Allotments 4 All

My  cabbages have been eaten - in quite big chunks. Not a caterpiller in sight and they are netted against the birds. Could this be mice/rats (presume if so they get under netting and up sides of raised beds)?
If so do I need to worry about the diseases they might leave (as you dont cook cabbage for long).
thanks for any advice

Are you sure it's not slug damage?
Regardless - a good wash should take care of any nasties. I wash pretty much everything after a rather unfortunate overeating of cherries straight from the tree resulted in ..well I leave that to the imagination!

I really didn't think mice were all that interested in cabbages  :o

Duke

Oh - maybe slugs then but just didnt look like the damage I've seen slugs do elsewhere. Out with the organic slug pellets again!
Thanks

I would suspect voles(mice with short tails). There has been an explosion in vole numbers on our allotments in recent years. Last year, all my cauliflowers and kale, had their growing hearts eaten out by voles, even though they were covered in small mesh netting.
For this year, I have a constant trapping and baiting program for mice and voles, killing several each week. Not one case of damage by voles.
They are also devils at eating through the growing stems of french beans and runner beans about 75mm above ground.