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

Lotus-eater

oldtractor wrote: »

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

What are they going to do, chase the fox through urban gardens?

[Deleted User]

It was just a question of time. I wonder how people will feel when they start killing all the local pet chickens, just for fun

tilly_willow

6 foot walls are easy for foxes, they are very nimble and jump well. I don't have an answer for you other than if your garden is good for sun bathing the foxes will be very happy. They won't like it if you are busy in the garden, too much disturbance, and as in a previous post, won't like a dog around.

miecherox

Like mine Kittie, all three of my girls were dragged out of their hutch two nights ago and killed. I found the white ones head today under a load of leaves, so glad I did and not my 4 or 5 year old who were helping me...

So mad with the foxes and madder still with people who feed them and think they are cute. They are not cute, they s**t all over my lawn, trample my veg patch and kill my animals.

If anyone does fond a good solution to the problem please post. I'm trying everything including letting the boys in the family pee all over the garden....

[Deleted User]

and my neighbours. All their daughter`s pet hens and then a few days later the local farmer lost all his lovely geese to the fox. I was on a horse once and saw a fox watching a ewe giving birth, he was waiting until she couldn`t move and then snatched the first lamb

annie123

miecherox wrote: »

So mad with the foxes and madder still with people who feed them and think they are cute. They are not cute, they s**t all over my lawn, trample my veg patch and kill my animals.

Aimed at me I guess and that's fine, we'd be boring if we all thought the same.

A fox killed my rabbit when I was little, I found it the next morning.
My dad explained the life cycle of what eats what and the fact that we have taken their homes by our expanding population, we are the vermin to them. That was over 40 years ago and we have taken even more land now. Yes they will eat animals in cages, but so do people.

I fully appreciate that you dont want them in your garden, a big water pistol or a garden hose at them will make them get the message and leave your place alone.
We do that when they visit the wildlife rescue centre at the woods I volunteer at.

miecherox

annie123 wrote: »

Aimed at me I guess and that's fine, we'd be boring if we all thought the same.

Not aimed specifically at you annie, i'm just mad that their population has been allowed to become uncontrollable particularly in towns.

ceridwen

usignuolo wrote: »

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.

Could you come to some arrangement with the old couple next door that you will pay jointly to have a "specialist" come in and deal with the foxes in both your and their garden and that empty house (presumably trapped and removed - though I personally would be asking about the possibility of having them poisoned)?

...and to avoid comments from peeps who are still not that aware what foxes can be like:cool: - then don't tell anyone. Perhaps best to get the "specialist" in at some quiet time if they will come then (eg early hours of the morning).

I sympathise because - if I ever get a decent size garden - then the last thing I will allow to happen is for anything to ruin it/my enjoyment of it - so I would certainly employ a "specialist" myself and think nothing of it (other than wondering what size cheque I had to write out for his services....).

<<<<and if anyone wonders - I am a vegetarian and thoroughly against animal experimentation - but I have heard what foxes can/do get up to - like injuring those poor babies for instance>>>>

EDIT: I DO get the point that humans are infringing on open countryside - ie with all the darn building we are doing on it - but, as someone who was born long enough ago before such huge swathes of countryside had been grabbed/built on by humans - and there wasnt a fox problem until recent years - I shall do whatever I think to deal with any foxes that come anywhere near my "territory".

Also - it is a very good point that a lot of people are starting to keep chickens - and foxes DO come into peoples gardens and kill them. I have also heard of peoples pets being attacked by foxes as well - and I'm darn sure who would come out "top dog" if I had a pet cat and there were foxes nearby. My cat would come first.

Lotus-eater

ceridwen wrote: »

Could you come to some arrangement with the old couple next door that you will pay jointly to have a "specialist" come in and deal with the foxes in both your and their garden and that empty house (presumably trapped and removed - though I personally would be asking about the possibility of having them poisoned)?

...and to avoid comments from peeps who are still not that aware what foxes can be like:cool: - then don't tell anyone. Perhaps best to get the "specialist" in at some quiet time if they will come then (eg early hours of the morning).

I agree with ceridwen. First time for everything Not the poison though.

A also agree with annie123. It's difficult, but there are too many.

lostinrates

Please don't poison them, its a terrible death. The local haunt won't try and turn up with a pair of hounds and horses, but if its possible t do so safely would probably shoot them, or give you the number of the sort of ''pest controller'' who'd shoot them for a farmer. There would be a fee for this.

Otherwise trying to get a wildlife group to trap them and relocate them is an option but would be worth taking measures like male piddling and asking a neighbour with a big dog to visit for a cup of tea in your garden while the dog leaves scent in your garden.