Neighbour cultivating fox den

Wildlife is as wildlife does, and if you are going to have a wildlife-friendly garden (as we all should), then you have to take the rough with the smooth.

Not entirely sure anyone should be actively encouraging foxes to leave their natural habitat and move into domestic gardens though.

We get foxes. Doesn’t bother us in the slightest. Yes there is some poo. But no smells. And I don’t live in fear of anyone being attacked. They would be more terrified of humans than anything.

Since mankind has decided to own every small piece of land, cut down endless woods to build houses it is no surprise we come into contact with other animals.

We do share the world with other species. It isn’t ours to own by ourselves. Although we are doing a fine job of frankly doing that and messing it up into the bargain.

Foxes eat rats.

It's dangerous for the wildlife.

And can cause numerous problems with pets, wildlife attacking humans because they have no natural fear anymore.

Can even cause structural damage to gardens, outbuildings and houses.

The Fox Project will have advice

YANBU

My downstairs neighbour lures squirrels into her flat. I'm sure she thinks it's lovely interacting with nature but she doesn't seem to think about the impact on the building or how dangerous it is for the squirrels either.

So your dog was in her garden eating food she left out? Why?
Giving foxes medication for mange isn't selfish, it's kind.

Is your neighbour the poster from a couple of weeks ago who got upset that her DH didn’t feed the local fox for her while she was away? There can’t possibly be two of these prats around, can there?!

Ok.

I would love it if my neighbor did this!

My dog disappeared late at night and when calling him, my neighbour popped out her bedroom window and said 'Your dog is eating my fox food with medicine in it!'
She had put mange medicine in it. I was furious.
Fortunately the dog was fine but still, what a selfish t*at.

Do you mean your neighbour is feeding the foxes?

You can't really actively get them to nest, they'll either dig themselves a den or they won't.

My neighbour has an overgrown garden and the foxes have been returning to the den for years, so I feel for you because the noise and the smell is awful.

But other than have a word, I'm not sure what you can do.

How do you even fox-proof a garden?

The smell wipes out any cuteness as far as I am concerned. And poo everywhere

Foxes are a menace. Don’t forget they have been known to attack babies - there are several reports if you google. https://news.sky.com/story/fox-could-have-ripped-baby-to-pieces-in-attack-at-familys-home-11250657

Someone writing in the Guardian who had trouble with foxes wrote that in terms of a deterrent, “Most effective of all, however, has been the most hi-tech solution – a passive infrared device connected to a garden hose which senses motion, triggering a quick and noisy arc of water towards the intruder.”

I live in a small seaside town and I get foxes in my garden every night!

One of our neighbours has an overgrown garden (she lives abroad and seems to have just let that house and garden fall apart) and I assume they have made their dens there.

I often wake up to damaged plant pots, plants having been taken out of my pond and scattered on the lawn and so on but honestly it no longer bothers me.

It is so nice to have wildlife and the foxes I have managed to see lounging in my garden are just too cute to worry about...

Fox proof your garden so they can't get in?

Your neighbour is allowed to enjoy their garden as much as you want to enjoy your own.
If that includes making space for wildlife, then there isn't anything wrong with that. Her garden is clearly more appealing to them than the woodland near by for what ever reason.

What have you tried so far? We had problems with foxes digging up our lawn. We live in London and have a lot of neighbours feeding them or otherwise not putting rubbish away properly and they were really becoming a nuisance. We bought a solar operated fox deterrent which worked well.

Similar to this

https://www.maxoffer.co.uk/products/guardixim-2?currency=GBP&country=GB&variant=49112085299423&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=8a467c51b981&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23386061697&gbraid=0AAAABCV443fctobUOUORNsI4VoG6luW5i&gclid=CjwKCAjwgajSBhBEEiwASicJU9FTegcpSxzD1dYnYERRKpzkY3BEoeLhN9zEIgdBjTORDmSxJGR5-BoCe-kQAvD_BwE

Now we have a very feisty territorial cat which works even better. Foxes don’t go anywhere near our garden now.