I used to go on anti fox hunting demos…

[Justjoinedforthis]

..now I’m actually considering staging a fox hunt in my back garden. I am finding myself so depressed by the daily food waste and fox shit strewn across my garden, as well as them digging in all my pots seemingly just for fun? Does anyone know of any fox repellants that actually work, or do I just need to accept its part of city life and make it part of my routine?
Having another animal issue with mice: they seem to be hip to the traps and poison we leave out, and they keep getting into cupboards and nibbling crackers etc that are for the kids packed lunches, I really can’t afford to keep chucking stuff. Have ordered some food storage containers, but I just want to fuckers to sod off! Do I need to go nuclear and get the sticky traps? I know they are awful and so inhumane, but I keep finding mouse poos in areas the kids play and I just want to destroy them. Any ideas much appreciated for my animal woes.

We just have the snap traps, not pleasant but do the job. We’ve lost so much food to the buggers I’m far less sympathetic than I was . . .

Don’t do glue traps or poison- both are really cruel as you know.

Make sure there are no points of entry into your home. Hoover up crumbs religiously. Glass storage containers and just generally being scrupulously clean. Use natural repellants- peppermint oil is good- and humane traps so if there are any still inside you can put them back outside.

Thanks for the reply. We have lots of snap traps out, they used to work but I feel like the mice have learned to avoid them. I also hear a lot of frenzied squeaking in the evenings which I think is either them discussing the traps with each other, or mating bleurgghh

Get a cat.

Council could be a good shout thank you, do they check for points of entry? It’s an old house I feel like I wouldn’t know where to start.
I love cats but work full time and two small kids, can’t cope with another creature to care for at the moment.

And agree re fox hunting, between the mess and the sound

Please don’t use glue traps, as you know a horrifically painful and stressful way to die.

we have used snap traps which I still hate, you might need to change what you’re using as bait?

Can you make your outside bin secure somehow to stop the foxes getting in? I understand your frustration!!

Borrow a dog for the fox and get humane traps baited with chocolate for the mice.

Have some chocolate for yourself too. Foxes are bastards.

@Magstermay Yes I know you are right - I don’t think I will use them, just so fed up at the idea of mouse wee and poo on my kids stuff. Its other people’s food waste which is so much worse!

If you have a man that can provide pee for around your garden perimeter, the smell is supposed to deter the foxes. Probably (marginally) preferable to fox poo.

Do not use sticky traps. They are despicable objects that should never have been invented, that are not just dangerous and inhumane to wildlife but pets too. Same with poison.

With mice get pest control round - the only solution is to get the holes they are getting into blocked up. Traps won’t fix it, they breed too fast. Do it quickly or they will multiply further.

With foxes the main thing is a good fence, and then ideally motion activated lights - they like darkness. Also clear any wild bits of your garden they might enjoy hiding in. But just the fence might do it.

Some animals are pests and once they are eating your food and dragging your bins around to do have to get shot of them.

The only way we got rid of mice was when got a cat. Lazy bastard used to snooze in the greenhouse all day while the mice trotted about in the house but when he eventually worked out what was going on he did his job and they never came back. They actually moved back next door, where they'd come from in the first place.

We had the council round for rats. He turned up with pretty big traps but more alarmingly, a cricket bat.
He was up in the lofts for ages banging away with his bat!!

If you know where they are gaining entry, try and fill with wire wool as they can't gnaw through that.

www.hsi.org/news-media/inhumane-rodent-glue-traps-to-be-banned-in-england/

Mice - electric traps. Got them off amazon. Put in battery, squidge in some peanut butter. Instant death. Easy disposal. Also mice hate tin foil so good thing to use to block up holes.

Thanks for all the tips 👌

I actually borrowed a friend's cat for a couple of days. I stood stupified when it saw the mice but they left and never came back!
Get down into the backs of your cupboards/underneath the units and around all the pipes and seal all the gaps. If they can't get in and can't get at any food they'll go elsewhere. Please don't use poison! It's a cruel death.

*It

I can't help with foxes but you must be ruthless with mice. Anyone who urges you not to kill them has never had an infestation. It sounds like you have a big problem and they breed very, very fast.
Snap traps will only get the odd one.

Council pest control will charge you for mice (rats are free) but it's well worth getting an expert in. I found they were really knowledgeable and enthusiastic in their work. They won't stop until the mice are gone.
Meanwhile get some poison and put it in child / pet safe rat boxes everywhere you have seen signs, check and refill daily.
Be aware that they will smell unspeakably bad for about a week after death.

I have emailed my council pest control team. I didn’t know poison was a cruel death you know, I just assumed they would go to sleep! Bit naïve of me there.
I would love to borrow a cat, I will ask my neighbours.

I read an article in a newspaper just a couple of weeks ago - I'm sorry I can't remember which newspaper now but it was online - which talked about this problem. You can call in pest/fox control experts who are skilled with dealing with fox-in-garden issues.

And according to the article this was absolutely the most effective way of dealing with it.

I think councils are limited in what they can so because foxes aren't vermin so definitely seek out a professional.

I had to get council in for rats recently (live next to a farm). They said they had never been so busy and were sub contracting to other pest control companies.

Get some male (human) urine to pour around your garden. Should deter the foxes!