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Talkback: Now you see them...

Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
in Talkback
Every year for the 15 years I've lived here, I've listened to foxes calling each other on the path behind my house - adults calling for a mate, or cubs yipping for Mum, and have regularly seen them in the early evenings. Once, one fell asleep curled up on my drive. This year, I saw one fox only in my garden. In the late summer, I heard it calling and calling for at least half an hour - and for the first time ever, no answering call. It feels like the end of an era, incredibly sad.
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  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I do agree that the incidence of mange could well be the reason for your apparent reduction of foxes, here ( I live in North Antrim) we did not get any mange amongst the fox population to the best of my knowledge and our foxes are thriving, bushy coated and healthy Only one thing said puzzles me, I had always understood that the vixen screams in reply to the short sharp bark of the dog fox, I do hope I have not been giving out false information to friends!
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    i have a fox around my garden..... he has just taken my lovey white cockrel, and that was in broad daylight with me standing beside her screaming. Today she again entered my garden and just stared at the cat who was unafraid of her, she is used to the fox and her smell...she's next I imagine...I live in the country.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    My colleague and I were working in a garden on a farm this week and spotted two beautiful foxes in the field. We were upwind from them and they followed the hedge all the way around to where we were standing. When they spotted us, they looked very shocked and bounced around a bit, then decided we weren't a threat and pottered off. It was in the middle of the day and we just felt so priviledged to have seen them looking so free and easy.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Lovely as they might be, they are causing massive damage to an elderly couples garden that i work on, leaving enormous holes in the ground that disappear under the paths and patios. The holes are dangerous. I wish there was some way of preventing them from doing this.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    Reply to David Henderson; I've never suffered from fox damage, but local friends curse them for digging out great gouges in the lawn. The bowling green in Peckham Rye Park is sometimes pock-marked too. I did not know what they were doing until I found a present splashed over the lawn one morning. It was fox vomit, and it contained upwards of 50 or so half-digested earth worms.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    my friends garden in eltham se9 london is like a wildlife reserve. This week, on one morning she had six foxes drinking, eating and even sunning themselves on shed roof, their coats in colours from light grey to dark rusty red. They take no notice of her coming or going, and the starlings ive never seen so many in one place before, blue tits robins wrens its wounderful
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    There seems to be no shortage of foxes out on the moors, the ones I see look very healthy no sign of mange. I have to take great care to lock up my hens at night. They seem to be at their worst when they have cubs when they face the dangers and take my hens during the day. I won't report all the gory details but needless to say foxes arn't always very popular with us, beautifull creatures that they are.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    For the last 20 years, i have been brought up with the countryside and alot of knowledge has been passed down from my father. Foxes are a massive pain and the only way to stop them diggin holes in gardens/killing your chickens is to cull them.

    Trapping them and moving them to another area is no good as foxes can travel up to 20 miles a night in search of food or a mate, or back to where they were trapped.

    I've never found a fox to have bad mange or infact, any mange at all while out in the countryside. Also, with the amount of farms around that produce livestock, the foxes have a wide choice, especially when there are plenty of lambs about.

  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    We used to love seeing the foxes in our garden until they decided to make a home under our decking. They dragged carcasses underneath and pretty soon the smell was unbearable. On top of this our alsation would love to roll in their pooh which they left everywhere. We contacted a company called Foxolutions who were recommended to us by a friend and they were able to move the foxes on humanely without hurting them.
  • Gardeners' World Web UserGardeners' World Web User Posts: 17,147
    I see many foxes in my garden and i don't let my children go outside and play because i don't feel safe, as one time they tried to attack my child. Surely this is not right?
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