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Original poster

To help a mangy scrap of fox?

374 replies

HarrietKettleWasHere · 30/03/2017 23:46

I know I know, urban foxes get a lot of bad press. Yes they are naughty when they rip open bin bags and make a mess.

And yet, I think they are beautiful. We live in a block of flats (on the back of a big park) and around about Christmas time I noticed one sloping about at night. Actually we used to have a lot of mice/rats down where the rubbish room is so maybe he was attracted to that. He's beautiful- all rusty and bushy. I know it's a bit naughty but I started slipping him the odd bit of chicken or bit of ham. I would never want to get too close as he should be wary of humans would kill to stroke that gorgeous tail but he knows where I live and he will often trot by about 11pm to see if I'm at my window.

So a few nights ago he started bringing a little friend. I thought he looked a bit odd- like stumpy and mishapen and tonight I got a good look at him and he's all bald-patched and mangy Sad

Poor little scrap! And also it'll probably spread to my beautiful original fox as it's contagious. Can I help him? Are there mange tablets you can put in food? He comes every night pretty much so he would eat it. Would dog tablets work? Obviously I couldn't bathe him or give him drops totally would if I could

Please can I add the foxes are very respectful of the neighbours. They do all their shagging in the park and they can't get into the bins! There are a couple of cats here but they are totally unbothered by them.

OP posts:
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25
VilootShesCute · 31/03/2017 11:27

Our cat kicks around with the local fox. Weird to see them trotting up the road together!

foxanddaisy · 31/03/2017 11:37

Love this thread!
A couple of years ago we were waiting for a train near the airport and a stunning fox sauntered right past us with food in its mouth.

The kids loved it.

LoudestRoar · 31/03/2017 11:45

We had a young fox that used to visit us that dh affectionately nicknamed Dickface, due to the markings on his face Grin
He used to come down our front steps for a quick hello. I only see him from afar now, but always say a cheery 'hello dickface' when I see him.

pluck · 31/03/2017 11:47

I understand that people are enjoying these tales of kindness, but it's not without risk, mixing up the nature of habitats, diets and interactions with humans like this. Urban foxes have lost their fear of humans, and can eat contaminated food, be hit by cars, or be attacked by humans who don't agree that they are lovely. Other results of their lack of fear of humans are less negative for the fox, but more negative for humans: really, really unpleasant scat from their unaccustomed diet, spreading rubbish and scrap food around when they have got at it, and attacks on our vulnerable - pets or small children. This article's from the Telegraph, not the DM, and lists some other attacks at the end. Even if the children listed survived, and even if the foxes were "investigating" or "exploring," as the urban wildlife expert at the end puts it so kindly, that still produced injuries!

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/children/11216320/Toddler-rushed-to-hospital-in-fox-attack.html

I just wanted to offer a corrective to all the lovely-loveliness on this thread. New and unstable relationships, such as that between urban people and urban foxes, are still in flux.

ineedwine99 · 31/03/2017 11:52

Hope he'll be ok OP and so great you want to help, i would too, i'm in the country and sadly no foxes Sad

HermioneJeanGranger · 31/03/2017 11:55

That photo of the pet fox is amazing - what a gorgeous animal!

This thread makes me smile :) I used to walk to work across a nature reserve and often saw a fox running about at dawn. I didn't see her for a few weeks, and then I was walking and she walked past me followed by two little cubs!

Jessesbitch · 31/03/2017 12:07

Follow the fox man on Facebook. He rescues foxes. If mange is really bad he captures them for treatment and then releases after a few weeks. He recently had a fox whos tail had gone septic. The fox chewed it off but he had to take her to the vet to get more cut off to save her. Also has a cub atm.

UnbornMortificado · 31/03/2017 12:09

Oh gosh I love this thread. I'm from a rural farming area so was brought up with the whole "foxes are evil" spiel.

I still love them, just don't mention it for fear of disinheritance (slightly lighthearted)

Well done OP.

amprev · 31/03/2017 12:14

Great. So now I need a fox.

Slippersandacuppa · 31/03/2017 12:51

We lost a few chickens to a fox a couple of years ago (and I really did love my girls Sad) but then I caught sight of him. It was so sad, he was bald all across his back and looked so miserable and thin. I sent off for the drops and gave him the course (on jam sandwiches). Had the added bonus of protecting local dogs - my rescue puppy had a nasty bout of fox mange when we first got her and hadn't had anything since so hopefully Mr Fox is feeling better. And I have a big electric fence around the girls now! No animal deserves to suffer like that.

StoatofDisarray · 31/03/2017 13:18

It's so nice to see all the love for urban foxes here Smile I love them too, and there are plenty living near me (London Bridge/Southwark). There was a den under Guy's hospital last year, and people used to just stand alongside the railings and watch the cubs playing in the sunshine, oohing and aahing. And here's one I snapped a couple of weeks ago on the way to work. It was raining so he was pretty damp, but he seemed brisk and lively.

Lastly, just in case there's anyone who hasn't seen it, here's the video.

