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Repelling foxes

Alicia

Mama Doe
I really need some help :( one of my neighbours has been feeding a fox by hand, it is now not scared of people in the slightest and it keeps coming in my garden. I haven’t put Jelly out in about a week because I’m worried about this fox but I don’t want her to be stuck in forever, even if I’m there it comes in the garden. I chase it off and make loud noises but it takes a few attempts to chase it off and it never goes far. I’ve tried hosing it but can’t get the hose round to it quick enough, earlier it ran at me and just ran round me and I’m really quite worried about this.

Does anyone have any advice? I don’t want to feel like I can’t put Jelly out at all :(
 
I’ve also tried throwing something at it (just a hairbrush that I had in my hand at the time) it landed next to the fox and the fox just sniffed it. It’s also stressing my cat out (indoor cat but watches through windows and doors) I don’t want to hurt the fox I just want it to keep out as much as possible (I know you can never get rid of them completely) the gate and fence is being replaced to 6ft tall ones
 
Sadly I think your neighbour has allowed it to become less wary of humans and so I think you will find it very difficult to keep out of your garden by scaring it. I also think a fox can scale a 6ft fence if it's determined, so you will need to put something on top of the fence. You can get those angled pieces (sorry I don't know what they are called).
 
Thank you, I’ve just brought Jelly inside to run around my bedroom for an hour or so and I think she enjoyed that so I’ll try and do that more in the meantime just to give her a change of scenery. Is there such a thing as a completely fox proof run?
 
Thank you, I’ve just brought Jelly inside to run around my bedroom for an hour or so and I think she enjoyed that so I’ll try and do that more in the meantime just to give her a change of scenery. Is there such a thing as a completely fox proof run?

IMO, no
 
This is the sort of angled protection I mentioned earlier https://www.somerzby.com.au/blog/fox-proof-chicken-coop/

I don't think you can make a run 100% fox-proof and I would in addition try to stop the fox from entering your property at all. Have a discussion with the person who will be erecting your new fence and ask for advice.

We have rural foxes here and have had a couple of attacks on our chickens. We have to accept that they can never be completely safe, but their accommodating is as secure as we can make it. The danger for them is when they free-range. We minimise the risk of this by always being outside in the garden watching them, but it does not remove the risk completely. One fox attacked when we were just a few feet away from the chicken.

Personally, I would also have a word with your neighbour. I do not agree with people feeding foxes in their gardens for this reason. It might not stop the behaviour, but I would want to let them know of the problems they are causing for their neighbours.
 
Use a hose pipe with a high power spray nozzle to spray the sod.

But There's nothing you can do, best keep all pets indoors for the time being. I don't think it will be safe to put a rabbit outside at all.
 
I would bring her indoors - although that may take a bit of reorganisation of your indoor space. I wouldn't trust anything to prevent a fox getting in - or Jelly dying from fright.
 
My parents fed our foxes while we had a rabbit in a hutch&run outside (always had and still do). The adult foxes never bothered with the rabbit because there was plenty of easier food to be had. The cubs tried to 'play' with Charlie but he just sat in the middle of the run giving them the Nethie Stare, while the vixen hoovered up whatever was put for her. Plenty of other people in the area also fed the foxes (some likely inadvertently) and after the initial trying to get to the rabbit incident in the first year, they stopped bothering and Charlie was no longer scared of them. But this is not a normal situation and I do agree with jane, no run is fox-proof to a determined fox. Foxes aren't daft though, if there's easier food going they'll not waste energy, which is what happened with us. Charlie wasn't fazed by much that happened either, he was strong-willed and not easily scared, I would not know how any of my more-recent bunnies would have reacted to the same situation (given Lopsy now reacts totally differently to cats to his previous home :roll:). I expect most rabbits would be frightened, Charlie certainly was at first, but was smart enough to realise they weren't REALLY interested in him, after the foxes were smart enough to realise he wasn't on the menu!
 
Jelly has been running around indoors for now, and she goes outside in the run when I can sit out there with her (I make sure she gets sometime outside every day) for now we’re doing ok with that. I got a new 6ft gate and fence yesterday and although I think a fox could get through it does make it harder. I don’t think the fox has been in yet since the new fence and gate was put up because my cat is so much more relaxed, she has been quite on edge and hissing at this fox. I know I don’t know for sure and I’m not going to let my guard down, I’ll just keep going as we are and try and make things a bit more tricky for this fox!
 
Make sure you have a water pistol or glasses of water to hand all the time. It's the easiest and quickest way to scare them off, just chuck loads of water at them
 
I'm very wary of foxes. I've seen one clear my 6' fence with no problem. I also know there are a few very, very close - and someone on the street feeds them. I've also seen the carnage they cause as they don't just kill to eat - they are opportunists.

Anything that would absolutely definitely keep foxes out and rabbits safe would have to be a substantial structure (eg brick) with a solid (eg concrete) floor and probably double meshed. Standard rabbit runs won't keep out a determined fox, although it is possible to make it harder for them.

I've seen no sign of foxes in the garden since I got the dogs (although that's not an absolute), plus the rabbit run area is surrounded by a secondary mesh fence (I have a digger, and it keeps the dogs away) and bushes inside the fence line make clearing the fence a lot harder.
 
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