Foxes Begone

[stacey-lyn]

Seems our garden has become the fox's Comfort Inn. They've taken to defecating right outside the kitchen door and though our dog thinks a roll in it is truly fabulous we've had enough of the almighty stench & mess.

We have made the garden as fox proof as possible short of electric fencing.

We're at our wits' end and hope that something other than napalm and land mines could be the solution. To avoid a fox stuck in a scene from the Hurt Locker, Southwark & the Fox Project have recommended "Scoot" and "Get Off".

Has anyone had any success or otherwise with either?

[SilverSurfer65]

We used to have foxes in our garden, encouraged by the woman next door feeding them.

When she moved on a new tenant moved in, and she has a BIG dog - problem solved.

You have my sympathy and hope your problem is soon resolved.

Gina

[Adam]

This sounds grim, but we've been told that foxes will give your garden a wide berth if you put male urine, which has been left a few days to ferment with a couple of garlic cloves (!) round the edges. Haven't tried it yet but will when we get desperate!

This tip comes from Colin of K&O Pest Control who is a top man so Gould be worth trying...would be interested to know how you get on!

[Lowlander]

Adam Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> This sounds grim, but we've been told that foxes

> will give your garden a wide berth if you put male

> urine, which has been left a few days to ferment

> with a couple of garlic cloves (!) round the

> edges. Haven't tried it yet but will when we get

> desperate!

>

> This tip comes from Colin of K&O Pest Control who

> is a top man so Gould be worth trying...would be

> interested to know how you get on!

Done that, sans garlic; is marking the territory and keeps foxes at bay. Totally effective. Bit of a mental barrier to break though :-)

[Green Goose]

Yep, the urine does work but is best repeated over several days.

Also, if they have been fed by someone nearby they will keep coming back to that area so then the best way is to put on a pair of rubber gloves (to avoid leaving scent) and then make up a sandwich generously laced with mustard and chilli. Then roll it up like a swiss roll and tie together with some sowing thread so it won't come apart.

Make sure no mustard/chilli gets squeezed out at the ends. Then smear the outside of the roll with scrapings from a roasting tray.

They never come back for seconds after that!

[civilservant]

Deterrence, yes - Lowlander's found that the wee solution works

Cruelty as well, Green Goose? You are a sadist - and no, that is not a compliment

[GinaG3]

There was one outside our bedroom window the other night. Woke me up at 2am with some god awful shrieking!! Carried on for 45 minutes. Complete with police helicopter circulating and sirens everywhere. Wasn't the usual noise of a fox. What are they doing when they make a clicking noise? Besides impersonating sounds of sea life?

[DirtyBox]

I used to have a problem with foxes using my garden for a ginger scat orgy but have had no problems since installing a FoxWatch, about ?40 from Amazon (probably cheaper elsewhere). Haven't seen a single one in my garden for over 3 years now...saying that they seem to be wreaking revenge by laying eggs in the front garden instead.

[Sue]

Lowlander Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Adam Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > This sounds grim, but we've been told that

> foxes

> > will give your garden a wide berth if you put

> male

> > urine, which has been left a few days to

> ferment

> > with a couple of garlic cloves (!) round the

> > edges. Haven't tried it yet but will when we

> get

> > desperate!

> >

> > This tip comes from Colin of K&O Pest Control

> who

> > is a top man so Gould be worth trying...would

> be

> > interested to know how you get on!

>

>

> Done that, sans garlic; is marking the territory

> and keeps foxes at bay. Totally effective. Bit

> of a mental barrier to break though :-)

xxxxxxxx

Do you put it in a container, or just sprinkle it on the soil?

I like foxes, but not the holes they dig or the noise they make in my very small garden :(

[CharDale]

When foxes were a problem in our garden we bought some "silent roar" from the garden centre.

It's made from lion's poo and it puts the foxes off coming in your garden because they think there is a larger predator than them living in the vicinity. It also fertilisers your garden at the same time.

However, it also puts off cats coming in your garden. Whilst this might be seen as an added benefit if you don't have a cat, if you do it might put him/her off using the garden.

[stacey-lyn]

Thanks y'all.

I guess we'll give it a go, sans and avec garlic.

I know what Mr Lyn will have to do when he gets back from the pub.

[sambobia]

I've noticed caged chickens in a back garden. I wonder if they will attract foxes?

[Alex K]

Let's give Green Goose some credit; whilst civilservant might have conducted earnest discussions with the foxes in an effort to encourage them to modify their behaviour, leading up to and including the services of a professional conflict mediator, Green Goose realised from the outset something that continues to escape civilservant: Foxes aren't GUARDIAN readers.

The bait with emetic strikes me as absolutely brilliant in conception. Thank you, Green Goose.

[Green Goose]

Alex K Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Let's give Green Goose some credit; whilst

> civilservant might have conducted earnest

> discussions with the foxes in an effort to

> encourage them to modify their behaviour, leading

> up to and including the services of a professional

> conflict mediator, Green Goose realised from the

> outset something that continues to escape

> civilservant: Foxes aren't GUARDIAN readers.

>

> The bait with emetic strikes me as absolutely

> brilliant in conception. Thank you, Green Goose.

Many thanks for the words of support Alex. The treatment also acts as a strong laxative which actually does the fox a favour as it helps clear them of worms.

I grew up on a farm where foxes were treated as vermin , and rightly so, as they spread a variety of diseases to humans and other animals -just like badgers do. ( Now puts on tin hat).

The majority of city people probably have formed the view that foxes are benign visitors from the countryside. If they only knew the baggage they came with , they might change that view.

They need to have a reality check for the sake of their health and particularly their children's health.

