Foxes

[LIZS]

Any ideas for fox deterrents ? We currently have a plot of ground gone wild at the end of our enclosed garden into which neighbours have seen foxes going. Today we've found fox poo in the garden. As we aren't likely to clear that area until winter at earliest what can we do in the meantime to deter them from coming into our garden. Also how can we humanely evict them when we do clear it.

[SueW]

Embrace them as your own little bit of nature.

If you're lucky you'll get cubs through at some stage. Admittedly fox poo isn't great but we don't get it very often (even though 'our' fox comes through the garden 2-3 times a day).

[Rhubarb]

They aren't a problem to you unless you have chickens around surely? I'd set up a night watch with the kids, mine have never seen a live fox so would be very excited by it.

[mojosmum]

i have a fox that comes through my garden every night i wouldnt deture it for the world so many people/kids these days only see things like this in a book you as i are so lucky to have them even though the poo is abit of a pain

[contentiouscat]

Sorry this has started me giggling again over the lady on here who made sandwiches for a fox!

I wouldnt worry about them too much - we have rats and they upset me far more (so far DH is too scared to deal with them so im going to pay his friend!)

Having said that fox poo smells even worse than cat poo so I guess you dont want the kids bringing it in on their shoes.

[LIZS]

They're getting bolder - poo less than 6 feet from the house on our patio. atm it's not really a problem but what should we do when we landscape the wild bit though ?

[GroaningGameGirly]

Would that lion poo stuff work on foxes? Probably not, thinking about it. I put lion pellets down against next door's cat, but Fantastic Mr Fox is still usually either sitting on the roof of the shed or on the table most mornings, cheeky beggar.
What about one of those sonic thingies that emits a high pitched sound. Or an actual lion?!

[redtoenails]

Must admit we have a fox locally and I am thrilled if we see it! Can't really imagine it being a problem.

[FuriousGeorge]

No idea for deterrents,but I wouldn't encourage them into my garden.A couple I work for had a huge amount of damage to their lawn,caused by foxes.

Craneflies [dadylonglegs] lay their eggs in the soil,during warm wet spring weather,the larvae hatch out [leatherjackets].The foxes can smell them under the lawn & rip up the grass to get at them.The damage I saw was unbelivable,just like someone had gone over the entire lawn with a sharp instrument & tore it up.

[LIZS]

omg we've just seen one in the garden in broad daylight. Doesn't look very old either.

[SueW]

Perhaps you could try feeding them in a place away from the house/at the bottom of the garden?

'Our' fox runs across the end, the middle of the garden and down the side of the house, leaps across the garden wall. He/she and our cats tolerate each other very well. We used to have a wild area with two apple trees and once I saw the fox approaching the area cautiously. Then one of our cats got up and strolled out! Every so often the cats come in with a 'bush-on' though - when they've come across the fox unexpectedly.

I was amazed/peturbed when I saw a fox come up to the patio though (where our cats usually dump their 'presents' of dead mice and birds which fox kindly removes), have a sniff around and squatted and squirted!! I guess Foxy was letting the cats know just how bad the service is getting round here!