I'm guessing birds. A rodent would just eat the whole thing. There is a "trick" that I heard of that is alleged to work. Before the strawberries come out, you paint small rocks red, and scatter them near the strawberry plants. Birds decide that your small red thingies are inedible, so they tend to ignore the real berries when they form. Not sure how well this might work if the strawberries are already ripe.

Yes i read about that trick! i will definitely try it next year, ive heard it works really well…thanks for the advice much appreciated

If it is birds the netting should do the trick. But slugs, snails and woodlice wil also eat strawberries. And a small rodent, like a mouse, might not eat the whole fruit. If it happens at night it probably won't be birds.

I should add that, re the bird trick, you can now get plastic strawberries VERY cheaply. Just Google.

too smooth edges on the damage for birds ..... i vote slug or bug..

go out after dark.. and see what you find.. look under pots.. and in the drain holes of the pots...

ken

Add squirrels to the long list of suspects.

I don't see smooth edges, which is why I voted for bird. Slugs in containers are VERY unlikely. Again, squirrels will just polish off a whole strawberry. They can take large pieces of melon.

What/who doesn't like a nice ripe strawberry!? Any of the above will qualify, especially mice who can appear in the most unbelievable places.

And yes, Dan, our CA slugs and snails will go anywhere they want, even a huge pot like mine. It always amazes me how something so small can move so quickly if there is something yummy to eat.

I have found slugs and snails on 3rd floor window sills and also inside the house. Not saying it is one if those, but they definitely find their way anywhere. Not to mention the possibility of them or their eggs being imported in plants or soil. It is worth searching as Ken suggested.

I find slugs on my container plants, too. Except the ones I’ve wrapped in copper strips.

Copper didn't work for me. Apparently California Snails and Slugs appreciate the look and step right on over. grrrrrr

Slugs an chipmunks many times only took bites on mine. So bad I gave up.

With all that netting in place I'd think that a bird would get stuck in there if it found a way inside. Does look like bird pecks though, birds demolished my strawberry bed back when I grew a roof top garden during my college years. If the your netting is totally secure it may be a sneaky smaller critter that knows it's way around and can squeeze through tight spots.

Again I am betting rodent, mice maybe

Update—no more strawberries have been eaten since i put the netting up!!! hopefully it was just birds and not a rodent climbing up to my porch (yuck!)…if it is though they havent found a way in thru the netting yet, i double wrapped it and have it as secure as i can

oops, sorry Emily, earlier I misread and thought the netting was already in place before the damage.....nevermind :-) Happy Harvest!