Oncidium reichenheimii attacked
 

...it has never been bothered before, my Oncidium reichenheimii...in it's third year sitting where in sits in the garden...first spike this year the snails got...2nd spike snails got...but then it was attacked by something big...i have no idea since i never saw anything until it was way too late...appeared to eat only the pseudobulbs as there was leaf litter on the ground...the hanging 'bulb is my new growth where the spikes were...totally mushy now...i am ready to kill...please advise...:( & :((...

Rats will sometimes eat p-bulbs. Maybe squirrels also?

Raccoons are horribly destructive. And they seem to be attracted to the best plants and take pleasure in totally destroying them.:((

Because I am "blessed" with non-stop generations of baby rabbit eating machines, I experiment with different defense tactics. You could get some quarter inch gauge hardware wire and make a vertical tube surrounding the orchid. It has to be at least 3 ft tall, anchored (I do mine so that they just fit around the pot, but I don't see that working with an orchid) and not too wide. You could also make a cage with a bottom and top for full protection.

Gardener supply sells chicken wire cloches which work over big pots, but I don't think are tall enough for an oncidium. They rust, so I'm not a big fan. This year I'm trying from the same company these vinyl tubes with a mesh zip top and so far they are have been working well for things like peppers and plants that rabbits love. I'm waiting to see how they work with my Spanish Flag vines, which have been chewed through the last 4 years running in spite of hardware cloth tubes.

I think row cover fabric, firmly tucked under the pot, would also work. It's not attractive and you don't see your orchid. You could also try hanging the pot, but if it is rats, squirrels or raccoons that won't stop them.

My neighbor poisons chipmunks. I don't do poisons or traps. I've recently heard Axe (the teenage boy product) recommended as a stinky deterrent. I've done pepper and garlic sprays in the past with mixed results.

I feel your pain. I used to be able to grow all sorts of things from seed. Then the rabbits showed up, stripped the bark off my favorite young trees, mowed all my seedlings down, and are very efficient at keeping my perennials from being...perennial.

...to all, thanx for responding...have never seen a rat (maybe once), squirrel or rabbit in my enclosed back yard...many years ago saw a raccoon...i believe the same whatever did the same thing to my 2 Oncidium sotoanums around 9 months ago...will continue to be vigilant...moved the reichenheimii, after repairing & repotting, up to my porch 3 stories above the ground...come up here mr. raccoon and we'll see who carries the biggest stick...lol...

Good luck! We have a Pacific Slope Flycatcher nesting on our porch who thinks some of the seedling orchids I have hanging would make good nesting material and she’s managed to yank one right out of its pot and I saw her yanking on another one this morning. ‘Tis the season!

A trick I have used to stop doves from nesting in my hanging Cattleya pots is to invert a net pot (plastic basket) over the "bare" area of the pot. This might work for the seedlings as well - they still get water, light, and air but it discourages the birds.

...thanx...