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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To leave some food out for the fox in our garden.

407 replies

MrsMotherHen · 25/02/2018 15:23

We have a fox that frequents our garden last few occasions hes been out in the day and DH has just seen him sunbathing on the patio. We are not rural but live about 50m away from the beach front along a promenade with a park quite close.

To leave some food out for the fox in our garden.
OP posts:
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5
creaturefeatures · 26/02/2018 07:25

...and I have lots of visiting foxes and four cats. The cats have come to no harm and often chase the foxes off.

KC225 · 26/02/2018 07:27

I love to see a fox. When I lived in London we had loads and I used to feed them, so did my neighbour. OP that fox looks lovely.

TheVanguardSix · 26/02/2018 07:29

They annoy the hell out of me at night with their racket but when I see them lurking in the garden during the day, they're beauty does take my breath away. I'm in London and urban foxes are very brazen and require no feeding. They're not timid at all. They look at me like, "What are you doing on our turf?" when I'm standing in my own garden.

I wouldn't encourage them. They are wild animals and you just need to let them get on with being what they are. Don't interfere.

Raybon · 26/02/2018 07:29

How do you KNOW that foxes don't kill fir fun? My terrier chases squirrels for fun.

TheVanguardSix · 26/02/2018 07:30

Oh my grammar! They're beauty? Obviously I meant 'their beauty'.
Ugh. Crap night's sleep to blame.

HarrietKettle · 26/02/2018 07:33

Your terrier doesn't presumably need to catch and eat that squirrel for survival does he, because he's a pet Confused so he can have a fun chase. It's not really the same thing.

People love to make various statements about foxes without being able to back them up.

SoupDragon · 26/02/2018 07:47

They are British wildlife like hedgehogs, bats, badgers, stoats.

“Vermin” are also British wildlife so that’s a bit of a daft comment really.

Raybon · 26/02/2018 07:53

You can't back up that they DON'T kill for fun either. If you've had chickens that are killed by foxes it's a pretty vile and upsetting thing. I think people who have had that experience are entitled to their opinion.

Raybon · 26/02/2018 07:56

I don't find foxes at all beautiful. It's good to see all manner of wildlife but personally I don't find them majestic or beautiful. Birds of prey, yes. Deer and stags yes. Foxes no.

k2p2k2tog · 26/02/2018 07:57

It's a wild animal. It does not need your help.

And yes to the screaming being horrendous, we have foxes living near us and the racket they make is awful. And they trash bins, shit everywhere... They are to be tolerated and respected but NOT encouraged.

Jammycustard · 26/02/2018 08:02

Foxes are a PITA around here (zone 2/3 London). I have regular lumps of their disgusting shit in the gaEden, they’ve chewed up the mini tranpoline, they attacked our neighbour’s cat and make a right noise. They certainly don’t need feeding.

ChaosNeverRains · 26/02/2018 08:04

Actually grey squirrels are also considered to be vermin and they cannot be moved only eradicated.

And there is plenty of evidence i.e. coops full of dead chickens, that foxes do kill for fun and very little to show that they don’t.

But regardless of that, they’re wild animals. Would you feed tigers if they came into your garden? Lions? Other large predators which have the capacity to do you harm? no of course you wouldn’t because you would recognise that they were wild animals.

People feed foxes because they consider them to be small enough not to do them or theirs harm. If a fox was twice the size people would think before encouraging them into their gardens. But the outcome is still the same. You are still encouraging wild animals to become more domesticated and lose the ability to fend for themselves.

AnnaMagnani · 26/02/2018 08:04

Personally I wouldn't as you can't guarantee the foxes are going to eat the food you leave out. And fox shit in your garden is awful.

My neighbour used to leave out food for hedgehogs. She now has 2 cats that arrived as strays attracted by the food Grin

She doesn't do it any more.

Frillyhorseyknickers · 26/02/2018 08:08

Feeding wild animals is an immensely stupid thing to do, it fucks up the food chain - don’t do it.

Foxes do kill for fun, that is a fact verified by most livestock farmers in this country who have experienced a fox kill - they kill many more than the take for food. That is fun killing.

TTCI · 26/02/2018 08:09

Op please don't listen to people calling them hateful things such as vermin. They are not. They are beautiful and a lot of the negativity around them is people that hunt them.

areyoubeingserviced · 26/02/2018 08:09

Definitely don’t do it.
My SIL left food out for foxes and they now come daily with an entourage

TTCI · 26/02/2018 08:15

@DullAndOld you're being ridiculous I actually cringed at what you just said. Foxes are animals trying to survive like every other animal they are not trying to stare you down. They just see sand and think "well this is a nice place to poo" Not "oh here's a child's play area let's shit all over it just to piss off dullandold hehehe"

SoupDragon · 26/02/2018 08:24

They are beautiful

Would you feel the same if they were ugly?

and a lot of the negativity around them is people that hunt them.

I would say only a small minority of negativity around them is people that hunt them.

Sparklingbrook · 26/02/2018 08:26

When the poorly fox turned up here 'beautiful' was not the word that sprang to mind. It needed help.

Believeitornot · 26/02/2018 08:30

Don’t feed the fox. For a start you’re messing with its natural diet (which is why Urban foxes are a bad thing).

Your dcs won’t always be so young and will be able to be unsupervised in the garden. That’ll be rubbish if there’s fox crap everywhere

TTCI · 26/02/2018 08:32

Well I am an animal lover and I think all wildlife are a beautiful part of our country. And a lot of negativity around them are pro hunt. Also think there's a few posters on here that are a bit dramatic and don't understand compassion.

HarrietKettle · 26/02/2018 08:34

I think you need to read up on why (it's been covered here so it's not difficult- but it will also come up quite easily if you google) on my Mr Fox takes more chickens than he can eat.

HarrietKettle · 26/02/2018 08:35

Sorry- WHY Mr Fox will kill all the chickens but take one.

Bluesheep8 · 26/02/2018 08:37

@harrietkettle...That has got to be one of the most sensible posts I've ever read on mumsnet! Smile

Bluesheep8 · 26/02/2018 08:38

Your initial post about us living on their land etc...