Can you post a picture? That is such a wicked cactus, it is hard to imagine anything eating it.

dlg421, it is like something just bit between the needles. I have 2 of these that got hit the same way.

Are they new? New additions to your yard will always attract unwanted attention. My S. coryne has never been bothered, though it's quite a bit larger than yours. I suspect your local vermin will leave it be after a spell. If you see any fresh chews, wrap it with chicken wire for a couple weeks.

They are a couple of weeks old which is pretty new. I keep having to replace cacti every few weeks because stuff won't leave it alone. I guess I will have to buy chicken wire or a pellet gun if it keeps up.

You should definitely keep a roll of chicken wire around, then hope you never need it. It is illegal to discharge a pellet gun in our little village -- I've already asked.

Well, that really narrows it down. How about a garotte?

I've heard apples work well for live-trapping.

They do but I think this might be a chipmunk because the bite marks are very tiny. I think the rabbits are catching on to the apple trick because I have only caught a few this week. I will have to amp up my game.

I have had horrible cacti loses from those awful things, they're called Harris ground squirrels or Harris antelope squirrels. I did manage to find a means of controlling them, but only after suffering some horrific damage, and you may not like it -- gopher pellets sprinkled around the damaged plants. They prefer the pellets to cacti. Rabbits and wood rats won't touch them.

I have of bunch of those little Harris squirrels and a few big rock squirrels that actually look like a squirrel. Pellets...I'll give it a try.

Laura,

Definitely looks like rodent damage. Good luck with the pellets.

I really dislike the idea of killing something that is why I live trap rabbits and relocate them. Does anyone know of another way to handle those little buggers? Is there a really tiny live trap? Hot pepper spray?

My experience suggests they are even more difficult to deter than rabbits. Make life difficult for rabbits by blocking access to plants they've been munching or denying an entry point, and they may move on. Not these guys, they will not only wait you out, they'll tell all their friends about the delicious cactus booty they found. I was here for at least five years before they started attacking my cacti, but once they started, they were relentless. If you find another control measure, do tell. They aren't a problem here now, as long as they stick to eating Palo Verde seeds, they're perfectly welcome, but come summer they turn their attention to sources of moisture, and it's on again.

I keep a large water dish on the ground in the front yard just so all the short critters have water. I know a big mistake but I thought it might act as a deterrent to seeking moisture from plants. I have palo verde trees growing from every hole in the yard thanks to those little buttholes. I suppose I will have to resort to poison.