To ask my neighbour to stop feeding to fucking foxes!

[Foxthefoxoff]

This is my first post so bare with me. Firstly I will say that I am a animal lover and vegetarian but any advice on Fox extermination or neighbour elimination will be greatly appreciated.

We live in a small cul de sac of 8 houses. One neighbour has been feeding foxes for years. We are now overrun with fat spoilt foxes that sleep in the road and barely move for cars. I have counted eight in the garden this morning. The smell is foul, they steal washing, we can't have any children's toys outside or garden furniture as they piss, shit and chew to death anything left out.

This is bad enough, but my main concern is that stupid fucking neighbour is feeding them raw chicken that they are bringing into my garden, happily dripping blood all over the patio. This morning I come down to two foxes on back step playing with raw chicken with all its lovely campylobacter, salmonella or god knows what else. DS is 21 months old I am scared to let him play in the garden for fear he becomes ill. They are so over fed they are playing with food rather than eating it. I have spoken to council who say they can't do anything.

I am at my wits end, any ideas? Wise MN'ers

You need to speak to your neighbour. Show them pictures of the damage. I think there are some deterrents you can buy but I’m not sure how well they work. Although costly, you could put up wire fencing that also goes deep into the ground.
Not sure if you could report as a public nuisance -its irresponsible to feed them but I don’t think it goes as far as a criminal offence.

I am a animal lover and vegetarian but any advice on Fox extermination

Sorry, you lost me at this hypocritical sentence.

Also, the gov.uk site gives guidance on what you can do about foxes.

Charlie, was the comment about eliminating the neighbour acceptable then?

YANBU.

We have foxes living near us who have cubs and I love seeing them playing after dark, but they are wild animals and should not be fed. They are obviously managing fine for themselves if they're breeding.

Feeding them encourages them to become less wild, less fearful of humans and causes all manner of issues.

Report them to environmental health

Yes, speak to environmental health and formally complain. We had to do this with a neighbour who was feeding pigeons, leading to hundreds of them everywhere. He got a warning letter which he ignored, then a court appearance and fine. He stopped after that.

Your neighbour is a fucking dickhead. And they are not doing the foxes any favours either.

What do your other neighbours think? Can you band together and go to complain to the fox feeder? Being generous, is the neighbour aware of the impact on the rest of you?

I think you need to borrow a couple of dogs. Even my small terrier has the chased off big male foxes. Borrow for a week, it's nice weather so you can leave doors open and dogs will go out at slightest hint of fox.

Or just get some humane traps and relocate foxes miles away to countryside.

Or actually just fox proof your garden, decent 6ft fence and gate should stop them, if there's nothing for them to use as steps to get over the fence.

@scurryfunge 😬 kind of! I've met far, far more people worthy of extermination than I have animals

Get a man or an entire male dog to urinate around the boundaries of your garden. You may still get foxes passing through, but they don't linger.
Lots of foxes here, no fox poo and hardly any pee since I've been sending DH outside

Charlie - you do realise you can love animals and eat them too? Or love animals but dislike them making pests of themselves?

I don't feed ours. It is certainly lawful in the country to shoot them, not sure about towns.
Ah yes here we are

"Shoot

You can shoot free foxes using a suitable firearm and ammunition.

You shouldn’t use firearms in urban areas for reasons of public safety."

www.gov.uk/guidance/foxes-moles-and-mink-how-to-protect-your-property-from-damage

They're just foxes!
You have all kinds of unsavoury humans living in close proximity and you're worried about some animals.
Fox proof your garden if you're that bothered.

I am with @sweetcheeks1980 on this one. If you are that bothered fox proof your garden if you go on wildlife charities webpages they will give you ideas.

Foxes have nowhere to go wig is building up all over the green belt. If anything have some compassion.

I'm pretty sure other humans don't come in the garden and piss, shit and chew kid's toys and garden furniture.
I hope not anyway!

They're just foxes!You have all kinds of unsavoury humans living in close proximity and you're worried about some animals.

However unsavoury the OP's neighbours, I doubt they're shitting in her garden and eating raw chicken on her patio.

If you are that bothered fox proof your garden

I don't see why the OP should have to go to the expense and hassle of doing this.

Talk to environmental health about the smell, the piss and shit and the raw chicken.

Fox proof the garden and also contact environmemtal health.

You could try one of those motion activation water jet animal scarers. I use them and they are very effective.

Take responsibility for your own property if you don't want foxes entering. As a PP said, it's very easy to fox proof your garden if you're concerned about your child. We have to ensure all of our land is fox proof as we have birds and many hungry foxes - be vigilant and check for any signs of damage regularly once the fence is installed.

Maybe ask your neighbour to change the food from raw chicken to something else, or just pick it up...and the poo. Ok, it's annoying it's not from your own pets but it's no different from neighbouring cats.

Your toddler will build up a healthy immune system if exposed to germs.

DO NOT 'RELOCATE THEM' TO THE COUNTRYSIDE!!!

FFS. It is illegal to trap and 'reallocate' pest species. Foxes live in family groups - would you like to be trapped and 'reallocated' miles from your home and family with no idea how to survive in a strange and dangerous environment - which is no doubt another aggressive fox families territory? Your young are left to starve to death in your family Den so what do you do? YOIu head off to try and find them and die of exposure or starvation.
What about the farmer who's land you decide is the best place for 'reallocation'. These foxes have been fed - they have no hunting skills - they will be going for livestock and thru bins. It's an utterly stupid, irresponsible and selfish thing to do.

If you have a problem fox in an urban environment ring pest control at the local council. Foxes cannot be 'tamed' and made into pets without selective breeding. These foxes are not tamed, they are habituated to humans and that makes them very dangerous - wild animals benefit from being frightened of humans as we are extremely dangerous to them. They may bite a child if they are hungry and the child is in a vulnerable position, they will get bolder and ultimately feeding them like this is usually a death sentence for the fox. The council will trap and destroy any foxes that present a threat to humans - and they are a threat to children once they are habituated.

People who feed and pet wildlife (other than birds that can peck seed as they would in the wild) are not animal lovers, they are selfish individuals living out a silly 'disney' fantasy at an animals expense.

And yes, male human urine is a brilliant deterrent.