Foxes in Bexley

From: Derek Moody (derek_at_farmdirect.co.uk)
Date: 08/10/04 

Date: Tue, 10 Aug 2004 17:59:07 +0100

http://www.bexley.gov.uk/service/publicprotection/foxes.html
Foxes in Bexley
The red fox is a wild member of the dog family. Its colour varies from
yellow/orange to dark red/brown and it stands just over 1 foot high at
the shoulder, being about the size of a lightly built terrier and
slightly heavier than a cat.

Behaviour
Foxes live in family groups which may include additional non-breeding
vixens helping to rear the cubs. The family group will often stay
together until the cubs leave in the autumn. Foxes hold territories of
varying sizes and are generally nocturnal, although they can often be
seen in daylight.

The Fox Year
January

The start of the mating season and so the peak travelling time.
 February

The main travelling time ends. Vixens start to look for a breeding
earth.
 March

The birth of cubs occurs after a 53-day pregnancy.
 
April

The cubs first emerge from the earth.
 May

The young cubs start to learn through play, and to eat solid food.
 June

The breeding earth is abandoned.
 
July

The cubs lie up in a sheltered position above the ground.
 August

The cubs begin to forage for themselves and sleep apart from the
adults.
 September

Adults and cubs now look similar.
 
October

Fox families start to break up and spread out into new territories.
 November

Young adults take over the territories of dead or weak parents.
 December

Foxes defend their territories as the mating season approaches.
 

Habitat
Foxes are extremely adaptable and are very well suited to urban
environments. Often they are perceived to be colonising new areas when
they are simply continuing to inhabit existing territories while
development proceeds around them.

In suburbia, foxes tend to prefer areas of low density housing with
large, relatively undisturbed gardens. Overgrowth may provide cover
during the day but the most common breeding sites are under garden
sheds.

Diet
Urban foxes have a varied diet which may include earthworms, insects,
small mammals, birds and household scraps which are often deliberately
provided by householders. They often bury food to prevent other
animals from taking it and to conserve it for use when food is scarce.

Deterring Foxes
If you are certain that your problems are being caused by foxes it is
usually possible to reduce the level of nuisance by taking some simple
steps to make your property less attractive to them.

Use bird feeders or a high bird table rather than putting food on the
ground, and clear up any fallen scraps.

Cover compost heaps or use bins, as compost is a good source of
insects and other food.

Store rubbish securely before putting it out for collection, and use
bins with secure lids rather than plastic bags.

Clear overgrown areas and accumulations of rubbish or rubble as these
provide cover for foxes and may encourage them to remain in your
garden.

Stop using bonemeal or similar fertilisers as the smell often attracts
foxes.

Block access under sheds. This can be done with weld mesh secured to
the bottom of the shed and dug into the soil to a depth of 1 foot.

Ensure that air bricks leading under your house are in good repair.

Secure fencing and block any gaps.

If foxes are visiting your vegetable patch, fruit canes or bushes,
fence these off with netting. Chicken wire just under the soil can be
used to protect bulbs.

Keep pets in secure hutches made from weld mesh rather than chicken
wire, with locks that cannot be knocked open.

Bring toys, shoes, etc. inside at night as cubs like to chew these
items and may take them away to play with.

If foxes are digging or making an earth in your garden, discourage
them at the first signs of activity. First make certain that the holes
are not occupied.

Do this by discouraging the fox with repellents (e.g. 'Renardine' -
see below) soaked onto pieces of wood or rags placed in the holes
and/or soaked onto 'sharp' (builders') sand around the entrance. After
a few days lightly block the entrance with soil which can easily be
pushed out if the earth is occupied. When you are certain that the
holes are not occupied, fill with bricks or heavy materials that will
be difficult to dig out.

If you think you may have an established earth in your garden, or you
suspect that the foxes may be suffering from disease, it may be
advisable to seek advice from a private pest control company.

Research has shown that non-toxic chemical repellents are sometimes
effective in reducing nuisance from foxes when they are used
correctly. Scent neutralisers can discourage foxes from fouling
specific areas. All repellents must be renewed regularly, especially
in hot weather and after heavy rain.

'Renardine' can be used to discourage foxes from entering gardens and
is most effective when used at access points (the fox will usually
enter the garden at the same place). Undiluted 'Renardine' should be
soaked onto a suitable material, preferably sharp sand, taking care
that all the liquid is soaked up and not allowing it to drip onto
plants.

If a fox is coming over a fence, try placing a couple of piles of sand
soaked in 'Renardine' at the base of the fence. Wood or rags soaked in
'Renardine' may be useful in discouraging repeated digging, fouling,
or urinating occurring in particular parts of the garden.

'Scoot' can be used to deter foxes from digging and fouling on lawns.
It should be diluted and sprayed onto the lawn where the problem is
occurring.

