B@stard Foxes

[flora poste]

I have a lovely garden, and lovely raised beds that I'd lovingly weeded and sown with lovely seeds.

I got out there today and found that they'd been totally dug up by foxes  fury doesn't even begin to cover it!

How do I keep them out? If not out of my garden, which I guess is a losing battle, then at least out of my beds to give my veg a fighting chance. When I moved in, the only thing growing in the bed was a massive triffid of a cardoon: I cut it down because it was spiky and took up all the space and was, frankly, rather frightening. But I wonder now if it was a tactical thing.

(I'm also racked with guilt because I put down a load of organic slug pellets before realising we had a pond full of toads and frogs who probably eat the snails. Will a frog die from eating a poisoned snail? I'm doing eggshells, beer traps etc from now on. This is a secondary concern after the foxes, though.)

[JuicyCrone]

Yes to the query about poisoning slugs affecting toads etc.  Once you put poison down it is in the food chain. 

Can understand you annoyance about the foxes, I had one come into my garden a while, but did no damage and not seen it again. Is there a food source they are coming in after, or do you think this was "just play".  They are crafty buggers - not sure what to advise, other than nothing poisonous or that will harm them obviously.

[flora poste]

I can't think that there's a food source they're coming in for, as our bins go out the front. It seems to me they're just playing - the massive holes they dug in the beds seemed to me to be particularly gleeful. We only just moved in and the last people had a big dog, so perhaps they're just scoping us out. I don't want to harm them at all, I just want to avoid them trashing my stuff.

Although perhaps they'll eat the frogs that ate the slugs, and I'll have no more trouble from any wildlife.

[YoSushi]

Are you using fertiliser on your garden? If so check to see if it's a type of fertiliser that contains fish, bones or blood products as foxes will then be digging for non-existent carcass'

I have really bad problems with badgers where i live. It's pretty cool as it's quite rare to find them but omg they create havoc in the gardens with all the burrowing and smashing through fences. Last year our neighbours shed just disappeared overnight into the ground!

[adarajames]

I've had to put netting over my raised beds to stop the blasted foxes and damned neighbourhood cats from digging the beds and using them as toilets, works well

organic slug pellets won't hurt the local frogs and toads so don't worry about that, its the traditional ones that go on to poison the rest fo the food chain

[flora poste]

Are you using fertiliser on your garden? If so check to see if it's a type of fertiliser that contains fish, bones or blood products as foxes will then be digging for non-existent carcass'

Ah. That'd be the fish, blood & bone I put in.

I've had to put netting over my raised beds to stop the blasted foxes and damned neighbourhood cats from digging the beds and using them as toilets, works well

organic slug pellets won't hurt the local frogs and toads so don't worry about that, its the traditional ones that go on to poison the rest fo the food chain

Two other good things to know. Thanks!

Well, this is great. I've never had a garden before - not to grow things in myself, anyway - and it's all very new. Time to reinstate kiwigoddess's 'What IS this in my garden?' thread...

[Old Brock]

I don't know about the foxes, but if you offer badgers food they eat that instead of digging the ground for creatures to eat.

http://www.badgerland.co.uk/animals/food/yourgarden.html

[Blythe]

I am ever so fond of foxes.  I love that they have come into the cities to eat our rubbish and shelter from the hounds.  They are beautiful and mysterious.

I know this is a romantic view, but when I was 7 I saw a fox torn to pieces by hounds.  It was barbaric, and the glee on the faces of the humans involved was unforgettable.

My Mum had a book called Gone to Earth which I used to read the last page of repeatedly.  A young woman rescues a fox being chased by the pack and holding the fox in her arms she jumps down a well, and the words Gone to Earth echoed as they fell.

[Leznurse]

I am ever so fond of foxes.  I love that they have come into the cities to eat our rubbish and shelter from the hounds.  They are beautiful and mysterious.

I know this is a romantic view, but when I was 7 I saw a fox torn to pieces by hounds.  It was barbaric, and the glee on the faces of the humans involved was unforgettable.

My Mum had a book called Gone to Earth which I used to read the last page of repeatedly.  A young woman rescues a fox being chased by the pack and holding the fox in her arms she jumps down a well, and the words Gone to Earth echoed as they fell.

  Blythe this has stirred me immensely.  A very beautiful post

[millicent]

I don't know about the foxes, but if you offer badgers food they eat that instead of digging the ground for creatures to eat.

Apparently they like garlic bread. <-- clicky

Disclaimer: I'm not encouraging anybody to feed a fox garlic bread. In fact, Don't.

[two monkeys]

I should think every garden in London is in the territory of a fox now. I can certainly smell them everywhere. Usually they aren't a problem but I have one garden where I have had severe problems with one or two foxes for the last few years. We're engaged in a turf war, which I'm losing........

They are spiteful and they do do things on purpose, like sh!ting right in the centre of the door mat, or in other obvious places so you can't help but notice. I've had them leave things, like a maggoty rat if you do something that pisses them off ..........   a while ago I got left a pair of Cath Kidston gloves and I foolishly thought it was a peace offering  .

If they aren't sh!tting and pissing everywhere,  then it's probably just  the fox cubs messing about. I can't give you any advice because I haven't solved my own problem yet. Don't spend any money on repellents though. I don't think they're strong enough anymore.

[apyrap]

I'm with Blythe. I think Foxes are fab and they are, for me anyway, one of the best things about living in London.

In answer to your question, I'd say chilli powder. The fiery red, powdery stuff from the Asian stores. Sprinkle over newly potted/ planted things. I don't know, or care, if it hurts the greenery but it drives the foxes and squirrels crazy and saves a Sunday afternoon's work from being ruined.

[readyellow]

foxes are beautiful.  i always see them on my early am runs on the heath; sometimes we have little staring contests

[Blythe]

I LOVE it when that happens.  When you and a fox look at one another.  It's a WILD animal and it stops and surveys you.
Last spring there was a fox living in the school orchard and it started coming really close to the kids when we were doing buzztime at 9am.  240 kids outside on the hard playground doing star jumps and playing Port/Starboard.  It came every morning and the Head got all terrified that it would bite a pupil so was considering having some Rent-a-Kill person come and poison it!
I vehemently opposed the idea, and instead we encouraged the kids to make noise and jog towards it if they saw it so as to scare it off sufficiently.

I have seen foxes jumping at the magpies on the playing field when everyone has gone home.  The magpies dived bombed them for fun.  It was the most amazing sight.  Right there in a zone 2 school playground.

 

[ra5hush]

Had a family of foxes living underneath my last classroom. Very cute when the babies were little. They didn't tend to come out when the kids were around for some reason... can't imagine why.
It's the squirrels I hate. Keep setting the alarms off, coming into KS1 and frightening the teachers kids and eating the veggies out of the garden. GRRR.