Wit's End - 7 foxes in my town garden this afternoon

usignuolo

I just went out into my modest 30 foot (walled) town garden and there were 7 yes 7 foxes on the lawn. In the middle of the afternoon. There are already holes all over it which I am constantly filling. I think they live in the garden next door but the elderly couple there seem unable to do much about it (they have a longer garden than me with a wild patch at the end).

I dare not leave the back door open. I do not understand how they can survive here as there is another large family of foxes in the garden over the road, 10 yards away, in a house which has been empty for some time. Surely two large families of foxes cannot live within ten yards of each other.

Has anyone got any suggestions on getting rid of them, I am getting desperate. I have tried Scoot and teabags soaked in Jeyes fluid but they ignore them. Is there likely to be something in my garden which is attracting them?

youngie

have you tried contacting your local council and asking advice from the enviroment officer

usignuolo

Council has a policy of non intervention, just suggests you contact The Fox Project for suggestions on humane deterrents. In fact in the local paper, one elderly couple had such problems that they had the foxes in their garden trapped and removed. They immediately started getting hate mail and threats from local animal lovers and the paper had a photo of all the opponents of the trapping. It is too small a garden to get anyone to shoot them at night.

pinkcandyflossprincess

would you be able to offer to do your neighbours garden for them if they cant cope with it?
7 foxes does seem bizarre though!:eek:
I wonder if they had killed something as it does seem odd unless one was a female who had attracted lots of male attention or something?

If both gardens are pretty bare of hiding spots, etc i would imagine they would move on, unless your neighbours have been feeding them maybe.
I like foxes and see one each night going on his rounds in my near by fields and have had a fox poo in my garden the other week , however i would be a little horrified to find 7 sat in my garden:eek::eek:

tanith

The average fox cub litter is 4-6 so could well be parents with 5 cubs... I love to watch but I too would be put out if 7 turned up in the garden..

usignuolo

My neighbours are very nice but very eccentric and I am sure there is a nice cosy den in their overgrown garden. I regularly find discarded food packets in mine and the other day my OH found a large animal bone in the garden........We have a weekly dustbin and compost bin collection locally so I am not sure why someone should be chucking out food like this unless they are indeed feeding them. That is not my neighbours I am sure, they are more guilty of having so much rubbish in their garden it is easy for the foxes to nest there.

I do find it really surprising that two large families of foxes can live within 10 yards of each other, and I believe there are more nearby. The authorities who say the have a territory of 40 gardens per fox and don't rifle dustbins, ought to come and do a survey in my area.

Anyway as I said I have a wall around my garden. It is around 6 feet high. The neighbouring gardens back onto it. On one side is a neighbours trellis and the same at the far end. On the other side are my elderly neighbours who have two overgrown appletrees which overhang into my garden. Nearest the house on the same side is my shed. However there is a bare area of wall just at one corner with my neighbours and I think this is where they are getting in.

In my shed I found a leftover set of anti pigeon spikes, from when we had the roof done, so I have stuck those on there for the time being. I may add some broken glass but longer term will get some trellis myself for the gaps and stick it on my side of the wall. Hopefully if I can deter them from entering they will go elsewhere.

annie123

They will leave soon, my son has mum,dad and 6 cubs, they come back every year. He found they stopped digging for food if he put some out which he does......jam sandwiches.

They still flatten his tatties, for some reason they like running through them but it won't be long till they are older and leave.

A water pistol may help or if its easier a sprinkle with the hose pipe will give them the message that they are not welcome, may take several attempts.

martinthebandit

something like this might be worth a try

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ULTRASONIC-ANIMAL-CAT-DOG-FOX-DETERRENT-REPELLER-SCARER-/320661745993?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item4aa8edf149

I have no idea how effective it would be though, so only go for it if you can afford to waste the cost of it

DirtPoorGuy

Supposedly human male urine it a deterrant as they sense another predator has marked the territory, might be worth weeing on the lawn a few times to see if that makes them stay away.

oldtractor

Call your local fox hunt. Fright Predudice, Fight the Ban.

onestep

Borrow a friend's (big) dog for a few days; the foxes will not want to come where there are dogs. If you can make your garden more secure, so much the better.