Bougainvillea branches gnawed off

Question

My bougainvillea has many of its branches broken and/or gnawed off. I suspected the bougainvillea looper caterpillar, but was told by several people that they only eat the leaves and not the branches. Some sizeable branches are either completely gnawed off or partially gnawed off. Are there any bird or animal predators of bougainvillea? I do have several hummingbirds that come around, but it is winter now and there is no sap or flowers on the plant at the moment. I live in San Francisco so deer or rabbits are probably not the culprit.

Answer 1

You would likely see damage on leaves of the vine if you had a issue with the Looper Caterpillar.
Chewing of branches could be done by numerous critters; squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits etc.
I would suggest making a small fence around the vine with some hardware wire. This may be the easiest solution without know the culprit in the garden.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/pests/animals/get-rid-squirrels.htm
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/vines/bougainvillea/bougainvillea-loopers.htm