Wildlife (Not pets)

Cola133

I wasn't sure where else to post. 

We are in a rental property and have Foxes and Badgers visit the garden every night. My neighbour is awful and has now put those plastic spikes along the top of the adjoining fence, as he doesn't want the wildlife in his garden. Our properties back on to a wood! and I know they come into my garden via climbing over the top of the neighbouring fence. I am so upset that they will hurt themselves but I haven't got a leg to stand on with complaining :-(  He's also fixed up a flimsy net which I know they will tangled in. I know many hate foxes and badgers, but I love all animals and I'm so upset with this. How humans can be so unkind and unfeeling I will never know - if he doesn't like wildlife, why move next to a wood!

Slinky

I can't imagine that if a fox or badger gets tangled in a net, they will do it quietly and slink away. Your neighbour will end up dealing with a noisy angry animal and he's likely to regret his actions.

Flugelhorn

Badgers can cause quite a bit of damage in gardens - they have dug up some of the communal raised beds locally quite spectacularly. Some of my neighbours worry about their pets getting TB - maybe your neighbour has similar concerns

Cola133

Flugelhorn said:

Badgers can cause quite a bit of damage in gardens - they have dug up some of the communal raised beds locally quite spectacularly. Some of my neighbours worry about their pets getting TB - maybe your neighbour has similar concerns

Dogs can catch tuberculosis through contact with infected milk, meat or cows themselves, while transmission to dogs from people is rather different, as this version of the illness is airborne, which makes it much more likely for a dog to catch the illness from a person than from cows.

Even if tuberculosis is diagnosed or found within a herd or human population nearby, dogs do tend to be fairly resistant to catching the illness-but this is certainly something that you should be aware of, and dogs that live on or near to a farm that has an infection may have to be tested for the condition.

I wonder if your neighbours live near a farm? If not the chance is very very slim, even if you do live near a farm! There are many charities that have now inoculated large populations of Badgers. Plus the Badgers (and foxes) will do far more good than harm - they will eat the Rats that spread disease and get into peoples homes and gardens and cause damage. People are so short sighted! 'Got a Rat? encourage Foxes and Badgers - job done!' 

As to your other point of digging up flower beds.... I'd rather help an animal trying to survive, than worry about a few flowers or how my garden looks. What has happened to humanity and seeing what's most important.

Flugelhorn

whatevs:

the people who are worried about the TB are the eco loons on the estate, I was just a public health doc so I don't fret about such things-

the rats are doing fine, looking ginormous and breeding ++ -  even with plenty of badgers and foxes around  (if I thought they would do a bit more I would encourage the badgers but they don't seem to have much effect )

re the flower beds - I worked *&*&*& hard on those for the benefit of all the residents and don't appreciate them being dug up. 

Brie

Who does the fence belong to that the neighbour has put spikes on.  If it is "yours" then you can remove them and return them to the neighbours and advise them not to put them back on.  If it is their fence there's little you can do about it.

That said - a badger is highly unlikely to climb over a fence.  A fox might but will probably only do so if it's a way to get on to a shed roof and thereby clamber into a further property.  Both animals are most likely to knock through the fence or a hedge - that's what they've done near us.  

Savvy_Sue

Or they'll dig underneath, badgers will anyway.

I used to love seeing badgers along the railway embankment near where I  worked, but DH has instructions to 'water' the garden in key locations to keep Mr B away from the veg. I've also tried smelly things like chilli powder. Mr B also removes a heavy stone from the front of the compost bin and burrows in. I don't appreciate that.

We know there are setts nearby. If the badgers would stay over there, I'd be very happy. Digging up my veg and bulbs when there's plenty of food nearby, not so much.

oystercatcher

Brie said:

Who does the fence belong to that the neighbour has put spikes on.  If it is "yours" then you can remove them and return them to the neighbours and advise them not to put them back on.  If it is their fence there's little you can do about it.

That said - a badger is highly unlikely to climb over a fence.  A fox might but will probably only do so if it's a way to get on to a shed roof and thereby clamber into a further property.  Both animals are most likely to knock through the fence or a hedge - that's what they've done near us.  

We have had both foxes and badgers climb over our 6 foot fences . 

TripleH

We have tried explaining to our youngest cat that he has to wait until 9:00am to go out because it is the foxes turn to play in our garden. He disagrees wirh this.

We haven't seen any but have found a little shelter at the back of our garden that looks animal created.

elsien

Foxes are in my good books at the moment after one (I presume) found the Fitbit I’d lost in the garden and dumped it right in the middle of the lawn where I couldn’t miss it. 

I reserve the right to revise that view  if it craps in my garden and the dog rolls in it.