Fox visitors

[Lepus]

On rather rare occasions Foxes visit my garden , I have found Eggs buried in large flower pots , I am quite sure it`s them who put them here , and have seen them snooping about now and again relatively relaxed . I feed a Hedgehog with left over Cat food , or fresh if the Cat has cleared up , the other day I put some left over raw Chicken out and a Fox came for it . I am wondering , would the Fox have sniffed this out more and came in for it ? I know their hearing is amongst the best of our wild animals in my experience , I am guessing with that snout , it will be similar to a Dogs . I wonder , and I realise the best way is to test , but is the Fox likely to come if I put Raw Chicken out again ? What do you recon ? I am in amongst lots of other houses , so they are Urban Foxes .

 

[Gav.]

Hi Mark, bit envious you have a fox, I'd say they'd get the scent of raw chicken from a distance, as it doesn't take it long for it to start to smell, it's also a lot closer to their natural food than a pet food, so they may pass on cat food in favor of chicken.

 

[Dale.]

'My' foxes love raw chicken. I used to use chicken wings, if they're raw, the bones are fine as they are not brittle. NEVER use cooked chicken with bones in.

The problem with chicken is that the cats have developed a taste for it too and they snaff it before the foxes got a chance. I've switched to less appealing foods for cats, biscuits (in moderation) as well as leftovers that cats won't be interested in. Peanut butter seems to go down well but obviously, in moderation too.

As Gav says, chicken doesn't take long to get a bit whiffy, especially in the warmer evenings.

The first fox we had coming got spoilt, which is my fault and he would refuse all food and only take chicken wings. It wasn't a problem with him though as he would wait on me feeding him and would stay feet away from me waiting for more. He got 3 wings a night, no more as you don't want them depending on you. I fed him every night for just about 3 years but never filled him up, so he would still have to forage and source his own foods naturally.

Our current foxes are more skittish and less forgiving but that is partly intentional on my part, they tend to come between 2 and 4am, when I'm well asleep, so I have to leave food out for them but as I say, not chicken or anything meaty, as it just ends up feeding the local moggies.

Foxes will stash food, usually by burying it or covering it with vegetation etc.

 

[Tringa]

On rather rare occasions Foxes visit my garden , I have found Eggs buried in large flower pots , I am quite sure it`s them who put them here , and have seen them snooping about now and again relatively relaxed . I feed a Hedgehog with left over Cat food , or fresh if the Cat has cleared up , the other day I put some left over raw Chicken out and a Fox came for it . I am wondering , would the Fox have sniffed this out more and came in for it ? I know their hearing is amongst the best of our wild animals in my experience , I am guessing with that snout , it will be similar to a Dogs . I wonder , and I realise the best way is to test , but is the Fox likely to come if I put Raw Chicken out again ? What do you recon ? I am in amongst lots of other houses , so they are Urban Foxes .

They could have sniffed it out but I also think it is likely your garden is on the local fox(or foxes's) route. I think they 'partol' their area looking for anything they can eat.

There is a good chance the foxes go from garden to garden checking for an opportunity to feed.

Last year I used to put some dry dog food in a box for the hedgehog and had to weigh it down and put baffles in it to stop a fox trying to drag it away or squeeze inside to get the food.

A couple of nights ago our trail camera recorded a fox feeding on worms - very nifty at pulling them out of the ground.

Dave

 

[sphexx]

There is a good chance the foxes go from garden to garden checking for an opportunity to feed.

This! Foxes don’t hang about in my garden but have taken my hens when I had them. I’m on a regular ‘patrol’ route both in front and back gardens. They don’t hang about but hop over fences and just trot through at night or early morning. ‘Mine’ don’t count as urban as farmland only a few hundred yards away.

 

[Lepus]

I don`t think the foxes come through everyday / night . I have a surveillance camera out permanently , which has not picked them up , the trail camera I left set up for the Hedgehog has never caught a fox either , I think they are random visitors , I often see them locally , but not regular in the garden . I will try some Chicken Wings , but Cats are a problem , they even come and eat the stale Cat food that`s left out .

 

[Dale.]

