What Animals Eat Tomato Plants. Before we move on to how to protect tomatoes from deer, let’s take a look at the damage and confirm that it was, in fact, caused by deer. The larvae will feed on the stem and leaves of the plant causing damage to them.
Pets and wild animals love a healthy tomato garden. Once you are sure that there are rabbits eating up your tomato plants, you need to take timely action. To identify what’s eating your tomato plants at night, check the marks left on them.
But the standout tomato ‘predators’ include squirrels, groundhogs, chipmunks, birds, deer, and raccoons.
The only time cicadas can eat your vegetables is if there are nymphs underground who can eat the root system. Damage to the fruit is usually limited to the surface, but sometimes the insect can eat through the tomato. Rabbits will sometimes eat the leaves of young tomato plants. If you know you have animals living nearby, plant a few more tomato plants than you'll need to compensate for their mischief.