Foxes

[Lynne]

Every night a fox is dragging our small solar powered pump out from the pond and chewing through the cable.  Two questions. One, of course, is why? What does it gain from it? Second is how can we stop it . We've tried taking the pump out at night but since most of the cable runs under the path, we can't put it very far away. We've tried weighing it down after removal but the fox, after a couple of days has learned to push the weights away. It seems to be enjoying the contest. We're not. Any fox experts with suggestions would be welcomed.

[Sue]

Cover it up with something prickly? Pruned rose branches? 

Until the fox gets tired and finds something somewhere else to play? 

[Peckhampam]

will it get an electric shock when it finally chews through it?

 

[Penguin68]

15 minutes ago, Peckhampam said:

will it get an electric shock when it finally chews through it?

Not if its solar powered I imagine and it's being attacked at night.

[Sue]

I accidentally cut through solar powered fairy lights and didn't get a shock 😀

[Dogkennelhillbilly]

Smear it with spicy sauce? The fox may drink your whole pond after but it probably won't come back...

[Lynne]

I took the advice of the sauce - I used mustard- and it was in place this morning. They don't get a shock if they chew through it. I've now seen them living in the jungle that is a neighbor's garden - fence high in brambles,  bindweed and buddlia. The kitchen windows and door  are now completely covered. Perhaps the foxes will keep the rats down

[Jenijenjen]

They'll definitely keep slugs and snails down

[Peckhampam]

2 hours ago, Jenijenjen said:

They'll definitely keep slugs and snails down

Well they are not doing a very good job of it in my garden!

[Sue]

3 hours ago, Peckhampam said:

Well they are not doing a very good job of it in my garden!

Nor mine. Loads of snails, and foxes have dug massive holes at one end of my very small garden, and have now started down the other end.

I like both foxes and snails, but ..... 😭

[jazzer]

they are sly, cunning, pooing creatures, but are utterly stupid.

[vladi]

50 minutes ago, jazzer said:

they are sly, cunning, pooing creatures, but are utterly stupid.

Sorry to disagree but   they are highly intelligent creatures and have adapted their habits and behaviour to exist very successfully in an urban environment. The stupidity is prevalent amongst ourselves who leave food items around for them to feed on.

[jazzer]

yep, that's because they sit in the middle of the road and lie/sleep on wet grass and steal foot ware and gloves and poo everywhere on the lawn. They're just a pest that needs culling. (not a popular idea, but needs doing).   

[malumbu]

Why are they a pest?  They are indigenous wildlife.  If you want to cull then feral pigeons, parakeets and great squirrels too if my list.

I remember an article a few years ago referring to dog poo, yet human excrement far greater danger to our environment.  You know, the stuff that gets discharged, untreated, into our sea and rivers far too frequently.  So maybe humans need to be called too.

[Sue]

10 hours ago, malumbu said:

Why are they a pest?  They are indigenous wildlife.  If you want to cull then feral pigeons, parakeets and great squirrels too if my list.

I remember an article a few years ago referring to dog poo, yet human excrement far greater danger to our environment.  You know, the stuff that gets discharged, untreated, into our sea and rivers far too frequently.  So maybe humans need to be called too.

Typos, typos 😂 I particularly like the "great squirrels" 😂

Edited June 18, 2024 by Sue

[malumbu]

Oh how mean! Lost my glasses 😞

[Sue]

2 hours ago, malumbu said:

Oh how mean! Lost my glasses 😞

😭🤣

[JohnBradshaw]

22 hours ago, vladi said:

Sorry to disagree but   they are highly intelligent creatures and have adapted their habits and behaviour to exist very successfully in an urban environment. The stupidity is prevalent amongst ourselves who leave food items around for them to feed on.

This was so well said, they may be more intelligent than us, truth be told.

[jazzer]

so they're that smart that they crap on the lawn and dig up old tree stumps!

They are scavengers.

 

[Chick]

3 hours ago, JohnBradshaw said:

This was so well said, they may be more intelligent than us, truth be told.

Speak for your self.

[JohnBradshaw]

1 hour ago, Chick said:

Speak for your self.

Many of things fly over many of heads.

[abp]

On 18/06/2024 at 21:15, jazzer said:

so they're that smart that they crap on the lawn and dig up old tree stumps!

They are scavengers.

 

How are any of these things a lack of being smart? They are surviving, just like us. Except we’re in the process of destroying the planet, unlike foxes 😬

[Bumpkin]

Our fox left both a shoe and a poo last night but thoughtfully made it easier to clear up..

Edited June 27, 2024 by Bumpkin

[abp]

You were in its territory - they were here before us 🤷‍♀️

Also 😂

[tasha1]

We had our back doors open last week while we were in and a fox came into the house and went into my daughter's bedroom. She wasn't in there at time. My dog sensed something was up and scared the fox off but not before it managed to grab both my daughter's slippers which it discarded in the garden. I was surprised it came in considering we have both a cat and dog 🤷🏻‍♀️