A: Rabbits, squirrels and deer eat rose buds and shoots.Click to see full answer. People also ask, do squirrels eat flower buds?Known for nibbling nuts and gobbling birdseed, squirrels also like feasting on garden seedlings, fruits, berries, flowers, leaves, and tree buds. Like other rodents, squirrels have long incisor teeth that never stop growing, so they tend to gnaw on all sorts of materials to keep those teeth on the short side.Also, do squirrels eat rose petals? Leave rose apples on the ground they also eat those, if they get hungry. I have found chewed ones under trees a long way away from the roses. Lyn, YES they climb roses ! Regarding this, what eats rose buds? Budworms are caterpillars that chew through the buds and petals of roses. The pests cause extensive damage quite quickly on rose bushes and ruin the flowers before they even have a chance to bloom. Roses are eaten by two types of budworms: tobacco budworms and rose budworms.How do I keep squirrels from eating my roses?Mix 2 to 3 tbsp. cayenne pepper sauce in 1 gallon of water and pour in a spray bottle. Apply the repellent over and around the rose bushes to deter the critters from damaging the plants.