Tulip bulbs - any tips on deterring rodents please (possibly squirrels) ?

I have tulip bulbs in a few tubs and when they were planted I covered them with wire mesh. Now they are shooting I had to remove the mesh from one tub yesterday because the leaves were pushing into the mesh. The problem is that now some of the bulbs have been eaten and the leaves chewed off others. It's extremely annoying.

Any tips please on how to deter the rodents/squirrels? I'd like to remove the mesh permanently you see.

Funnily enough I didn't have this problem with my tulip bulbs last year.

Note: whatever I use mustn't be hazardous to dogs and I also don't want to harm the squirrels (I recall reading that red pepper flakes will burn their eyes for example).

 

I find old metal hanging baskets ( or round plastic cloches) turned upside down and pegged down into the pots works for a while until the tulip leaves get too tall. Squirrels generally leave the bulbs alone when they start spreading. Funnily enough the squirrel (s) we have here haven't bothered to dig them up this year so I'm surmising they've been able to access enough food stores elsewhere.

 

You could wrap the tubs around the sides with mesh tall enough to accommodate the height of the flowering bulbs and cap this with more mesh. Not aesthetically pleasing but a possible solution.