Mystery solved!

Hi Everyone,
I was having this problem with some of the leaves on my plants. they had what looked like chew marks and cracked leaves on some of them. So I washed the leaves , dried them and repotted them. I did everything I could think of including studying every site that showed pictures of bug damage. Today I solved the mystery! I was sitting at the dining room table grooming my plants, cutting off dead flowers and such and I noticed that there was something chewing on the leaves .......

Ruby!!!!!!!!!!!

and her accomplice, ZUZU!!!!!!!

Any ideas how to overcome these pests?

Thanks,
Sue

Yes a water gun works well when caught in the act!
Dawna

Yep, that is how we used to keep the cat out of the Christmas tree.

Oh yea I forgot about that . That''s a good idea. I also read somewhere putting chopsticks in your plants. Once they get poked they won't go back but i wouldn't want them to get hurt either..

Thanks,
Sue

You might sprinkle just a tiny bit of pepper on just a couple leaves, especially the ones they seem to like to chew on, and see if that would be a deterrent. One of our dogs used to think the garbage can was his personal food bowl. He'd make a huge mess all over the kitchen floor. I broke him by putting a couple drops of Tabasco sauce on a paper towel and laid it upside down (so the sauce wasn't right on top, just in case he decided to lick it) right inside the can when it was full. He only smelled it, didn't take a bite or lick, sneezed a few times, and didn't bother the garbage again. I wouldn't suggest using something that would hurt them, but I think the smell is strong enough that they wouldn't bother to taste it.

You might want to grow a little pot of grass or catnip or something that they could chew on. That might solve the problem entirely.

hee hee ... I have four cats and hundreds of house plants! All of a sudden, two of the cats have decided they like the taste of AV leaves! I have given them the cat grass and cat nip over the years ... they really love it, but for some reason lately they seem to prefer my AV's the past couple of weeks ....... Grrrr! We used to use the spray bottle of water when they were kittens to keep them away from things that we didn't want them getting into. The youngest of the bunch thinks it's fun! She doesn't mind the water at all! She will stand there and as soon as you point the spray bottle at her, she squinches up her eyes and just waits to be sprayed! She will then run, but come right back, stand there and look at you waiting to be sprayed again! It's a game with her! I am wondering if something is lacking in their diet ... the vet has them on a prescription food. They will go in spurts ... sometimes won't mess with plants at all for months and then all of a sudden I am having to watch them like a hawk to keep them away from them! I might have to put some chicken wire or mesh or something around the bottom shelf of the plant stands to keep them out of the AV's!

What cute little scoundrels, though!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are they sisters?

They are brother and sister :)
Thanks, they are cute, except when munching my plants. It's really just Ruby that eats them and Zuzu just stands by and watches, He always does that when she's being bad, which is often!, lol