Feeding the foxes

[Adidas_guy]

You will regret doing this...

And you will be paying for pest control contractors.

[Ronnijade]

Okay, well, if I do you can tell me you told me so.

[Buxton Spring]

Nice Fry Up for the foxes today

[seenbeen]

Foxes eat pests like rats and mice so if you feed them they will not have to act as our natural pest controllers...maybe London is overrun with rats and mice because people feed the foxes- either deliberately or inadvertently.

[exdulwicher]

https://www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/urban-fox

There's some useful and comprehensive info in that around feeding (or not feeding!) foxes.

[tomskip]

You asked "Yes or no?" - then have accused the people who say no of being weird animal haters and that you are going to do it anyway. OK then.

I love animals but it's another firm no from me. I don't want to see foxes starved or shot but I'd sooner we didn't have so many of them in London. On a recent 10 minute drive to Kings in the middle of the night I spotted more than 20 of them.

[ED Bird]

It's breeding season, so you will see a lot more foxes than usual at this time of year, & they might seem a little more confident.

[Gaynor Hill]

Both Vixen and Dog are out getting food for there cubs but 20, if it makes you happy to feed them then do so your not hurting anyone

Foxes only get food out of bins because the lids have not been put down properly and people leaving bin bags out rats and mice go there to, at least the fox will eat the rats and mice

[first mate]

On balance, however tempting, I would advise against feeding foxes. It is in their interestS to maintain their innate wariness of us. Foxes are naturally exploratory and curious and if they lose their wariness of a household they can become more dependent and more territorial. You may not mind fox poo in your garden but your neighbours may not be so keen.

Fox poo carries all the nasties that dog poo contains but foxes are not wormed.Foxes carry Toxocara Canis.

I would prefer foxes to focus on their natural diet and maintain the balance of nature, capping the populations of slugs, snails rats and squirrels. Limiting food sources also acts as a natural cap on the fox population. We tend to feed foxes for our own benefit, not theirs.

[Adidas_guy]

It is also very selfish to do something that will affect your neighbors and others living in the area.

You don?t live in a confined space, so it won?t just be you having the fox problem but everyone else will suffer too.

[kiera]

I'd like to point out that on Southwark Council's website they refer anyone who has a problem with foxes to the Fox Project - i.e. to use humane deterrents.

It says

"Please note foxes are not categorised as pests and are protected by the law.

Contact The Fox Project for advice on how to deter foxes."

[first mate]

Deleted

[exdulwicher]

It is also very selfish to do something that will affect your neighbors and others living in the area.

You don?t live in a confined space, so it won?t just be you having the fox problem but everyone else will suffer too.

Depends how you're defining "the fox problem". The foxes are already there, as pointed out there are actually quite a reasonable number of them. Therefore by their very nature they'll be in and out of most gardens most nights (whether you notice them or not).

They'll be marking territory as standard so regardless of whether you / a neighbour are putting food out, they'll still be there and (potentially) defecating / urinating there anyway.

But they're obviously finding decent amounts of food whether it's a neighbour actively feeding them or a badly sealed bin or just a bramble patch full of blackberries.

They're not going to go away, they're obviously thriving quite happily so the options are:

ignore them, they're not really doing any harm (I suspect we'd know if there were lots of decapitated cats or high instances of toxicaris infection)

feed them every once in a while (so long as it is periodic and you're not putting out a full roast dinner every night or trying to get them to eat from your hand)

do everything legal to actively dissuade them from your garden (fox repellents, a dog, a gravel / concrete / stone garden so there's nowhere to dig, no food).

I have to say, overall, first mate's post above (fifth one down on this page) is excellent.

[kiera]

Deleted, as I was responding to someone else's post which has now been deleted.

[first mate]

Deleted

[first mate]

Deleted

[Administrator]

Hi first mate, I can delete yours but not other people's. Probably best for you to edit yours yourself.

[kiera]

First mate

Feel free to edit your post so that you're happy with it and I'll edit my posts accordingly.

[first mate]

Deleted

[fishbiscuits]

I don't mind having a few foxes around, but they're wild animals, and they need to be self-sufficient, with sustainable population levels.

If you start feeding them, you are encouraging a surplus population. Discouraging their natural hunter scavenger instincts. Eroding their natural fear of humans. Inviting them to damage your property, scatter your rubbish, dig up your garden, and literally shit on your doorstep.

[fishbiscuits]

exdulwicher Wrote:

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

> I have to say, overall, first mate's post above

> (fifth one down on this page) is excellent.

Yep

[Banzai]

There was a dead fox outside my back door yesterday, unpleasant for all concerned. It was the result of a long and noisy fight between two foxes at around 1am.

[ed_pete]

TBH, I don?t really have a view on this but in respect of feeding animals should I or shouldn?t I put out bird food in winter ?

[Countrlass22]

Bird food in winter yes just look on rspb for correct type foods.

Winters time rspb appreciate feeding birds, they do tend stay wild.

Which is bonus they won't hop inside.

Lol

Just watch pesky squirrels steal bird food