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

Just to clarify, we have horrid problems with foxes in our suburban town (no neighbours feeding then that I know of). We have tried fox proofing our garden. Cement bases for 6ft fence plus trellis on top, thorny trailing roses. They borrow under and also climb over the fence. They did this all the while we had two male cocker spaniels. Before using current dog treatment, one of our dogs not only caught fleas from them but mange too! We’re having building works which are clearly upsetting them so they’ve taken to pooing and peeing in unusual places - which includes our front door step, now permanently discoloured and reeking from this odour, burned the uvpc too

As they’re territorial, it’s going to be terribly difficult to stop them coming into your garden (even with a dog). However, if the neighbour stops feeding them, at least the OP won’t have the chicken mess.

I was told by the council's pest control officer that foxes hate the smell of creosote. Unfortunately, creosote is now banned, but I bet there's loads lying around in sheds etc.

If you can get your hands on some, get enough rope to go round the perimeter of your garden, soak it in creosote and lay it on the ground next to all the fences. Works a treat, according to council man (who was round to deal with a rat problem we had).

My NDNs used to feed foxes, and they'd do things like leave out a big dish half-full of leftover lasagne. The following morning, I saw a rat tucking into a nice Italian meal.

DP was livid. He couldn't believe someone would actually HAVE leftover lasagne, and thought they should have offered it to him first.

They stopped feeding foxes when they got some chickens. They may have stopped a little too late, because the number of chickens very quickly went down from 6 to one.

Fox sightings are considerably fewer now, but that rats seem to be more populous than ever. Thankfully, they haven't managed to colonise the space under my kitchen floor again yet.

I do wonder if the presence of lots of foxes may have been a bit of a rat deterrent.

Would the council think it was a problem if someone was feeding rats? Of course they would.

Our neighbours feed the birds but they don’t seem to realise that the pretty little birds are shafted by the big fat ugly pigeons and now seagulls. They feed them huge hunks of bed and I’m sure they are encouraging rats too.
The seagulls shit everywhere and aren’t beautiful unless they are where they should be, i.e. not on the outskirts of a busy town!
I really don’t understand the appeal of welcoming pests to your home. It seems to come from an underlying lack of intelligence.
Good luck OP. It’s issues like these that make me want to move.

I love foxes, and there is nothing wrong with wildlife in urban areas.

However, what your neighbour is doing is incredibly irresponsible and YANBU!

Wild animals are not pets and are supposed to be cautious of humans. Encouraging foxes to be bold (lying in the road ffs!) is not doing them a favour, it is increasing the chance of them coming into conflict with humans.

I agree with posters about not releasing them into the countryside - the last thing rural areas need is a load of foxes too bold for their own good who have never learnt the skills to survive in the wild.
Don't do it!

Collect evidence of the nuisance they are causing and take it to neighbour. If she ignores you (she probably will) give the evidence to the council who will hopefully stop ignoring you once your complaints are backed up with evidence of a potential rat problem.

Earlier in the thread contacting the RSPCA was suggested. A few years ago we had a neighbour who did exactly the same as yours. He would take his leftovers and cat food across the road and dump them on the verge opposite so his grandkids could watch the cute foxes come out of the wood. He been doing it a few months when an RSPCA inspector turned up making enquiries about who was feeding wild foxes, and he was very unhappy. None of us 'dobbed' the neighbour in, but we made sure he knew about it. Funnily he stopped the feeding right after. No animal lover wants a stern telling off from the RSPCA.

I think you need to talk to your neighbour.

It doesn't need to get confrontational.

Just explain politely that you have wild foxes in your garden, eating raw chicken, pooing everywhere and chewing your child's toys etc. (It is unhygienic & unsafe for your toddler to use your garden)

That you have sought advice on this matter (from MN obviously ) and some of the advice includes putting poison down in your garden.

I'd say to her that you really don't want to report the problem to EH or be forced to trap or poison them because you understand her compassion and that she wants to help these animals but could she please tone it down.

She knows what she's doing is wrong because she's lying to the other neighbour about it being one Fox, once a day. She will lie to you too.

If you can't speak to her, perhaps you could write a firm yet compassionate letter and possibly print off some facts on the dangers of foxes (or news articles about hazardous foxes around children etc.) and put it through her letterbox.

I believe it did start as one Fox being fed occasionally and it has now spiralled out of control and she can't turn them away. It will only start getting worse as more and more foxes appear, someone needs to help her reign herself in.

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

Sorry, you lost me at this hypocritical sentence.*

This! In spades!

So next door neighbour is feeding them because she's lonely. She probably won't ever stop then and 'Liley' will produce more foxes, who will produce more foxes.

It's harsh because she's obviously attached to the animals but, you might just need to get them exterminated now before the problem gets worse.

This is exactly why wild animals shouldn't be fed. She's messed with the balance and now the animals will have to be killed.

@bonnyshide thank you for your considered advice. This was why it wouldn't have been a good idea to speak to her this morning as I was so wound up at the sight of raw chicken blood being spattered across my back step, it probably would not have gone well. I think you're right, the best I can probably hope for is that she tones it down a bit. After speaking to NNDN I think I will have to tread carefully.

@CookieSue222 and pp who mentioned RSPCA - I have just spoken to them. No joy there I'm afraid, apparently they don't have the resources for this and will only attend if the fox is sick or wounded and I have it captive on my property.

I suspect that 'Lilly' 🦊 has toxoplasmosis as I believe this is the fox DH & identify as one eyed zombie fox. Told RSPCA this and they said they will only come if Fox is acutely unwell.

Arrrggghhhh this is so frustrating

senoritabonita

How is feeding hedgehogs being selfish and living in a silly Disney fantasy at the animal’s expense?