'Get Off My Garden' is a solid repellent and can be used to deter
repeated digging or fouling in specific areas. It should be placed in
the holes which foxes are digging, or in other areas to which foxes
pay particular attention.

'Wash Off' is a scent neutraliser and can be used to discourage
repeated fouling and urinating on hard surfaces by removing the fox's
scent so that it cannot
mark the area successfully.

All repellents must be used according to the manufacturers' safety
instructions.

The repellents listed above are generally available in garden centres
and hardware stores. The inclusion of these products on this site is
for information only and is not intended as an endorsement or
recommendation of them by Bexley Council.

Common Questions
Would culling reduce the problem?
Bexley Council ceased control of foxes in 1985, largely in response to
independent research showing that culling or removal of foxes had
little effect on numbers. If foxes are removed from an area, remaining
vixens produce greater numbers of young and vacated territories are
quickly re-occupied. In some cases activity may even increase as
social organisation is disrupted and new territories are established.
Environmental management and humane deterrence are considered to be
much more effective control measures than culling.

Are foxes dangerous?
Foxes will normally run away if threatened but may defend themselves
if cornered.

Foxes may attack pets such as rabbits which are kept outside, as small
mammals form part of their natural diet. Owners should ensure that
their pets are securely housed. Foxes are unlikely to attack cats or
dogs. Although there have been a reported instances where foxes have
been spotted fighting with cats, it is more likely that an adult cat
will see off a fox easily.

Do foxes spread disease?
Foxes suffer from the same diseases as cats and dogs, although disease
transmission from foxes to pets is very unlikely. Foxes in some areas
suffer from mange which is highly contagious and nearly always fatal
to foxes. Dogs are much less susceptible to the disease and can be
treated with a medicine that kills the mites. Reports of mange in
foxes often turn out to be simple hair loss due to the normal moulting
process which begins around April. Foxes lose much of their fur in
large patches and can look very thin and scruffy until the winter coat
comes through in autumn.

Concern has been expressed about transmission of Toxocara canis to
children. Fox faeces as with dog faeces should be removed from gardens
where children play in order to minimize any risk.

Rabies is not present in the UK, and France and much of northern
Europe have been free of rabies for some time. However, special
control measures would come into force immediately in the event of an
outbreak in the UK.

Should I feed foxes?
Foxes breed according to the amount of food available it is therefore
suggested that householders do not feed foxes and avoid encouraging
them further. The population in Bexley suggests there is already an
abundance of food, and their adaptability ensures that foxes are
usually able to find sufficient food even in winter. High levels of
fox activity can cause severe nuisance to some householders, including
repeated and extensive fouling of gardens and damage to property. If
your neighbours are finding foxes a nuisance then you should not feed
them. Feeding may also cause foxes to lose their natural fear of
humans and bring them into close contact with people who may be
frightened or act aggressively towards them.

Are foxes protected?
Foxes are not a protected species. You are liable to prosecution
should you do anything which causes cruelty to animals, including
foxes. It may be considered to be cruel to shoot, snare, poison or use
dogs against foxes.
 

Cheerio,

           SUPPORT ISRAEL

Myths & Facts Online
A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict
By Mitchell G. Bard

http://tinyurl.com/ysepr

    +------------------------+
    | NO PLONKING ZONE |
    +------------------------+
         | | |
         | | | |
       ..| |.. .| |..
     ...\| |/.... \| |/..

**********************************************

'You can't win 'em all.'
Lord Haw Haw.

Since I stopped donating money to CONservation hooligan charities
Like the RSPB, Woodland Trust and all the other fat cat charities
I am in the top 0.217% richest people in the world.
There are 5,986,950,449 people poorer than me

If you're really interested I am the 13,049,551
richest person in the world.

And I'm keeping the bloody lot.

So sue me.

http://www.globalrichlist.com/

Newsgroup ettiquette

1) Tell everyone the Trolls don't bother you.
2) Say you've killfiled them, yet continue to respond.
3) Tell other people off who repsond despite doing so yourself.
4) Continually talk about Trolls while maintaining
    they're having no effect.
5) Publicly post killfile rules so the Trolls know
    how to avoid them.
6) Make lame legal threats and other barrel scraping
    manoeuvres when your abuse reports are ignored.
7) Eat vast quantities of pies.
8) Forget to brush your teeth for several decades.
9) Help a demon.local poster with their email while
    secretly reading it.
10) Pretend you're a hard *** when in fact you're
    as bent as a roundabout.
11) Become the laughing stock of Usenet like Mabbet
12) Die of old age
13) Keep paying Dr Chartham his fees and hope one day you
    will have a penis the girls can see.

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

"If you would'nt talk to them in a bar, don't *uckin' vote for them"

"Australia was not *discovered* it was invaded"
The Big Yin.

Need a fake diploma for fun? contact my collegues Malcolm Ogilvie
or Michael Saunby who both bought one and got one free, only $15 each,
have as many as you like www.fakediplomas.com

Quantcast