Squirrels are rats with fuzzy tails and they love the tender shoots of roses. I had a real problem with them in the spring and it looks like they have taken a liking to my RoseBall as I noticed 2 new shoots chewed at the top. I combat them by spraying a product called ROPEL on my roses and it keeps them from make my roses their next dinner. You have to spray right on the rose bush for it to work.

Good luck.

ps. do not trap them to move them as more will show up.

Thanks. Can you tell me if the Liquid Fence for rabbits & deer will work too? I have some of that.

birds don't like them because the petals get stuck in their teeth!lol

I am not familiar with Liquid Fence but I think they are all about the same. Read the label and make sure you can spray it directly on the plant. I like ROPEL because it will not damage the roses.

"Something" also ate my entire new rose bed. Every new rose (about 15 roses) had buds or new blooms last Thursday evening and Friday morning each bush looked like a weedeater had clipped off the buds. I just about cried. I was SO hoping to see my new Pope John Paul in bloom. I believe it was deer that ate mine but I guess it could have been rabbits or squirrels as we have all of those. I read on this forum that Liquid Fence is the only reliable thing to repel deer so RAN to Lowes/HD/Walmart only to find they don't carry it in my stores. I finally found it at a farmer's co- op place. Liquid Fence directions say to spray each week for 3 weeks to "train" the deer to stay away. As an added precaution I also bought some brand of spray that you put directly on the plants to repel rabbits, squirrels and supposedly deer (a little worried about putting it on my roses but did it anyway). Most repellents have egg products in it and I think "Capcain" (may be spelling that wrong). So far I haven't seen the neighborhood deer but I only have one plant with a bud on it right now so I'm keeping a cautious eye on that one. For some reason , my other beds in the back and side yards were not eaten at all but they've all been given the Liquid Fence treatment as well.

I think birds are to be blamed too - I have had my Iceberg and some annuals which have delicate branches - snapped off. It is either the rabbits ( who I know are chewing on the leaves) or the birds!

I'm wondering if it isn't collateral damage? I've observed sparrows landing on my roses pecking at them. I went and looked closer at the spot and there were aphids there. They could be going after an insect and damaging the petals at the same time. Are there any pieces of petal on the ground?

Eric