Something is taking apart our eggplants! (And, I will still use the phrase "watch garden" :) )
Walked out to "watch garden"[1] and discovered the eggplants are all being molested! The other plants seem okay, so it's hopefully not the neighbors' kids, and is a critter that particularly likes eggplant leaves. And tops. And stems. The poor thing, see the pictures.
I just spent some time researching motion-activated cameras, have-a-heart traps, and gloves and here's what I'm planning to purchase. We're pretty sure it's a raccoon or other mammal; slugs or insects wouldn't tear the tops off!
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0722L5TDF - camera
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004RAMT - trap
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N01M6LC - gloves
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014EYV66O - better camera
Please let me know if you have better ideas for resolution of this annoyance. Thanks! :)
[1] -- I've been listening to a lot of Jonathan Coulton recently; the wife and I bought a Bluetooth device for the car to play over the FM radio, and loaded up our phones with his catalog when we went away recently. In his song "Millionaire Girlfriend", he has the lines:
She's a stolen secret from a pirate's chest
I will wear an ascot and a suit that has a vest
And I will put it on as I watch gardener mow the lawn, Mmmmm
Huh! Note that I copied the lyrics from his site, and he knows what he wrote. :) Guess I've been hearing it wrong all these years! I thought it was "as I watch garden, and mow the lawn" and I thought it was a really neat turn of phrase, "watch garden", a behavior that is both passive (sitting back and watching) as well as active (removing pests, pruning, etc). Just now when I wanted to show the link for all y'all, it turns out there's no link, there's no catchy phrase, and I'm weird. :) Makes a lot more sense with "gardener" though, as the song is about the trappings of wealth. Perhaps I'll name the critter I catch "Wealth." :)
I think you are right about the possibility of a racoon maybe an opossum, live trap should do the trick.
Thanks! We found rabbit poop out there on the shade cloth, so we're pretty sure we know the culprit. Have seen them running through the yard as well. Got 8 rat traps today (before we saw the poop), and will load them with carrots and peanut butter (as there might be mice and rats out there as well). Wish us luck! :)
Only pests I am combating are feral cats, they like to climb my tomatoes and grape arbor. Tooth picks around the plants has stopped them from digging.
I find it amusing that @bchick recommended I get some feral cats, and they're what's harming your property.
I am sincerely hoping that the neighbor's cats can't jump over the fence. I want to find rabbits, mice, or rats tomorrow -- not cats. And especially, not find missing traps, which might indicate that the cats have triggered one with a paw and then hobbled home on three... :(
I have a small rat terrier she handles most vermin for me. They are great farm companion dogs. She also herds the chickens for me. That would be bad getting a neighbors cats.
One trap was triggered this morning, but nothing was in it. Plants looked the same, so perhaps the noise of it snapping scared them away. I'm okay if they live, just as long as they're not destroying my plants!
I do not like to kill any animal either, hopefully the noise was enough of a warning.
Agreed! I also put the have-a-heart trap out there yesterday, as it had arrived. Nothing triggered this morning, although two of the carrots on the rat traps were missing...
Also lots of bird poop on the plants in cages, I think they're sitting up there to scan for grubs. Perhaps I'll put a fake owl out there as well.