.  I have set up bait stations like you do with ground squirrels and rarely is any other bait eaten other than macadamias.  As long as the neighbors are raising tree rats, they come over to feast on the macadamias.  I am running 16-18 traps in the trees every night, getting about a rat a week.

raimeiken

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #20 on: September 27, 2018, 08:55:38 AM »
peanut butter works best for baiting, but hate it when ants get to it before the rats do.

Empoweredandfree

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #21 on: September 27, 2018, 05:35:20 PM »
Every herbivore or omnivore loves fruit. I don't grow fruit for my survival so I live and let live...anything i get is strictly a bonus. I won't kill, trap or relocate anything. Most of the times I don't get fruit due to my own mistakes more so than other creatures!

zephian

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #22 on: September 28, 2018, 10:05:52 AM »
I ripped out a bunch of my tomatoes that I failed to stake up in time and were taking over the garden and found 3 rats nests! Haha! Be gone suckers!
too bad they were all empty... I may have already got the inhabitants... :P
-Kris

Guanabanus

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #23 on: September 28, 2018, 12:12:17 PM »
What rats or birds will eat depends partly on what they have observed being eaten, and is much influenced by current convenient availability of what they already know of as food.

For several years my Carambolas were not bothered, while other fruits and veggies were heavily consummed.  Then birds discovered Carambola pulp, and rodents discovered Carambola seeds.
Har

Yorgos

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Re: Fruits that rodents (rats / squirrels) won't eat?
« Reply #24 on: October 05, 2018, 02:55:44 PM »
Roof rats love key limes.   My mother had to cut her tree down. We were absolutely inundated with roof rats in my townhouse community in Scottsdale. I even saw them crossing on top of the red lights to go from community to community.  One winter, I killed over 100 with rat traps and peanut butter.
Finally, this year it is under control.  The remedy?  Feral cats moved in, ate them all and left.  From my experience, if you have roof rats, that is the only way to get rid of them!!
Empirical and video evidence indicate shows that cats rarely wil attack an adult rat.  An adult rat is too aggressive and will put up a fight the cat would rather avoid.  There are videos that show rats and cats ignoring each other as they both go thru trash looking for food and of rats running past a cat as if the cat was not there.  Cats will decimate the bird, lizard, frog, vole and mouse populations though.
 
What rats are to fruit growers cats are to the environment.
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