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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

To not want foxes shitting on everything?

44 replies

RightSaidPleb · 12/09/2021 09:20

Help me. We are at war and fighting a losing battle!

We have a den of foxes in some woods that are close to our back garden.

We often see little Cubs stretching out and bathing in the early morning sun over the summer. Very cute!

However, our adoring view of them has changed since they started shitting on everything!

I can cope with lawn poos (we have a Labrador so used to poo pick ups) but this campaign has turned personal

We have had diarrhoea sprayed shit on our back door which has a narrow step in front of it so they'd have to really be determined to do this! They've started peeing on my toddlers garden toys (no room in the shed for big stuff and no matter how high we leave it, they get to it!). Massive shits on our front door step in our porch which I've stepped in while taking my son to nursery.

This morning I've looked out onto our patio to find they've climbed on our outside wooden table and chairs and there are two shits on it and one on a chair.

I apologise for the continued use of 'shit' but I am at a loss!

They're used to the dog barking and chasing them but it doesn't put them off and they obviously use our garden overnight.

How can I deter them without using harsh chemicals that will affect my dog and toddler?

The garden is as secure as it can be but they use the shed roofs and fences to hop between the gardens!

I don't want to cause them harm but I really want to try and keep them out of the garden, or at least from using it as a personal lavatory!!

OP posts:
Cuddlywaterfall · 12/09/2021 17:01

@SoupDragon yes. Our neighbours have also had it done, and some other friends who live fairly close. They lads come with night vision goggles and all sorts of cool kit.
Not a turd since.

Wole · 12/09/2021 17:36

@Etulosba

Yes, carnivore poo from the zoo can help

So, replace fox poo with more exotic carnivore poo?

Hahaha
Wole · 12/09/2021 17:37

@Cuddlywaterfall

We tried everything to solve this problem. The only effective solution was professional pest control. Basically a man comes round to your house at night and shoots as many foxes as he can. Sorry.
My neighbours would love this...
KingsleyShacklebolt · 13/09/2021 09:08

Oh I sympathise, OP. We have foxes living in the garden of a house at the end of hte street, we back onto farmland and we see them all the time. Yes they are nice to look at, and it was great when they had cubs, but they are noisy and disruptive and messy.

We need a campaign fronted by someone respected in terms of wildlife to tell people to stop feeding them. Feeding foxes should be as antisocial as leaving food out for rats.

MissMarplesGoddaughter · 13/09/2021 19:59

@KingsleyShacklebolt

Oh I sympathise, OP. We have foxes living in the garden of a house at the end of hte street, we back onto farmland and we see them all the time. Yes they are nice to look at, and it was great when they had cubs, but they are noisy and disruptive and messy.

We need a campaign fronted by someone respected in terms of wildlife to tell people to stop feeding them. Feeding foxes should be as antisocial as leaving food out for rats.

Someone on the local FB actually posted to say how much the foxes liked her jam sandwiches.........
burritofan · 13/09/2021 20:07

will look up at them and do a poo, then carry on staring.
Uncannily like my toddler.

RAFHercules · 13/09/2021 21:16

I might hire the sharp shooter for next doors 6 cats, who use my (gravel) drive, strawberry bed, and lawn as their personal toilet. Now that would create a scandal. Wink

BananaPB · 13/09/2021 21:26

We used to get urban foxes visit us because a neighbour used to feed them Angry We tried the male urine and lion poo from the garden centre (I swear this is a real thing) but they didn't work. Getting rid of the blackberry bushes in our garden seemed to help the amount of poo they left.

bunnybuggs · 13/09/2021 21:36

where are the posters from the thread last week who were saying how wonderful the cute foxes are and that they love to feed them in their urban gardens,
Have they all gone to watch Mr Fox Hmm

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 13/09/2021 21:43

WHAT??? Iived in deeply rural areas all my life and have never once had foxes shitting on anything. They were always in my garden.
Is this a joke or did you really piss them off?

RightSaidPleb · 13/09/2021 22:01

I have made a discovery.

Parking on the driveway from picking up my toddler this afternoon and the 'weird' neighbours two doors down walk past. I'm carefully navigating the front porch with him as I can smell fox urine and swearing under my breath as having to bleach it again.

