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Maggie Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 01 2007 Location: N/A
Online Status: Offline Posts: 712
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Posted: June 29 2010 at 2:10pm | IP Logged
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Hi Moms~
Well...we have a pesky varmint of some sort eating our tomatoes. It seems its mouth is probably the size of a raccoon, I am guessing...but it could be an opposum or something else...
My question is this...
The critter tried biting into the cantelope, the one, single cantelope in our garden.
It's teeth penetrated the rind, and as far as I can tell, got into the green part, too...it looks like he worked hard on it, but couldn't actually get in...
So...out of fear of rabies...do we discard this? I am guessing that cutting around the bite marks might not be safe enough?
Drat. Our one cantelope that grew...
But then again...maybe it's just not worth the worry...
Any thoughts? I am such a novice gardener...
__________________ Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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lapazfarm Forum All-Star
Joined: July 21 2005 Location: Alaska
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Posted: June 29 2010 at 2:41pm | IP Logged
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I'd just cut the damaged part off and eat it. Rabies cannot be spread except by direct contact, as far as I know.
Could it have been a rabbit? That's what always nibbled our tomatoes.
__________________ Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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insegnante Forum All-Star
Joined: April 07 2006 Location: Virginia
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Posted: June 29 2010 at 8:21pm | IP Logged
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Well, rabies is spread not only by bites but by other contact with saliva: "In rarer cases, an animal can spread the virus when its saliva comes in contact with a person's mucous membranes (moist skin surfaces, like the mouth or inner eyelids) or broken skin such as a cut, scratch, bruise, or open wound." -- http://kidshealth.org/parent/infections/bacterial_viral/rabi es.html
I have no idea how likely it is but I personally would not chance it in order to avoid wasting one cantaloupe.
__________________ Theresa
mommy to three boys, 3/02, 8/04, and 9/10, and a girl, 8/08
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sewcrazy Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 17 2006 Location: Illinois
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Posted: June 29 2010 at 8:37pm | IP Logged
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If its nibbles out it is probably a rabbit.
We just cut off the bitten area and eat the rest.
__________________ LeeAnn
Wife of David, mom to Ben, Dennis, Alex, Laura, Philip and our little souls in heaven we have yet to meet
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Sarah Forum All-Star
Joined: Aug 17 2005 Location: N/A
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Posted: June 29 2010 at 11:00pm | IP Logged
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We have 13-lined ground squirrels that do that kind of damage. In fact same thing to my cantaloupe and squash. I think they are going for the seeds.
__________________ Six boys ages 16, 14, 11, 7, 5, 2 and one girl age 9
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Maggie Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 01 2007 Location: N/A
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Posted: June 30 2010 at 7:01am | IP Logged
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The reason I think it might be an opposum is because of the teeth marks. It seems that there are two very sharp and deep fangs that punctured holes in it, I'd say about 1/4+ inches deep...don't know if rabbit teeth are like that?
Critters...ugh.
__________________ Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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Maggie Forum All-Star
Joined: Dec 01 2007 Location: N/A
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Posted: June 30 2010 at 7:02am | IP Logged
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Or squirrel teeth?
Hmmm.
Well...my kids have enjoyed viewing the teeth of animals on the internet.
Talk about a "rabbit trail"!
I know...bad joke.
__________________ Wife to dh (12 years) Mama to dd (10) ds (8), dd (1), ds (nb) and to Philip Mary (5/26/09), Lucy Joy (12/6/09), and Margaret Mary (3/6/10) who entered Heaven before we had a chance to hold them.
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