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foxes
frances5
Posts: 12
Seven foxes, this morning in my daughter's small London garden. They dig their way under fencing and walling, did up the plants and leave their smelly messages everywhere. she has a dog but that has made no difference. Any ideas, anyone, on how to cope with them?
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Posts
Above all else, do not feed them. And talk to the neighbours and ensure they are not leaving food rubbish around or feeding the 'lovely little foxes'. Mend the fencing and you may discourage them.
Urban foxes often carry mange so try not to let the dog explore the holes they make under walls, sheds or fences.
I live on a corner and my front garden is about 6 ft above the pavement, it's an ideal territory marking spot, they also repeated dig up and bury things in the borders. I'm likely to pick up an electric fence this year, nothing too strong but enough to deter foxes and cats. I've tried netting which stops the cats, but with the foxes, there are particular spots that it likes to dig, and it either rips at the netting damaging everything around it, or digs next to the netting. I've seriously considered making a trap, catching it then driving it 50 miles away. Currently it's looking like an electric fence is going to be the one. They are very reasonable for what I want, about 80 quid, and 80 quid for peace of mind, well that's a bargain in my book.
Sorry BrummieBen it is illegal to trap a wild animal and release it in the wild anywhere. And what makes you think the people 50 miles away want your urban fox?
Oh, fencing doesn't do it - there are no holes, they just dig underneath. Even when blocks and bricks were sunk into the soil at the base, they just dug deeper.
Not sure about electric fencing, with the family having a dog...
A dog will learn to leave electric fencing alone, very quickly. The charge in the fence is not enough to harm anything, just to deter.
At Wisley they put electric fencing around the sweetcorn to deter badgers.
I grew up on a farm - we used electric fencing for lots of stock animals - the farm dogs kept away after touching it a couple of times - it didn't harm them. As children we were braver than the dogs and occasionally got a shock - it made us jump but it didn't hurt us either
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Have passed on the suggestion. Thank you!
At my last house frances, the previous owners had kept chickens as a hobby and we intended doing the same. The run was in a mess and of course their chickens had been taken so we wanted to make sure the run was totally redone before we put any chickens in. I was told by someone 'in the know' that an electric fence was the only guaranteed way of keeping them out. I expect if you can have some planting in front of it children won't get too near anyway. They're a real nuisance- urban or rural. Good luck with it
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Children can be told to keep away from the fence. If you grow anything anywhere near an electric fence you will be forever cutting back any vegetation (even grass) so that it does not touch the electric fence rendering it useless as it will short out.
Actually, that had occurred to me - I did suggest it but I don't think they took me seriously at the time. It does seem logical... Have to be after dark where they are!!!