Who is eating my tomato plant?

When it first got "topped" I assumed one of the kids accidentally broke it. We were out all day today and now one and a half leaves are missing (poor thing didn't have that many to start with). We are right by Ivy Hill, no deer in this area. There is a rabbit in the yard that we saw last year, do they eat tomato plants? And if yes then how do I keep the furry little f*cker off of it until it is large enough to withstand a little nibbling. 

Top of the plant cut clean off.

There were two good sized leaves here yesterday, now there is on half of one leaf left. 

We plant our garden in raised beds & surround the beds with  wire garden fencing from Home Depot (and, when the tomatoes are taller, netting) to keep animals out. [We plant tomatoes as well as lettuces, herbs, and other veggies.] The fencing became necessary after our neighbors chucked their "indoor" cats outside, and we caught them (the cats, not the neighbors) crapping in our vegetable garden. Good luck!

A rabbit may be the culprit, but a fox will also eat tomato plants.  My grandmother used to place dog and/or human hair around her garden to keep animals out and it worked pretty well.  

ETA - except it did not deter box turtles and they can easily wipe out a patch of tomatoes in no time at all. 

Rabbits or squirrels.  They have little mouths to feed at this time of year---your plants are easy pickin's.  Another reason I never plant until after the frost  date is over.

I've never had a squirrel touch my tomato plants except late in the season, if it's very dry, they sometimes eat the fruit for the moisture.  Rabbits will eat the plants, though I've never had a rabbit get in the raised beds .

We're not far from Ivy Hill and I definitely had squirrels eating my fruit, but generally not much greenery disappeared.  At one point some creature devoured most of a jalapeño plant including two nearly ripe fruit. If they got any indigestion from it then they deserved it!

Groundhog.

I put in the tomato cages and then wrapped them in clear plastic.  I just checked and the plant that looked like it was on its last legs now has a lot of new growth.  Once the tomato plants are larger I won't worry about keeping the rabbits away, but for now the plastic seems to be doing the trick.

My basil is also being eaten, but I have three plants and all are of a decent size, so I won't worry about that too much so long as it doesn't get out of hand.

marylago said:

Groundhog.

I haven't seen any around here.  I'm not saying they aren't in this area, but we don't have a lot of green spaces for them to live in.  I have seen a rabbit in the yard though, so I'm going with that guess.

spontaneous said:

marylago said:

Groundhog.

I haven't seen any around here.  I'm not saying they aren't in this area, but we don't have a lot of green spaces for them to live in.  I have seen a rabbit in the yard though, so I'm going with that guess.

Funny. Haven't seen any bunnies around here, but lots of groundhogs. Ate our heirloom seedlings to a quick a few years back--saw them do it.

My MIL has a groundhog in her yard.  Cheeky little guy who will eat plants in broad daylight, and loves to get up on his hind legs to get a better look around the yard.

spontaneous said:

marylago said:

Groundhog.

I haven't seen any around here.  I'm not saying they aren't in this area, but we don't have a lot of green spaces for them to live in.  I have seen a rabbit in the yard though, so I'm going with that guess.

You're going to have to go all Mr. McGregor on them.

Awww, I don't want to hurt the little guy.  He's cute, and my kids love seeing a little bunny in the yard.  I just want him to hold off on eating the tomato plants until it is large enough to withstand some nibbling.

Oddly enough, last year we saw him in the yard a lot, yet my carrots remained untouched.  Little Peter Rabbit was out there busting stereotypes.   

New growth. 

My ugly, but effective,  solution. I poked some holes in the top so that the water wouldn't pool.