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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To poison these bloody foxes??

227 replies

curiousgeorgie · 19/07/2014 10:28

Everyday I wake up to rubbish all over my garden and driveway... Foxes shit on my decking and today my doormat!!!

The whole place stinks and it's getting ridiculous. They live in the bit behind my garden because our back neighbours have fenced off the weeds at the back of theirs...

My next door neighbours feed them. 3 times a day from a plate on their decking. Whole loaves of bread and pieces of meat and blocks of cheese...

I just want to get rid of them. Day one when we saw four baby foxes running around our garden we thought it was lovely, but now it's totally ridiculous. I have a 1 year old and a 3 year old and every morning I have to go out and clean and hose before my daughter can go out.

It must be okay to poison them or something right??

OP posts:
IwishIwasmoreorganised · 19/07/2014 10:38

Now you know that you cannot kill them and are being totally U why not think about ways of deterring them from your property?

Why is there rubbish on your drive? Keep your rubbish in a bin with a tightly fitting lid. What about access to your drive? Solid gates? I don't know whether one of those high frequency noise things or a movement sensor activated light would deter them but it's got to be worth a try?

coffeeinbed · 19/07/2014 10:39

Yes, and I did apologise.

Nancery · 19/07/2014 10:39

Food for thought... And yes, I think the issue is more your neighbours than the foxes too

To poison these bloody foxes??
YolandiFuckinVisser · 19/07/2014 10:40

Get a dog? My dogs would no way tolerate foxes hanging out in our garden.

gordyslovesheep · 19/07/2014 10:40

maybe try getting better fencing around the garden

Original poster
curiousgeorgie · 19/07/2014 10:40

I have a dog, I don't know if some of these deterrents are okay with a dog.

The council don't consider them pests apparently.

Maybe picking up all foxes shit and rubbish and putting it on the neighbours drive would help!!

OP posts:
merrydebs · 19/07/2014 10:41

This has got to be one of those wind ups!

Original poster
curiousgeorgie · 19/07/2014 10:42

I wish - we do keep our bins secure. It's random rubbish, yoghurt pots and takeaway containers and stuff we haven't had. They get it from all over. It's not just my drive, it's the few around my neighbours house.

OP posts:
Original poster
curiousgeorgie · 19/07/2014 10:42

Merrydebs - it's not a wind up. I don't know why people find this hard to believe??

OP posts:
StillStayingClassySanDiego · 19/07/2014 10:42

Where's the rubbish coming from, your bin?

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 19/07/2014 10:43

x post re rubbish!

EauRouge · 19/07/2014 10:44

I'm not that keen on foxes, but I would poison your neighbours instead. Or even better, have a chat with the council about it. I'm sure I saw a story once (complete with DM sadface photo) about an elderly couple who were banned from putting out bird food because the number of birds visiting their garden had got so high they were becoming a nuisance to the neighbours.

ShadowsShadowsEverywhere · 19/07/2014 10:44

And how exactly would you prevent other wildlife ingesting this poison? Would you feel pleased with yourself if you got up one morning to find a neighbours beloved cat dying on your lawn? Foxes are natural wildlife. You can deter them by planting prickly bushes at their point of entry to your garden. But really you are being v v v unreasonable. They are not vermin. They are beautiful wild animals. Be thankful you don't live in a country where massive black bears come rooting thorough your dustbins.

And yes I'd be quite happy with cleaning up for DCs because I do. We live rurally, fox poo, hedgehog poo, rabbit poo, are all part and parcel of life round here. My DCs can identify different types of animal droppings and their paw prints. We also have chickens which free range and so leave droppings around the garden. Find a way to keep them out your garden, do not poison them.

MrsSchadenfreude · 19/07/2014 10:45

I do have some sympathy with the OP. We're in central London and we have foxes in our garden, and casually strolling down the street in the middle of the day. This is not their habitat.

Original poster
curiousgeorgie · 19/07/2014 10:45

I know fox attacks are very few and far between but I also still worry about my DD's just because of the sheer volume of them... And they're used to coming right up to people and being fed by plate or hand so I don't think they'd find a 1 year old much of a challenge...

OP posts:
Dunkling · 19/07/2014 10:47

We get a lot of foxes too. They too poo in my garden, and rip my chickens apart given the chance.

But they lived here before my house was built in this field behind an old pub. Any bit of land not occupied, and occupied too, get lots of visits as we are on the edge of rural fields. I moved and brought dinner to boot is how I see it. They have as much right to be here as we do and I wouldn't dream of harming one.

Deterence is the key. After our last fox attack I found a product at the garden centre, Fox Off or something, that you sprinkle around your boundaries periodically. And then got my husband to pee around the boundaries too. It has to be male and has to be adult. I have only seen one or two in the months since so seems to work.

Edenviolet · 19/07/2014 10:48

I know of someone who tried to poison all the local foxes once a few years ago. It was absolute madness but their beloved pet had been killed by one and they went a bit mad on revenge.
It was awful, various things left in garden, streets and parks. I threatened to report if they didn't stop after I found out Angry Sad

cate16 · 19/07/2014 10:49

My neighbours do this too... but I have to be honest it causes no problems at all (other than winding my DH up)
Maybe our foxes are just fat and lazy due to over feeding though as we have no mess whatsoever.

TurboWithAKick · 19/07/2014 10:51

You have to learn to live with them

They aren't going to go away.... They will breed. It's life

StillStayingClassySanDiego · 19/07/2014 10:52

I like Dunkling's suggestion, get your dh to mark his territory by peeing on the boundaries Wink

WyrdByrd · 19/07/2014 10:52

At the risk of getting flamed...

OP obviously you would be UR to actually poison them but I can understand your frustration getting you to the point of thinking about it.

We have a lot of urban foxes where we live and they will wander about even during the day as we've got a cheek to be on their territory - we've had to stop putting out guinea pigs out in broad daylight after recent sightings of them pottering through the gardens.

It's all very well to advise the OP to do out and get a super secure bin, new fencing, prickly plants etc, but not everyone has the money to just do out and do these things. Even if they did why should they have to when the neighbors are encouraging the foxes?

There must be some kind of anti social behaviour element to what your neighbors are doing (you really can't blame the foxes for going where there's food). Perhaps an official looking letter stating that if they don't pack it in you will take whatever measures are necessary to protect your property and send them the bill?

hamptoncourt · 19/07/2014 10:53

I really think if you don't like it, and all attempts to resolve the situation fail, and you really cannot cope with living among foxes, you will have to move.

Or you can poison them and end up in court/local press.

Am still not convinced this thread is real Hmm

ElephantsNeverForgive · 19/07/2014 10:54

Round here foxes that take chickens are shot, but I live in the countryside and many of my neighbours would probably still hunt if it was legal.

gordyslovesheep · 19/07/2014 10:56

I blame Cheekbone Magazine

To poison these bloody foxes??
Lala5 · 19/07/2014 10:56
  1. it's illegal to poison foxes
  2. clean up your rubbish!? If there's no reason for them to be on your property they won't come. Fox-proof your bins and don't leave food out.
  3. have a polite word with neighbour explaining the issue and asking that they don't feed them. Foxes are successful foragers and rarely need supplementary feeding by humans.
  4. give yourself a shake. We built our properties on land inhabited by wildlife, don't whinge that there is native wildlife as a result. They were there first
  5. humans are the worst vermin on this planet

Seriously, I wonder at people!

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