What To Do If You Have A Fox On Your Premises

> Be sure to eliminate all food sources such as pet foods, birdseed, etc. If food must be left outside, then remove all food at night.

> Use metal or heavy plastic trash containers. Keep the lids securely fastened to prevent odor from escaping. A cord threaded through the handle of the lid and hooked onto the sides of the can is a simple, yet effective tactic.

> Keep BBQ grills clean or stored in a secure place, such as a garage or shed.

> Compost piles should never receive meat scraps.

> Light the area with floodlights or motion detector lights. Motion detector lights usually work the best.

> Scare them away. At night, turn on the lights and run outside yelling and swinging a broom.

> Foxes will not attack dogs or children, but sometimes, if the fox is hungry enough, it may go after cats. By and large, however, foxes seem to pay little heed to adult cats, recognizing that they are dealing with an animal that is almost their size and certainly one that has a well-deserved reputation for self-defense. Kittens, however, could be easy prey for a fox, as might small adult cats.

What To Do If You Have Foxes In A Den

> Occasionally foxes make their dens under decks, patios or outbuildings.

> Roll rags into a tight ball and tie with twine. These should be the size of a tennis ball. Soak these in ammonia. Throw the ammonia balls in the entrance hole of the den.

> Anything with a human scent will alarm the foxes as well. Try putting smelly sweat socks or old sneakers around the area where the foxes come and go.

> Place "scare balloons" mounted about 2 to 3 feet off the ground just outside the entrance to the den.

> Bang on the top of the den with a shovel, making as much noise as possible.

> Place a radio, tuned to a talk program, at the main entrance of the den.

> Slowly, over a period of days, destroy the den in increments.

Natural History

Foxes are fascinating animals that combine many of the behavioral and ecological traits of cats with their obvious background as dogs - enough so that the red fox has often been called the "catlike canine". To many people, the fox is the least expected of our urban animals, and it's common to hear people remark that they had no idea such animals lived in cities. In fact, they are well adapted to do so, being what most other successful urban mammals are: generalists who are able to use a wide range of habitats, exploit a wide range of natural and human-produced foods and alter their activity schedules, if necessary, to be primarily active at the times when humans are not. The reward for this is a longer life than their rural counterparts and a death that is more likely to come from disease.

Hunting And Feeding Habits

The fox is generally active at night, but they may often be seen sunning themselves at any hour of the day. During the winter months, they may forage for food during the day because of the difficulty in finding an adequate food source.

Foxes, like many urban adapted species, have a wide variety of plant and animal matter in their diet. They are predators whose food source usually consists of small rodents, birds, eggs and rabbits. The fox also eats fruits, nuts and berries.

One of the reasons foxes are described as catlike is that they tend to hunt more by stealth then the pursuit typical of many other canids. A hunting red fox is all ears, literally, as it seeks the faint rustling sounds made by its prey, stalking it closely and launching a long, graceful, leaping pounce at the moment it feels it has the prey's location marked.

Birth To Maturity

Baby fox, kits (as the young are called), are born in the spring, usually in March or April. As many as 8 or a few as 3 are born, with litters averaging 4 or 5.

Both the adult male and female fox share the responsibility of raising the young.

The kits mature quickly and may be seen coming out of the den as early as 3-4 weeks after birth.

A den, at this time of year, will generally consist of the kits and both parents. The kits are often moved to different dens one or more times during the rearing process.

The kits are weaned by 9 weeks and begin to hunt with their parents. They may remain nearby their parents until late summer or early fall before dispersing to establish their own territories.

Public Health

Foxes are a vector species for rabies, which means that they are the primary carrier of one of the major strains of this disease that infects different animal species.

In some parts of the country foxes carry the echinococcosis tapeworm that can cause a serious and sometimes fatal disease in humans.

- Information provided by the Urban Wildlife Rescue, Inc.

- Information also provided by "Wild Neighbors"

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