I suggest they paste this link into their browser:-

http://www.foxolutions.co.uk/index.php?main_page=fox_problems

[se15mologist]

All summer we have had extended family groups of foxes partying on our back lawn. They can barely be bothered to wander off when we shoo them - they give us a withering look and amble away, in their own time. Now that family season is over and foxes are solitary, we see them in smaller groups, but we still see them. They tear the grass up, drag in fairly disgusting rubbish (pooey nappie cleanup anyone?), and leave frankly disgusting faeces - usually three or four a day, and more or less impossible to fully dispose of.

We called Foxolution (referenced above) but they did not return our calls, too busy I suspect. We called Fox-a-gone and they showed up. They were very professional, humane and ecological in their approach, and offered some good advice:

-Remove any water or food sources - paddling pools, water features, fruit on bushes or trees, bird seed in feeders.

-Make sure your neighbours aren't feeding the foxes. ;)

-Male urine doesn't really work (I tried it persistently without result), and your garden ends up smelling like a French pissoir

-However Scoot does work and male urine as an additive to Scoot can't hurt.

They sprayed with Scoot, but it only works until the next rainfall, which was the following day. I reapplied Scoot but I can't say it had any effect. Get Off My Lawn, sold at the garden centre by ED train station, has the same active ingredient (ammonium alumunium sulphate?)

They advised works to ensure that vixens did not settle in parts of the garden to breed. Under sheds, under decks, places like that. Their quote for this work was pretty reasonable, and I will probably do it before the next breeding season.

They said that on a scale of 1 to 10, our fox problem was not even a 1, which was sort of, well, not that encouraging really.

I bought one FoxWatch unit but that was not enough. The foxes easily outmaneuvered it. Two units (from primrose.co.uk) was slightly better. The foxes helpfully marked the blind spots for me by delivering a nasty poo into the non-covered areas. A third unit, this time an STV Big Cheese from Shaun's hardware shop opposite ED station (35 quid), completed the coverage. As of yesterday the coast appears clear. But I'm not counting my chickens. Which is exactly what I would be doing, if I kept any.

[se15mologist]

I should clarify that my garden is only 20' x 60', despite the coverage of one FoxWatch unit being advertised at around 1200 square meters (or something). I still need three units. Going across the width of the garden, 20', the detection range is only about 12' instead of the advertised 30'-40'. I think it's because the fence and herbaceous borders in the 'background' create clutter for the PIR sensor in the unit. Going along the long axis of the garden I get pretty much the advertised detection range, except for when there are obstacles in the way - trees, shrubs, steps up or down, anything other than flat empty lawn really.

At dusk tonight I saw a couple of foxes (or the same fox twice?) shuttle through the very back of the garden, right up against the back fence. I left this area uncovered, partly because it would take 1 or 2 extra units to cover it, and partly on purpose. I believe it was Sun Tzu in the Art of War who advised, always leave your enemy an escape route. :)

Perhaps it's not very public spirited of me, since this corridor allows the foxes to continue to range up and down all the gardens on my side of the street.. However I believe that if I give the foxes no way to get through, they will just grit their teeth and go through the 100 decibel ultrasound regardless, and then they will get used to it and it will no longer function as an effective deterrent.

[LadyDeliah]

Big dog and dog flap = no foxes, even with chickens in the garden :-)

[Dulwichmudlark]

.22 rim fire = no foxes

[se15mologist]

dulwichbeekeeper Wrote:

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> .22 rim fire = no foxes

.22 rim fire vs foxes, without specific Fox permission on Firearms Certificate = jail. :)

Does the relevant Firearms Control Officer for East Dulwich permit foxes to be taken with .22 rim fire? Many counties don't permit shooting foxes with firearms unless the firearm is considerably heavier firearm than that.

[Salsaboy]

Just make sure you get a head shot.

se15mologist Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> dulwichbeekeeper Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > .22 rim fire = no foxes

>

> .22 rim fire vs foxes, without specific Fox

> permission on Firearms Certificate = jail. :)

>

> Does the relevant Firearms Control Officer for

> East Dulwich permit foxes to be taken with .22 rim

> fire? Many counties don't permit shooting foxes

> with firearms unless the firearm is considerably

> heavier firearm than that.

[Gidget]

LadyDeliah Wrote:

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> Big dog and dog flap = no foxes, even with

> chickens in the garden :-)

Aren't you worried about burglars getting in through your dog flap or do you lock it when you aren't there?

[Dulwichmudlark]

Didn't say enemy thing about not having a ticket so no jail lol

[se15mologist]

Excellent! Do you do house calls? :-)

[se15mologist]

Well the STV Defender 620 ultrasound unit has packed in 3 times now, last time spewing irritating noise that annoyed neighbours 2 doors down in the middle of the night. I phone STV Pest Control's customer service line and they were not helpful, though they agreed the unit was defective and should be returned. That's definitely out of service. It is a shame because it seemed more powerful than the FoxWatch units, and more effective. Shame it is not built to the same quality. I will see how I do with my two FoxWatch units and maybe buy another one if necessary.

I have to say the foxes are beginning to sneak back into the garden, in some cases lingering. There is still a much lower incidence of fox crap on the lawn, but it's heading back to around one a day. Rubbish is coming back into the garden as well. It's still better than finding four or five items of crap or rubbish each morning. But I suppose I have to accept that the foxes are either adapting to the ultrasound, or getting very good at not triggering it. Or both. Or possibly they are hungrier and colder now, with almost no fallen fruit around, and so getting bolder or more desperate.

[eucalyptus]

Air rifle one and the others won't come back. bugger the council if they're not going to do anything about it. christ people, grow a pair.