To help a mangy scrap of fox?
ohhereweareagain · 31/03/2017 15:20

i think attacks on humans by dogs are more common tbh. i also observe on a regular basis, foxes being bullied by the local CAT population. nothing will make me dislike foxes. i love chickens too and don't like the way foxes kill all of them/more than they can eat however i still love foxes because i have seen how wonderful they are, real love for each other just the way you see swans behaving Smile

BeastofCraggyIsland · 31/03/2017 15:23

Well done OP, this is a lovely thread. I hope you get the medication and can get it into the fox with mange.

ohhereweareagain · 31/03/2017 15:28

jesus i just clicked on 'fox manager' in fb wanting to look at the posts someone above had commented on (fox man who rescues foxes). fox MANAGER kills them....made me feel sick. loads of proud photographs of his shot gun lying next to his latest kill

Figuier · 31/03/2017 15:42

For your daily dose of fox follow Juniper on instagram.
www.instagram.com/juniperfoxx/?hl=en
From what I've gathered this woman has experience with rescue animals. And those of you who would like to have a fox as a pet read her posts with tag #livingwithjuni, its a hard work. Gorgeous photos though :)

Original poster
HarrietKettleWasHere · 31/03/2017 15:55

I follow juniper! She's absolutely beautiful with the most gorgeous fur I have ever seen but yes, she is hard work!

ohhereweareagain WRT the chicken-killing, the fox kills all of them as he thinks he can return for the others later and take them to his 'larder'. Of course more often than not his work is discovered long before he gets to come back. The chicken owners just get a pile of dead birds sadly but the fox would have meant to eat them all/store them/distribute them to any of his cubs and vixen.

OP posts:
thecatneuterer · 31/03/2017 16:16

user1490634864 - the fox was very friendly. I've got a photo of me cuddling him too.

ShovingLeopard · 31/03/2017 16:17

Very interesting, Harriet, about their reason for killing more than they can eat in one go. Makes sense when you realise they are adapted to eat carrion, so can safely store food for much longer than most other mammals. Funny how you never hear the blood sport lobby explaining that, despite maintaining they have superior knowledge to that of the soft townies they suppose are their critics.

Do let us know how you get on with the treatment.

PasDevantLesElephants · 31/03/2017 16:35

You're awesome OP, bloody lovely of you to care and help him!

stumblymonkeyremix · 31/03/2017 16:38

Yay! I love foxes 🦊

Enough even to breach MN etiquette and include a fox emoji.

We have a couple that come in to our garden. Last year there was a cub but no cubs seen yet this year.

I also love chickens but think it's our responsibility as chicken owners to keep them as safe as possible and if a fox does get to them...well that's the circle of life.

As humans imagine how many chickens we kill that end up being thrown out by supermarkets or us. Much more than foxes I imagine. Not to mention all of the male chicks killed because they don't lay eggs.

And my garden foxes are very wary even of my tiny 3kg female cats.

To help a mangy scrap of fox?
FoxTeaParty · 31/03/2017 16:58

Love this thread! I have a bit of a fox obsession....when I was younger we had an old fox come into our communal garden, he was beautiful. He started sitting right at the back door waiting for food, then one day i had an old soft toy I was playing with, he started chasing it, throwing it up in the air and bringing it back. He loved being stroked and all the elderly ladies who shared the garden fed him as well. He is what started my love of foxes. Where I live now doesn't have any foxes and I so miss them. I really hope you get some medicine into the poorly fox op.

9GreenBottles · 31/03/2017 17:03

We have fox visitors in the garden and put food out every night for them. There were nights last summer when there were 4-5 visits from different foxes that we saw. Sadly, they are not all still coming to the garden, and I assume the statistic of 90% dying before their 2nd birthday is probably holding true. That said, there are a couple of different ones that I see now, and just hoping for cubs to appear.

I didn't know about the liking for sweet food, but I was particularly surprised the evening one spat out the plain boiled rice leftover from a Chinese takeaway but gobbled up the fried rice. They have all been chased away by my cats, and have run off when the local hedgehogs make an appearance! Grin

Jaysis · 31/03/2017 17:12

We had a fox come into our apartment complex gardens, and DP used to chuck out food for her. Then she disappeared and we were worried that she'd gotten hit by a car on the busy dual carriageway nearby but she reappeared with cubs a few weeks later which was lovely.

I think they are lovely animals.

EnthusiasmIsDisturbed · 31/03/2017 17:44

Foxes are beautiful and very clever

We used to have a little family around here but they have gone now ds is sad but the cat is very pleased as thecubs used to annoy and chase him (would quickly back off when he hissed) one came through the cat flap in found his/her little muddy foot prints over the kitchen floor

Loving the pet fox, pizza express fox (noticed he was given a pe dish) and that video is amazing

Soubriquet · 31/03/2017 17:59

I adore foxes

My dream is to have a pet one

I would love to have a fennec fox but a red fox or an arctic fox would be a fair compromise