Rats? - Orchid Board

Laserbeak · #1 08-07-2014, 01:21 AM

I live in NYC and I wanted to put some non-orchid plants up on the roof, and got in trouble for it, but they said I could put whatever I wanted to in the "backyard", which is of course covered in concrete and surrounded by 14 - 20 story buildings and gets little direct sunlight.

I put some plants out there, and actually they seem to be growing halfway decent so I thought I'd put some high - medium light orchids out there to see how they'd do. But I was just thinking about rats. There are, or course, rats in New York City. Some of them seem to be as big as cats!

Do rats eat orchids? Actually, like I said, I've had some non-orchid plants down there for a while and I don't see any signs that something was eating them.

katrina · #2 08-07-2014, 06:52 AM

I know mice will chew on orchids so I imagine rats would too. It's just a guess but if they have other sources of food (and water) I imagine they'd leave the plants alone. Maybe? I have zero experience w/rats so I could be waaaaaaaaaaaaaay off base here.

Someone on the forum had a rat in the g/h (?) awhile back...I think it was chewing on orchids. Hopefully that person sees this thread.

MattWoelfsen · #3 08-07-2014, 07:24 AM

Squirrels, chipmunks, and rabbits will chew young, newly emerging leaves. They don't go for the hard, older leaves. New York might have rabbits--if you live near Central Park but I've seen chipmunks and squirrels in Mid-Town seeing the lights of Broadway!

isurus79 · #4 08-07-2014, 12:47 PM

I would imagine the rats have better things to chew on than orchids! When I lived in Honolulu I grew all my orchids outside and would regularly see rats running up and down the mango tree where I grew my orchids. I never had a problem with the rats chewing my orchids.

Purple_phal_gal13 · #5 08-07-2014, 12:51 PM

If it's there and there are rat's, safe to say it may be game.

Optimist · #6 10-07-2014, 06:44 PM

I have six so called "fancy rats." They are neat, clean, gentle animals of the domesticated Norway Rat (lab rat) variety, but they absolutely love orchids and I have plenty of nibble marks to show the orchid rat confrontations. They especially love "crunchy" orchids like catleya and phal leaves, but anything goes. They love hoyas and epiphitic cactii too. If I had me wish, I would have the orchids and rats in separate room. I strictly supervise them when they are getting exersise, but the can and do nibble on a plant or two.