Hi Adam,

It is probably an armadillo. They are not interested in your bromeliad; they want the grubs and other insects where it was planted. The bromeliad is just collateral damage. The same thing happens with my caladium. Armadillos like to dig where the soil has recently been disturbed (your bromeliad planting; my caladium planting) and they are the biggest nuisance. I have struggled with them for years!

Here's a link to a post I made last year:
How did you get rid of an armadillo?

Good luck and let us know how it goes. I still have mine. Sigh. :(

Carol in Jacksonville

Hi Adam - I live in Australia so can't suggest what your problem pest might be, but we do get similar damage occasionally here from a small animal called a Bandicoot, and I thought if you have similar animals there, they may be the culprits for the digging.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bandicoot

I'd also like to say that I've been growing that plant for many years and find it's probably the most underrated Neoregelia of the lot. It is spineless; makes into a nice clump after a few years; will stand full summer sun here on the South Coast of N.S.W. as well as winter temperatures so low that the dog's water is covered in ice. When grown in good light it has a pleasing pink flush going darker in the centre when flowering and when grown in low light, although it doesn't have the pink flush, it's still a pleasing albo-marginated and easy to grow plant.

I bought my plant with the name of Neo.'Sheba' and a friend has one called Neo. 'Bossa Nova' and they are so similar we can't tell them apart. According to the records, Neo. 'Bossa Nova' is a c.v. of Neo. compacta and Neo.'Sheba' is a c.v. of Neo. mcwilliamsii. The BCR has information on both but it now seems that Neo. 'Sheba' had a name change in 1995 to Neo. 'Skotak's Sheba'. It seems the experts are still arguing about the names, so what chance has a back yard grower got of getting it right. All I can say is check it out on the BCR at the following links:

http://registry.bsi.org/index.php?fields=&id=7046&search=sheba

http://registry.bsi.org/index.php?fields=&id=3306&search=Bossa Nova

All the best, Nev.