Rats or mice?

[Dorothyrouse]

Can anyone identify whether it’s been rats or mice that have nibbled the top part of these carrots? We don’t have rabbits on our plots.

[roitelet]

I would say mice or shrews. If it were rats then teeth marks would be more visible.

[Nicos]

Could also be squirrels or slugs?

any chance of washing off the soil and take another piccie so we can take a closer look at the damaged surface and edges?

[ameno]

Could also be squirrels or slugs?

any chance of washing off the soil and take another piccie so we can take a closer look at the damaged surface and edges?

I often get slug damage to the tops of my carrots, but it never looks like that. In my experience, slug damage makes fairly smooth craters, not rough surfaces like those.
I would suspect a small rodent.

[Jungle Jane]

That’s annoying but those bits can be cut off & then washed,peeled & sliced they should be alright. I wonder if the tops were visible,one of my carrots is sticking out the compost you can see the orange bit,difficult to earth it up it’s so dry,it’s a massive carrot,one of about five that are growing,the others aren’t this big,it’s probably not even big is it knowing my crops,it’s probably wide at the top & short I don’t know

[Mr Bones]

When you zoom right in there's small ridges which are most probably left by teeth. I'd say small rodent as well. Possibly it's after moisture, you could try putting a small bowl of water nearby Dot, see if it stops the damage.

[Dorothyrouse]

Thanks, unfortunately I have now cut off the tops and washed them , they are fine, I think mice, we seem to have a lot this year. Beetroot also chewed in a similar way!

I’ve pulled up the carrots now, have some new seedlings growing