Yes, most likely just one mouse. Buy a 5 pack of wooden mouse traps and bait them with peanut butter.

Or apple slices, mice love fresh apple. It could also be an insect, possibly roach. Id suggest using the sticky mouse traps cuz they would catch insects also. Put a bit of PB, small chunk of apple and something leafy green in different locations. Anything thats interested will get caught. Rat sized traps might work better than mouse sized....

Gee - a mouse? Really? I didn’t think mice ate greens? We’re going to stop at the store today and get some mice traps and see if that answers the question. Haven’t seen any evidence of any or heard anything that would make us suspect we had one in the house, but, I suppose that doesn’t guarantee anything.

Is there such a thing as ‘one’ mouse? [g]

Have never seen a roach in 35 years in this house.

I may also cover them over with agribon at night, but it could be they are doing it during the day, I can’t tell. Should I keep the agribon over them when they are under the lights?

Hurry up spring, so I can get these out of the house!

HereWeGoAgain - I don't think it's a rule not to have lights and a heating pad going at the same time. I guess it depends on how warm it is under your lights. Plus I have a fan going on the seedlings so that cools off the space too.

Mice love greens. I second Aruzinsky's suggestion of a pack of mouse traps with peanut butter.

Place them in areas you suspect they have been travelling - typically along walls. Look for signs/traces of mouse droppings and urine.

If you catch any mice, then you need to find how they are entering your home and close it up.

"If you catch any mice, then you need to find how they are entering your home and close it up."

It's often when you leave the door to your house open to bring in groceries from your car.

I once had a field mouse destroy a row of new plants within 30 minutes much to my shock. The shoots of your plants must be tasty enough for them. I would suggest surrounding the area with sticky paper - this was how I stopped that invasion. More seriously though, if you do have mice, they can 'explode' in numbers within a month. Don't waste time.. call an exterminator.

if this wilt, it could hit any part of the plant. leaves or stems. they won't look cut though. maybe you can post a picture.

Ianna - Sticky paper works but is so cruel!! Poison is just as bad (or worse if they die somewhere in the walls).

Aruzinsky - Damaged garage door bottom seal is a big culprit too.

Unfortunately, it was a mouse. Poor little tiny mouse, was found in the mouse trap after the first night they were set. We put the trap among the seedlings. I felt awful about it, but thought about it and couldn't see what choice I had, since I couldn't let them set up house in the basement.

We've put more traps out every day and night and no more have been found and the damage has stopped. I've sown more seed and the plants are now spending the day out in the yard.

Thanks for suggesting it could be a mouse, because I didn't realize they ate greens. And it's lucky we found out we had a mouse.

I've gotten into the routine of setting mouse traps every fall when I set up the basement light garden (just before cold weather hits and they seek shelter indoors). After a hard lesson, I also place traps out in the cold frames and keep the bait fresh all winter. Otherwise, rodents will camp out in the cold frame and eat whatever you have out there down to the nubs.

I wouldn't have thought of the cold frame either, Rusty. Thanks for that tip. You set up lights in the basement in the fall? At the moment, I'm just using the lights to start spring seedlings. And I don't have a cold frame at the moment either but I would love to have one and keep looking for an easy idea to build some to top off my 4ft wide raised beds. Thanks.

Glad you were able to get to the root of the problem quickly and without too much damage to your little garden down under the house.