I wouldn't speak to the neighbour. She sounds a bit unhinged if she has named one of the foxes and believes it 'saved' her in some way. You'll achieve nothing because she is nuts and thinks foxes are cute or some such nonsense and she'll then know you are gunning for 'Lily' and could start getting even more difficult.

I do think you should still write to the council. A letter outlining all the environmental issues and asking for a response giving details of their proposed course of action. A letter is harder to ignore than a phone call.

Foxes are vermin. Like rats. Would all you animal lovers enjoy having fat rats running around your garden and sleeping in the road? No. Thought not.

Urban foxes are becoming more and more of a problem.

Op - sign the petition to repeal the legislation around fox hunting.

Speaking to her is going to make absolutely no difference. she will not stop - ever. If she is lonely then she could get a cat or a budgie.

I am an ex EHO and I am shocked that they wont come out and deal with this as a nuisance. I suggest you write in to the Chief EHO and copy in your local councillor (s). attach pictures and any other evidence that you have . I would also go and get some free legal advice from Citizens advice. your only option if you go down this route might be to take a private prosecution against her for nuisance. Difficult and costly.

If this woman goes on holiday for a couple of weeks or gets taken into hospital for any length of time then these foxes are going to get really hacked off. this is when they start taking peoples pet rabbits, guinea pigs and anything else that they can get hold of.

personally, I would go along and have a chat with her, possibly with another neighbour there as a witness. perhaps you could invite her and the other neighbour in to yours for a chat. explain the problem and ask her to stop. its worth a try but I don't think it will work.

however when it doesn't I would call in a private pest control company to bait and kill them. brutal I know but they are vermin and if you cant cut off their food supply this is actually in the end going to be your only option.

Please make your neighbour very aware that you will do this if she doesn't respond and make sure that the pest controllers call and she sees them so she knows that you mean it.

however, if she does stop suddenly feeding them then I would keeping any pets and children inside for the next couple of weeks because they are going to be majorly pissed off.

I can’t believe that Environmental Health brushed this off.

Surely a family of foxes that has zero wariness of humans, living in a residential area is a public health liability?

I’d be asking to speak to a manager and asking why exactly this is not their responsibility. And following up with questioning what would happen if your child or other member of the family became ill after coming into contact with their waste or injured after an encounter with a Fox with no fear of humans- all of which occurred after you previously called their department to highlight the problem.

I sympathise OP as we have a problem with neighbours feeding foxes and birds. These are not even typical cute looking foxes, they are horrible scary looking ones and have no fear of humans. They like to come and poo on our door step and around all over the garden. Then the bird food is attracting pigeons and seagulls which has scared away all the lovely little birds.

The food is attracting rats and we have seen two grazing on the food in the NDN garden.

These are wild animals and they do not need feeding. If you want to feed something get a pet or move to the country and live on a farm.

Just as an aside, when I was an EHO we dealt with a squirrel problem. they had been fed by a youngster who then moved away. The squirrels then basically terrorised kids walking to school and anyone else with a back pack on and there were some very nasty injuries from scratches and bites. we had to trap and kill them all in the end. It was horrible - for us as pest control dealing with all the abuse for what we were doing and also being shouted at by the people being attacked. Its not a kindness to feed wild animals like this. it really isn't.

What if you started feeding them.....then got them used to traps, then put the food IN the traps? Then get a friendly farmer to shoot them for you.

Foxes are territorial so it’s not helpful to exterminate - you just leave a power vacuum and other foxes will then fight for the territory and move in.

I like foxes but I sympathise that liking something doesn’t mean you want its shit everywhere, especially with a toddler. I also wouldn’t fancy raw chicken everywhere!

Can you get a sprinkler? They’re not keen on water spraying them, and it won’t harm your toddler.

The Op has tried all the deterrents that she can but at the end of the day, they are getting free food which they have to expend zero time and energy on getting. an animals idea of bliss. These animals lie in the road and aren't deterred by cars. a bit of water or male urine is going to have no effect on them whatsoever.

Nothing is going to deter them. they need shooting.

there will only be a vacuum if the old lady continues to put out food. hopefully though when she sees the pest controllers arrive and knows what is happening she will stop. you cant reason with some people like this. you just have to act.

if not, then they will breed and there will be more of them year on year.

I live in the back end of beyond surrounded by fields. I have only actually seen a fox on my land maybe half a dozen times. they are nervous of people, you don't see them around. what is happening here is not a natural situation.

if the old lady has family perhaps its worth contacting them as well. I would try and put things in writing and follow up with face to face chats. this isn't going to be easy OP but honestly, you cant leave it.

Foxes dislike jeyes fluid too...we had one sitting happily on our steps until we washed them with jeyes.

Try cloths soaked in it wherener you want them to avoid

I'd avoid creosote as the reason it's banned is that it's carcinogenic - not great for your kids to have that lying around the garden. I also would not use this line "some of the advice includes putting poison down in your garden" as the NDN could rightly point out that that would be illegal.

I would however document, photograph, and make a right fecking fuss to the council. No bloody way is there nothing they can do

These ‘town foxes’ are incredibly brave, perfectly happy laying around in our garden and wandering right up to the patio doors. I am terrified of leaving the doors open and leaving the room in case one wanders in. If I had very young DC like the OP I would be going batshit at the NDN and her raw chicken not just because of foxes, but rats and the general mess and risk it brings. It is seriously inconsiderate of people to do this.

mummymeister

Foxes are classed as wild animals, not pests, and Councils have no statutory powers or legal rights to eradicate foxes on private or other land.

According to my council website.