Foxes are bad to have around if your definition of bad involves anything they do! They can dig flower beds, poo, empty bins, and scream at night – is that bad?
Are Foxes Bad To Have Around Your Property?
Depending on your point of view – foxes can either be a wildlife encounter to tell your friends about – or something that keeps you up at night and costs you a fortune in the garden. If you can’t cope with the odd effect of their lifestyles in your yard – then they will be bad to have around! Just like the wildflowers vs weeds affair – you set your own limits.
Foxes can cause a serious amount of havoc in your yard if you have other things you consider more important. It is always a matter of looking to see what you can accept and what you need to try to eliminate or avoid. So, what can they do that’s really bad?
Foxes Dig Up Lawns And Plants:
Yes, they can certainly be guilty of that if they are on the prowl for some of their favorite foods – earthworms and beetle grubs. Covering your soil with blood, bone, and fishmeal could also be something they love to eat or dig up at least.
Foxes Chew Up Hoses & Poo In Your Shoes:
Foxes are very inquisitive and love playing with toys and clothes they find outside. Just like puppies, they will chew up, run off with and soil in, on or near these human accoutrements overnight. Often alongside this they will scent mark your yard as ‘theirs’ in case any other foxes were to steal them!
Foxes Kill Chickens & Rabbits:
This is true only if the coop, aviary or hutch are not secure enough or the animals are left free-roaming. Foxes can’t open locks or gates – although they can dig underneath fences – so if you have small animals – you could find the presence of foxes a challenge.
Do Foxes Attack Cats And Dogs?
Although there are stories of fox attacks on cats and small dogs – they are incredibly rare. Many more cats are attacked by other cats than foxes, and many more foxes are attacked by cats than cats are by foxes.
Anything but the smallest or sickest of unattended dogs would be actively avoided by your average fox. Foxes in general are super shy – and wary of everything. Unlike raccoons who will face off with almost anything – most foxes are gone in a flash at the slightest sign of trouble.
In urban areas, where foxes have become more common, they are often used to humans and their civilised pet dogs. This means that they are far more likely to ignore a sleeping cat or dog in a yard and wander right through. They even get used to low level human movement and smells if there is a tempting treat of hedgehog or cat food left out in the garden. They aren’t going to turn their noses up at a free meal if they don’t see you as a threat.
Are Foxes Friendly?
Yes, they are indeed – if the situation is right – and they have no worries sharing our spaces.
There are many more videos of foxes online walking past dogs or playing with cats than of foxes attacking our pets. They really are a very placid species. If they aren’t scared off by loud noises or barking dogs – they hang around making some very special moments in gardens everywhere.
Can Foxes Transmit Rabies to Humans or Pets?
Foxes and rabies can pose a potential risk of transmission to humans and pets. Rabies is a viral disease that affects the nervous system, including mammals like foxes. While foxes can contract and carry rabies, their likelihood of transmitting it is low compared to other species. However, caution should still be exercised, and it’s important to vaccinate pets and avoid contact with unfamiliar or potentially rabid animals to prevent possible transmission.
How To Avoid Foxes In Your Yard.
If you really don’t want foxes in your yard at all – there are a few simple things you can do to make your garden less attractive. Other than building a very high, and very deep electric fence around your property – foxes are going to come in – so you need to try to make your garden less and less attractive to them.
Startle Them: Foxes are very wary, so any movement-triggered noises, lights or water jets are going to make them run. Having motion-sensor alarms or security lights are often enough to scare off young or travelling foxes first time, however regular visitors might get used to them.
Deter Them: Plenty of dog repellent products on the market will make your yard less attractive. Foxes have a large home range and so will easily be able to avoid your yard if there is an unpleasant smell being emitted by your hedge or lawn.
Avoid Them: Make sure you don’t attract them in the first place by having all your food and garbage in secure metal containers. Pack away all your toys and tools, and keep sheds and outbuildings shut tight when you aren’t there. Keep outdoor animals safe and secure at all times.
Block Them: Use high fencing instead of just hedges (although leave a hedgehog hole) and keep gates closed at night. Avoid using raised decking or leaving large areas of your property unchanged for a long time – as such places are ideal for a fox den.
