Foxes problem

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by mfsb, Mar 23, 2009.

  1. mfsb

    mfsb Apprentice Gardener

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    we have problem with Foxes in the Garden fouling which is not nice at all ,tried Foxwatch and the Foxspray but to no avail,this morning a Fox was just about to foul very close to the Foxwatch -so some good that is .

    Apart from shooting the things which is not really possiblr in suburban garden has any one any suggestions such as poison or deter methods it really is not funny they also dig out lawn and is just not nice at all.
    Many thanks
     
  2. Sussexgardener

    Sussexgardener Gardener

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    You have my sympathies-as a poultry keeper, foxes are the enemy as far as I'm concerned and due in a large part to human mess (rubbish all over the place, not collected, etc, etc) the population in towns and cities has exploded-these urban foxes are no longer scared of humans. The situation is not helped by some people putting food out for these mangey things either!

    I can only suggest contacting your local council pest control office and see if they would deal with it-good luck with that one though. You could also try making the garden difficult to get into - not easy as foxes can climb! Supposedly, human urine can scare them off, or even lion droppings, but both of these don't take into consideration urban foxes lack of fear of humans.

    Good luck anyway - hopefully someone else will be more helpful.
     
  3. sweetpeas

    sweetpeas Gardener

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    Please excuse the spelling :)

    Liveing next to a farm feild I've gotten used to them although I now keep chickens.

    I've heard that human hair putts them off, put some in some old tights and hang them out of sight around the boundry of your garden.

    Foxes genarally follow a regular pattern for their feeding and the digging in your lawn is them hideing food for later so maybe a neighbour is feeding them and they've chosen your garden to hide it in. If they poop in a perticular place in the garden I've found that cleaning all traces of it helps and they're not doing it as often( the little beggers do it just outside the coop).

    Unfortunatelty I don't think the council will allow them to be killed, the only thing you can really do it to try to detur them.

    Have you thought about getting a pack of wolves???? :lol:
     
  4. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

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    Negatives:
    Poo on the lawn
    Bite and pull up things just for fun
    Bury their half eaten rabbits in my veg patch for me to find.

    Postitives:
    Keep down any pesky rabbits from eating my veg.
    Great to watch especially if they bring their cubs along.

    I've no idea how to get rid of them either.
     
  5. Larkshall

    Larkshall Gardener

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    I don't have a problem with Foxes, I do have a problem with Rabbits so I hope that the Foxes will deal with them. I am in the process of installing an electric fence around my vegetable plot.
     
  6. Chopper

    Chopper Do I really look like a people person?

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    Hi msfb

    Sorry to hear that you are having trouble with foxes. I notcie you mention shooting them. For you and anybody else thinking that way, PLEASE DON'T.

    Many foxes will come into gardens simply because humans have developed their habitat. They no longer fear humans like they used to. Shooting and killing a fox is no easy thing to do. A 12 bore will kill a fox if you are close enough, but you need to be close and a really good shot. They are tough little devils. An air rifle that is within legal limits will not kill a fox outright, you could be just wounding it and then it will suffer a long and slow painful death. I used to do a lot of rough shooting and the only way to be certain of a kill is a headshot with a high velocity rifle. Problem there is that if you miss, where is the round going to go?

    Foxes can be a real nuisance, especially near farms and places where poultry is kept. There are things that foxes do not like and will avoid. Things like diesel, many thorny plants, pepper and tobacco. Maybe you could have a look at some of the eco friendly sites.

    You can also make sure you do not leave any unwrapped food scraps in your dustbin or use some Jeyes fluid in the bin. If you have cats or dogs make sure you clean up after them as the fox will be attracted to their scent.

    A catapult and a bag of marbles will be a fairly harmless way of deterring foxes from your garden, but without the risk of causing serious injury or slow death. A near miss is enough to scare them away.

    Sorry to go on, but I think if you have to kill an animal, at least make sure it is very quick and clean.

    Good luck getting sorted.

    Chopper.
     
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