Neighbours "Looks like you're playing twister there!"
Me (having shoved toddler through front door to DH) "yes, bloody foxes again using our front porch as a lavatory. You won't believe they've started pooing on our garden furniture"
Neighbours chuckling "ohh those pesky critters. They don't mean any harm and are in such poor condition"
Me "yes, I know they don't mean it but it's starting to feel personal! I'm considering investing in some eco deterrent"
Neighbours Gasp "oh I do hope that won't impact them visiting our garden, they'll miss they're dinners"
Me "what do you mean?"
Neighbours "well we thought they looked a bit gaunt a few months ago so we started putting dog bowls of leftovers in the garden for them. Marge (not her name) has even started cooking up chicken for them. They love it!!"
Me...sigh "well, that explains the chicken bones left in the garden along with the poo!"

I did try to reason with them that this was causing a problem for us (and explains why it's got worse the last few months) but they are adamant they won't stop. This may also explain why my lovely next door neighbours have now got a rat problem under their decking that had appeared from nowhere.

The fox feeders do tend to mount campaigns for things. We have horrible asbestos garages not in use on our road that were going to be knocked down and replaced by an actually very modest low rise housing development. They successfully argued hedgehogs use the back of garages and did overnight watches to record evidence. Now, I love hedgehogs and don't wish them harm but surely they could have been resited. Now we have to look at horrible rusty, asbestos garages with no chance of planning.

I digress. Thanks for all the help! I'm loathe to add more carnivore poo but looking To order some of the eco deterrents!

OP posts:
RightSaidPleb · 13/09/2021 22:04

@Shehasadiamondinthesky

WHAT??? Iived in deeply rural areas all my life and have never once had foxes shitting on anything. They were always in my garden. Is this a joke or did you really piss them off?
I mean, I didn't love the Wes Anderson version of Fantastic Mr Fox but surely they can't hold that against me? Even George Clooney couldn't make that a success!

Poo up against DH's precious egg type bbq this morning. I kid you not

Interesting PP mentioned that our dog may be riling them up and there may indeed be a 'personal' element to it!

OP posts:
KingsleyShacklebolt · 13/09/2021 22:06

Neighbours "well we thought they looked a bit gaunt a few months ago so we started putting dog bowls of leftovers in the garden for them.

What a pair of fucking idiots.

TheYearOfSmallThings · 13/09/2021 22:08

Aww, why didn't you enable voting? I wanted to vote YABU Sad

SoupDragon · 13/09/2021 22:09

@TheYearOfSmallThings

Aww, why didn't you enable voting? I wanted to vote YABU Sad
Why? Would you like to have Fox shit over everything?
CareerInspirationRequired · 13/09/2021 22:22

"well we thought they looked a bit gaunt a few months ago so we started putting dog bowls of leftovers in the garden for them. Marge (not her name) has even started cooking up chicken for them. They love it!!"

Reply with "oh dear. If you're not going to stop feeding them, it looks like we're going to have to get the pest control guys to come and shoot them then. Such a shame as I really just wanted them to go away, not to have to kill them"

I couldn't actually get them shot, but I'd certainly try to bluff the neighbours.

IncessantNameChanger · 13/09/2021 22:25

We are rural and chilli powder seems to work. But I suspect it might have been one of my neighbours letting their dog shit everywhere. Our back gate is always open so I poured a 500g bag of chili powder by the gate and around my car parked just outside the gate. They stop for years then come back. But we are rural and opposite woodland so they have options to bugger off to.

Gregdaviessss · 13/09/2021 22:42

I buried my old doggie in the garden and planted a Laurel bush that bore her name on her resting place. The visiting fox shit on it a number of times. In fairness when she was alive she gave as good an early morning chase as an old girl could.

Cuddlywaterfall · 14/09/2021 09:50

Sorry OP, we found out our stupid neighbours were feeding them too. We tried the lion poo, ultra sonic scarer things, adult male wee, cleaning with Jeyes Fluid - absolutely none of it worked. You'll have to get the pest control people. Legit companies are licensed by the police to use shotguns. The guys we used were very discreet and none of the neighbours were any wiser.

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