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

[MrsMotherHen]

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.

My only grrrrr moment with my wild friends was mr mole causing havoc in my lawn but hey ho he eventually moved on. As s city bred kid I find nothing more beautiful than seeing the security light go on and then 2/3 foxes just gazing at me. Just stunning.

Indeed fairies he had a peaked cap, spats and a very shiny whistle

My point is, that if you keep chickens you wouldn't encourage foxes to your garden by feeding them as that would be stupid. As they will kill all your chickens. That is a fact. It means I am less keen on foxes than other wild animals. I am presuming the OP doesn't have chickens so it's up to her if she wants to feed the foxes in her garden, but plenty of people wouldn't thank her for it

Yeah, I mean plainly if you've got livestock that a predator might like to eat, you'll be cautious about giving them the opportunity. That's pretty sensible

They...are so bold that they will just out stare you if you walk up to them.

Erm, how dare it? What's wrong with a fox staring at you? A stare is not harmful! I honestly don't understand the hostility towards these creatures. They very very rarely attack humans. Dogs on the other hand, even cute family pets, have been known to kill children....and there are thousands of attacks by dogs every year. I know which one I keep my children away from!

Some very inaccurate posts here,has anyone stopped to think that maybe the fact that humans are knocking up houses and destroying country side at a rate of knots be the reason that animals such as foxes have a bigger presence in our lifes? Maybe we should all be a bit more tolerant and kind,its a fox not an axe muderer just making its way in life.

I think she means that they don't run away. Badgers run away. Foxes don't tend to.

Sure, Ray, and my point was you were mistaken in saying 'You can't back up that they DON'T kill for fun' –you can and people manifestly have.

We are very rural (but no chickens) so there's no annoying the neighbours but can't deny they are very beautiful. This one was here on Saturday.

Do you have neighbours? Seems a bit mean to encourage a Fox when your neighbours might end up being bothered when they move in and start screaming and strewing rubbish everywhere.
Also how would you ensure the food gets eaten by a Fox rather than a rat?

I would. But I also chuck things out for the cats around here. Very small little place. Lots of house cats that roam outside during the night sometimes. Very friendly. Especially in these winter nights I like to chuck some food out every night, sometimes some water. And I leave our old unused shed for them to sleep in. Cats aren't the only creatures we get during the night. We get foxes too. They don't come during the day. At all. Never seen a cat, rat, mouse or did in our garden during the day. They dint leave poo around either. But i think we're just lucky.

My neighbour does this...please don't. They're so noisy and make an awful mess. She only stopped when they started wandering into the house if the door was left open.

I have foxes in my garden (rural). I feed them in the winter when food is scarce. Never had a problem with them. They are beautiful animals.

Only feed them, if you are happy for them to crap in your garden and enter your house.

One of my friends lived in a terrace and her neighbour used to feed foxes in the next door garden. My friend was out with her DS when he was 5 months old on a rug one warm summer evening. Her landline rang, so she popped inside to answer it, and as she walked back outside, with it as it was a portable phone, she was horrified to see a fox on the rug edging towards her baby.

Foxes are solitary hunters and they don't mind what source their food comes from be it bins, stuff put out for them, small domestic pets, chickens or babies.

Just because they look cute, doesn't mean they are.

Oh yes, there have been lots of instances where a fox has eaten a baby....

Oh. Wait...

I’ve fed them when it’s cold or they appear to be struggling.

I’ve also treated them for mange when they looked poorly.
Watching the cubs play was a joy, beautiful creatures.
They mate for life, they go their separate ways for winter but find each other in the spring.

Foxes screaming in the early hours is never less than terrifying when I first hear it. And then I'm sitting up in bed at 4am, heart hammering, listening to what sounds like a wailing little girl right outside. I wouldn't encourage them to come by more often...

I put food out for the foxes by our garden. I also put good out for hedgehogs, squirrels and the birds. A badger also sonetimes comes by but he just likes to dig up my lawn rather than eat scraps.
My children and I love seeing the wildlife around us. I don't value the life of a fox below that of any of the other animals I feed. They all deserve some help, particularly in this cold weather.

Foxes seem to use bairns as their primary foodstuff. It is also whispered that a fox was spotted slinking away from the grassy knoll in Dallas. It is also widely accepted that a fox shot JR and that 7 foxes join up and put on a straw wig to form the shape of Donald Trump.

I wouldn't. He will become dependent on you as a food source so if you suddenly have to stop (e.g because you move or are away for a long time) he could struggle. You also run the risk of him becoming more tame which could be dangerous, either because he approaches someone he shouldn't or because neighbours become concerned at his proximity.

It's rarely a good idea to feed wild animals other than birds - the odd scrap is one thing but I wouldn't make a habit of it! Just enjoy his magnificence while he is in the garden

For all those saying how benign foxes are, well, I've said upthread about having had a cat of mine killed by a fox - the bits that were left of it weren't a pretty sight and I'm afraid it's coloured my judgement of foxes as a whole. I didn't imagine what happened and I'm not exaggerating for effect. It was horrible.

I live rurally, and as long as they stay away I won't wish them active harm, but I wouldn't go out of my way to encourage them.

A fox killed one of my cats last year.
It wasn't pretty.

They are far more dangerous than I thought.

Abbey44 - sorry, crossposted.

My sympathies to you.

I’m pretty sure dogs kept as family pets cause more serious injuries to children each year than foxes do

Having lived in tne country and then an urban environment, I would not see humans taking over the countryside as a threat to foxes. They seem to thrive far more prolifically as scavengers in town than in the country.

I have never once seen a fox within the boundaries of my Mum’s village, I see several a day in S London. And I suspect they are connected to the fact that all the cats round here get ticks. I do not want ticks in our garden.

They don’t need feeding: people chuck enough fried chicken debris about. And they can eat beetles and grubs in your garden as easily as if they were in a copse.

And, you WILL attract rats.