What is eating our Ripened Tomatoes?

Question

We have a fence around the plants. It took one Chunk out of the ripened tomato. What animal did this and how can i prevent this.

Answer 1

there is alot of things that eat tomatoes,,for starters my dog will eat everyone he sees thats red, birds,rabbits,racoons,ground hogs,bugs,put pie pans in the garden hang them by a stick or something.or go to the dollar store and buy some twirlly things any thing that will move in the wind and make nose will scare them off

Answer 2

There are so many possibilities, depending on what kind of critters are in your area. I personally have had experience with groundhogs, raccoons, different wild birds, and a neighbor's "free range chickens" eating my tomatoes. I always wished I could come to some arrangement, like you can have 10% of the tomatoes - just don't take one bite out of every tomato! But no luck on that score....
Assuming your tomato plants are staked or in cages, try putting some bird netting (available in garden supply stores) around each one. You can also try encasing individual tomatoes into the mesh bags that onions and other produce sometimes are packaged in at the grocery store. The critters have an uncanny ability to choose the ripest tomato, so you can wait until the tomato begins to color up to do that.

Answer 3

Squirls, or birds especially if it is dry where you live. Pick the tomatoes before they ripen all the way. I have a friend who puts red Christmas balls on her plants to fool them and it works.

Answer 4

I HATE MEESES TO PIECES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You are probably to young to remember that cartoon!
But the same applies, I have lived through DROUGHT!
When the local world is really dry and barren, MICE, maybe chipmunks and a few birds,++++%^&$#&* Squirrels will use tomatoes as a canteen full of water!
I guess I really cannot blame them even if they did ruin not only my tomato crop but my cactus garden!

Answer 5

Turtles love tomatoes, Iv'e had that problem and they seem to get the ones that are low to the ground. I have so many tomatoes that losing a couple doesn't bother me.

Answer 6

Did you check for tomato worms? Those babies are nasty, but easy to see. Great big fat caterpillar type things. Just pull em off and stomp on ;em. They usually strip the leaves off plants, but I have had em chomp into the tomatoes also.
I used to give my kids a nickle for every one they'd find. (3 kids, kept the plants cleaned off!). We'd throw them to the chickens or turkeys. A delicacy to them! hee hee
interesting weblog on these beasts: http://www.kalilily.net/weblog/04/07/27/203436.html
also check: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/tompests/msg0820271825059.html?4

Answer 7

probably a field mouse , squirrel of chipmonk.they aren't really after the tomatoe itself, they want the seeds.the only two things that might help are a cat, or maybe putting humane hair around the plants.

Answer 8

A raccoon can go right over just about any fence. I'd try throwing a net (like the tree nets they sell at garden centers) over them, or get a motion-detector sprinkler (I've seen them in catalogs).

Answer 9

Could be a rabbit. Could be a raccoon. A deer too. How big is the fence?

Answer 10

My bet is a Tomato Horn Worm!