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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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Original poster
HarrietKettleWasHere · 07/04/2017 00:26

*i did pay for the mange drops but they will send it free! And then you send the bottle back. I'm pretty confident, as a charity, they wouldn't dick around putting stuff in sighed-for envelopes for free if it wasn't going to achieve owt.

OP posts:
Original poster
HarrietKettleWasHere · 07/04/2017 00:32

Pamplemouse it's always dark when they rock up and I'm sort of leaning from a window but my DP says he'll try and get some pics this weekend.
!

OP posts:
LoveMySituation · 08/04/2017 22:23

Any update on scrapfox OP?

Original poster
HarrietKettleWasHere · 09/04/2017 00:42

Yes! He didn't show last night, the big beautiful fox did (I've named him Russel) but no Scrap...I was worried!

I may have stayed up a a little bit late tonight to see if he'd come by...but he did! So he's had a feed and he seems ok Smile

OP posts:
ShovingLeopard · 09/04/2017 00:59

Great updates, OP!

Fingers crossed Scrap Fox 🐺 returns to his former glory very soon.

31weeksgone · 09/04/2017 01:26

Feel so touched by this lovely thread. Well done OP and anyone else who's rescued any animal in the past. Flowers just because we're bigger or more clever than them, doesn't mean we shouldn't help!

PotOfYoghurt · 09/04/2017 01:28

Yay! You should try and get some before and after pictures to see how his fur is coming in.

LoveMySituation · 09/04/2017 12:21

Russel the fox 🦊 love it OPSmile

LoveMySituation · 09/04/2017 16:58

Appropriate article in todays Guardian. You aren't Paula are you OP?Grin Fox

TimeIhadaNameChange · 09/04/2017 17:21

Know two people who fed urban foxes. One used to get a neighbour to pop in to his garden to feed them if he was on holiday. The other did what you're doing and treated a mange-ridden fox. As far as I know he recovered fine.

I love foxes, despite losing a rabbit to one. Used to have urban foxes living on the Underground beside my mum's house. Would often find them curled up asleep in the garden. And it was lovely seeing the cubs being taught how to hunt by their parents in the middle of the night. Lots of fun jumping over cars to be had!

LoveMySituation · 09/04/2017 20:06

Jumping over cars Time?! How big were these foxes?Grin

Supermagicsmile · 09/04/2017 20:19

Love this thread!

amusedbush · 09/04/2017 20:23

Oh, this thread is so lovely! I adore foxes - I have a big tattoo of one on my forearm 🦊

I grew up by the sea and didn't see one in real life until I moved to the outskirts of Glasgow four years ago. I was out running early one morning and stopped dead to stare at it 😍

I saw another when it walked passed the front of my car as I was pulling out of the drive. I said to DH when I got home that he'd never guess what had happened earlier.
DH: 'You saw a fox?'
Me: 'Oh, did you see it too??'
DH: 'No, but literally nothing else could make you this excited...'

BlushGrin

There's one who lives near my work; the security guards feed it so it stays close by.

amusedbush · 09/04/2017 20:24

Walked PAST*

Blush
bertsdinner · 09/04/2017 20:46

Really enjoyed reading this thread. I get a fox in my garden, he raids the bin if the lid isn't down properly. I've only seen him once, he was thin but not scrawny. Lovely big bushy tail. Like it says in the Guardian article, he looked me straight in the eye and just carried on, scampering around the garden.

LoveMySituation · 09/04/2017 21:46

This thread is making me want to see a fox!!

LoveMySituation · 10/04/2017 12:38

A real live one obviously Grin

claraschu · 10/04/2017 12:50

Foxes are not the only animals that kill and eat chickens! Would you believe that there are actually some people who do this?? Those heartless people are responsible not only for the death but for the miserable lives of chickens Sad.

Just wanted to point that out to the (very few) people on this lovely thread who hate foxes because they kill chickens.

Mummylin · 10/04/2017 13:10

I also love foxes and I am lucky enough to have one living at the bottom of my garden. We feed them too. They don't damage anything, just come wandering around, then go back to where they came from. I had one sunbathing on my lawn once so I took a photo and sent it off to our local paper, who actually printed it .
My sis in law has a regular one who she has also had medecine for , he eats his food then goes off with the bowl !

MyStomachHurts · 10/04/2017 13:17

Great thread. Would love to spot some foxes in my garden but not sure they could even get into mine with my fences, or am i being naive?

I know we have lots of foxes about as I live quite rurally.

I would love to see a badger also, never seen one in real life!

Owllady · 10/04/2017 13:23

I live in the country and stoats and weasels are the worst for killing chickens here. If you put your run on a concrete block, the foxes have no chance of getting in any way.

I hope your Fox and his little friend feel better soon op.

LoveMySituation · 10/04/2017 17:39

Really owllady? How interesting, I would've thought they could jump up, and get to the run that way

LoveMySituation · 10/04/2017 18:03

I found Just gorgeous (and mangy!)

dowhatnow · 10/04/2017 18:09

I held a cub once who had been rescued by a wildlife charity. He was lovely and called Toffee.

Original poster
HarrietKettleWasHere · 10/04/2017 18:38

Sadly it's just been too dark to get a photo of Russel and ScrapFox. And we're two floors up. So it's just a dark blob Sad need a fancy camera with night-vision...

Anyway he was back last night! Seems pretty chipper. I reckon they've both been having a whale of a time over the park in the evenings after the amazing weather going through all the food remnants people left behind! As they e been coming late the last couple of nights and Russel turned down a bit of ham. Although ScrapFox was happy to gobble it up though along with his medicined donut!

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