I will try some Chicken Wings ,

I meant to say, don't use thighs, the knuckles are very hard and can break teeth or cause problems with digestion. I made that mistake with our dog, she's raw fed and she vomited the knuckles back up a few hours later. Luckily, no dental damage.

Safe to say, thighs are off the menu, both for our dog and the foxes.

 

[sphexx]

I meant to say, don't use thighs, the knuckles are very hard and can break teeth or cause problems with digestion. I made that mistake with our dog, she's raw fed and she vomited the knuckles back up a few hours later. Luckily, no dental damage.

Safe to say, thighs are off the menu, both for our dog and the foxes.

I’m a bit surprised at that however the thought that the fox(se) that took my hens choked to death on the bones has cheered me up enormously .

 

[Tringa]

I don`t think the foxes come through everyday / night . I have a surveillance camera out permanently , which has not picked them up , the trail camera I left set up for the Hedgehog has never caught a fox either , I think they are random visitors , I often see them locally , but not regular in the garden . I will try some Chicken Wings , but Cats are a problem , they even come and eat the stale Cat food that`s left out .

Interesting observations that you aren't on the foxes regular route. At present the trail camera picks up either one or two foxes in our back garden just about every night.

I don't put food out but they nearly always pass through. Some nights it appears they check the garden on their way out to search for food and on their way back - sometimes about 10:30/11:00pm and then again around 4:30am.

Dave

 

[Don Fischer]

If I'd been feeding them it would not surprise me if they found some chicken I'd put out for them. Had you not been feeding them, might have taken them a bit longer to find it. I have no idea what chicken smell's like to a fox but just the scent of raw food will probably get the fox to investigate and odds are it will find what it's looking for. On another note, you don't keep chickens around do you? If you do your setting yourself up for the fox to raid your chicken house! I think you'll find the fox doesn't care if it's chicken is processed or live! Maybe the thing to do is make a feeding station somewhere and feed the fox dog food, cat food or left overs.

 

[Lepus]

No I don`t keep any small animals outside , I agree it would be foolish to encourage a fox into such places . Cat food is put out every night for the Hedgehog , I don`t think the Fox comes for it , blasted Cats do though , any suggestions how I can stop the Cats from nicking the Hedgehogs food ?

 

[Dale.]

any suggestions how I can stop the Cats from nicking the Hedgehogs food

If you find the answer to that one, let me know. Some very fat cats around here too.

 

[Gav.]

any suggestions how I can stop the Cats from nicking the Hedgehogs food ?

If you find the answer to that one, let me know. Some very fat cats around here too.

I made a Hedgehog house sometime ago, I had to get rid of it as the wood rotted, you can make them from plastic storage boxes too.

If you make one, use animal safe treatments to be on the safe side, I never treated mine, it lasted a few years.

The house needs a 100mm/4" wide and tall corridor/tube down the side of it with a 90 degree bend or even a 180 degree turn at the end of it to get into the feeding area, this will stop cats getting in, my cat tried once and gave up, and the local Toms are very aggressive and heavy pawed and they've failed too.

Another option is make a 'maze' from bricks then cover it with a sheet of wood and add a few bricks so a cat can't move it.

One I made was along the lines of this..

Hedgehog House with Hinged Inspection Roof

Provide hedgehogs in your garden with a safe space to call their own What is it? This is no ordinary

www.arkwildlife.co.uk

I've heard of people using water bowls at the enterance as cats don't like getting wet, but this is not 100%, if a cat wants to eat, it'll get wet for the food.

Google - DIY Hedgehog feeding station

Add a small shallow water bowl and you'll have a very happy hog

 

[Lepus]

Thanks Gav , I thought of doing a tunnel net work out of bricks , I have brought a Hog Hibernation house , but need to read up on where best to put it . I already have a large water tray on the ground , I have in the past seen the Hog drink from it , and the birds like it too .

 

[Gav.]

have brought a Hog Hibernation house , but need to read up on where best to put it .

I think they work best under hedges and evergreen plants that over hang, scatter dry leaves and bark about they might take to it.. good luck!

As Chris @Cobra found out, they could just make a home in a compost bag

 

[woof woof]

Since we got cctv installed I've been very happy to see garden visitors including hedgehogs which come almost every night and a fox too which doesn't come often but it's a special occasion when it does