Expert: Greg Simpson - 1/13/2006

Question
I live in the Phoenix area and have a mature Yucca Gloriosa in my yard with four trunks.  On one side of them the palm fronds are being chewed off at night.  I cannot determine what type of animal or rodent is doing it, although it has be be something fairly small as the plant is in a closed backyard with no access by larger animals.  Can you think of what type of deterent I could use to stop this from happening?
Thank you
Ley Borlo

Answer
Dear Ley,

My only guess would be "roof rats". All other rodents tend to be ground dwellers, although the roof rat spends most of its timeoff the ground. Do you have citrus trees in the area? They are attracted to those in particular. Check out this website for more info.

http://www.ci.mesa.az.us/citymgt/roof_rats.asp

Hope this helps.

Sincerely,

Greg