How to deter next door's foxes from my garden

littlerock

I have asked this question before but will ask it again as the problem is now acute. My next door neighbours are an elderly couple with a severely overgrown garden which has been home for several years to a family of foxes. (A couple of years ago I looked out of my window to see six cubs playing on my lawn.) Last year they were not so visible and I thought maybe they had moved on. I have spoken to my neighbours about stopping up the earth but they just wring their hands.

This year two foxes in particular have taken to using my backgarden as their playground. I often look out of the window to see one sleeping on the lawn near the house in the afternoons. (There is an older fox and a younger cub). The younger cub in particular, is curious and not very agile. My garden has walls round it and it struggles to get out, once it is in.

The other day the cub came into the garden in the evening and strolled around while I was sitting outside my back door enjoying a drink on a warm evening. Just lately it has started approaching the back door. It does not run when I shout at it or approach. Just sits and stares back at me.

The reason I really need a solution is that I have two very young grandchildren (3 and 1) who love to play in the backgarden. I am very nervous about leaving them out there, or indeed leaving my back door open in case the younger fox in particular, decides to come in.

But we have a heatwave forecast. I really would like to be able to have the grand children over and be able to not worry about letting them into the garden to play. Also to be frank I should like to be able to leave the back door open on hot nights. Has anyone tried any of the fox deterrents on the market and if so which is the most effective?

I do not feed them and there is nothing edible in my garden.

Please do not respond to tell me that foxes are shy creatures who run away, as the ones in my garden are not and do not. Please do not tell me they were here first. There are plenty of other places for them to live. I just want them to go and hang out somewhere else.

bouicca21

I doubt this is helpful - the only deterrent to foxes at my last house was my dog. As long as he was in the garden, they stayed out, and they seemed to learn that he might be there in daylight so pretty much kept out during the day. They did however like to torture him by sitting in the field over the back fence nicely out of reach. They also came in the garden at night and marked it as theirs by crapping right outside the house.

Friends who live in rural areas tell me that foxes are shy retiring creatures who never ever go near their gardens or houses. Clearly it must have been their bolder assertive cousins who migrated to the cities, because there is nothing shy about an urban fox, especially if you have daft neighbours who feed the wretched things.

mchale

Old wives tale, don't know if it work's but male urine, yes p1ss in your garden.

maninthestreet

Have you tried 'Silent Roar' cat repellent? It may deter foxes as well, if you're lucky.

Yolina

We've had fox repellent gizmos installed several years ago in the car parks of the development I live in - seems to be working fairly well as there no longer are foxes paw marks all over the cars :rotfl: I have however no idea as to the make or model of the things - they're just black boxes

tizzle6560

I have recently tried a combo of both a motion detector that lets out a shrill noise and Scoot Fox Repellent powder which apparently has a strong scent, leading the foxes to believe their 'territory' has been taken over by some other beast.

Neither have worked particularly well tbh and after loads of research, apparently these are the two 'best' methods..

I'm thinking about installing some higher trellises across the tops of the fences to make it harden for them to get in but it is all in vain tbh..

If you have any success then please share with us!

theEnd

I've got a fox (or foxes) living under my shed. Tried 'Scoot', but that did nothing.

TBagpuss

Do you know how they are getting in?

If they are coming over the fence or wall, then then it may be worth putting prickle strips on the top, or something such as a trellis to make the wall higher.

If they are coming under the fence then chicken wire may help.

Are your neighbours unwilling to block up the earth or make their garden less fox-friendly or do they just not have the time / energy to do so? If it is the latter, would they allow you to come into their garden to block up the earth?

Unfortuately urban foxes wind up with no predators and do get very bold.

Have youtried 'get off my garden' gel? It is designed to stop cats or dogs fouling but I believe that the scent is equally unpleasant to foxes

littlerock

There is a concrete wall around 5 feet high around the garden and they are coming over the wall. There is trellis on neighbours side (not elderly couple but other side) attached to posts but it has a couple of gaps filled by holly tree which does not deter them. That neighbour's garden is all decking and foxes seem less interested in that. He says he does not want to add any more trellis. Also he is very touchy about it, I am not even allowed to tie anything to it with string on my side. It is difficult to bang nails in the concrete walls (it looks very old and dense) hence his posts.

I put some prickle strips on the other side last year, and it was difficult to make them stick, and then elderly neighbour removed it, said he did not like it there, it was deterring the birds. Neighbours are not unpleasant in general but just eccentric and set in their ways. Of course one wall is mine, not sure which but I am not sure having a dispute about it is the way forward. Elderly neighbour says she puts turns hose on the den to deter the foxes but that clearly does not work and in any case I have never seen her do it in practice. (They tell you about their nice vegetable garden when in fact it was last touched about 20 years ago....)

I suppose I can try scoot and get off my garden gel. Looked in homebase and could not see any in there. I am wondering about a small section of electric fence wire near a gap where they come over from elderly neighbour's side, they have a very overgrown tree next to the wall which they never go near so maybe there? Maybe one or two shocks would be enough to deter the foxes.

Alter_ego

I suppose shooting them is not for you?

moneyistooshorttomention

Could you try drenching the foxes any time you spot them?

Not sure how foxes feel about getting wet? - but I would think they wouldn't be too keen on it and would learn to associate you being in the garden with you deciding (by coincidence) to water the garden with a hosepipe on full blast in their direction.

I've had/have a bit of a neighbour situation here and they seem to have learnt that my leaving a hosepipe lying around = I will probably decide to water my garden if ever I spot them in it again. I imagine foxes would soon learn to make the same connection?