Help what is eating my plants?

[hank123]

I have a few plants outside and something is eating on them. It seems only to happen where I pinch the plant. I have 3 ideas, Grasshoppers, squirrels, or mice or the odd chance chickens. I think mice or the squirrels.
I need to keep these as short as possible and we are weeks away from the start of flower. I don't need 6-foot-tall plants.

I did spray neem oil a 2 days ago to help get down the grasshoppers and we have very light aphids too. I think the aphids will die soon. Been 5 straight days of 100f temps.
Thank you for your help.

 

[HydoDan]

I've never had it but it looks like stem rot.. Pythium rot maybe?

 

[hank123]

I've never had it but it looks like stem rot.. Pythium rot maybe?

The only thing I have sprayed is neem max. 1 time and this was happening before I sprayed. They look like shit a lot of times when I pinch them but always bounce back. 1 has a hole chewed in it and shes still alive.