Foxes can be a nuisance in suburban and urban areas, raiding garbage cans and predating on pets and livestock. This has led many homeowners to seek DIY methods of fox control, including the use of human urine as a repellent. But does peeing around your yard actually keep foxes away? Let’s take a closer look at the evidence.
Why Human Urine Might Work
The idea behind using human urine as a fox repellent is that the strong scent will overwhelm the fox’s sensitive nose and mark the area as occupied signaling the fox to stay away. Additionally since foxes are naturally afraid of humans, the presence of human scent may convince foxes that humans are frequently present, making the area seem risky.
Proponents of pee-based fox control point out that urine is free organic and easy to apply anytime you’re caught short outdoors. It also avoids the use of harsh chemical repellents.
Studying Urine as a Deterrent
There actually haven’t been any scientific studies specifically testing human urine against foxes. However, a few studies have looked at urine as a repellent for other urban wildlife
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A study in the journal Physiology & Behavior found that coyotes avoided areas marked with the urine and feces of both coyotes and domestic dogs.
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Bobcat urine was found to be an effective raccoon deterrent in a Cornell University study.
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University of Georgia researchers determined that human urine, especially from men, can temporarily repel deer from food plots.
So there is some evidence that predator pee and human pee can influence animal behavior. But more research would be needed to confirm if human urine specifically deters foxes.
Anecdotal Experiences
In the absence of scientific research, we can look to anecdotal reports from people who have tried using human urine against foxes. These real-world experiences are mixed:
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On backyard chicken keeping forums, some users report no effect from peeing around their coops, while others felt it provided temporary protection.
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Redditors discussing the issue agree urine offers mild and short-term fox deterrence at best.
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Pest control companies consulted about urine as a DIY fox repellent say it may work for a day or two but lacks residual effect.
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A viral blog post detailed one man’s commitment to frequently urinating along his property line to thwart foxes, claiming success.
So some amateur testing indicates human urine can briefly repel foxes, but not reliably over longer periods.
Problems With Urine as a Repellent
There are a few issues that make human urine unlikely to be an effective long-term fox deterrent:
Insufficient Quantity
To establish a scent boundary, you need a lot of urine. A single person’s output won’t produce enough to thoroughly drench an area in the potent scent needed to put off foxes.
Lack of Persistence
Urine smell fades quickly, especially outdoors exposed to the elements. Any deterrent effect would be extremely temporary before requiring reapplication.
Foxes Can Habituate
Foxes may be initially startled by the urine smell. But if they keep returning and the scent is not paired with any other deterrents, foxes can get used to it and learn to ignore it.
Suburban Foxes Are Less Fearful
Rural foxes with little human contact are more skittish. But urban foxes used to living near humans can be quite bold and difficult to scare off.
More Effective Alternatives
While using human urine to repel foxes is free and convenient, there are better options that use the power of scent more effectively:
Predator Urine
The urine of natural fox predators like coyotes, wolves, and dogs lasts longer outdoors and contains pheromones that truly frighten foxes on an instinctual level. Products containing these animal pees are available.
Strong Repellent Sprays
Certain smells really offend foxes, like pepper sprays and ammonia. These provide powerful, lingering fox-irritating odors around your property when applied to fencing, plants, and perimeter areas.
Automated Deterrent Devices
Motion-activated sprinklers, lights, or noisemakers use sudden startling stimuli to condition foxes to avoid your yard. These provide 24/7 protection.
Exclusion Fencing
Properly installed fence barriers make it impossible for foxes to access your yard. This is the only surefire long-term solution.
The Verdict
Based on the spotty evidence, human urine does appear to have some limited effectiveness at repelling foxes. But it’s unlikely to be a practical permanent fix for a persistent fox problem. While peeing around your yard probably won’t hurt and takes minimal effort, you’ll get better results combining urine with other fox deterrent tactics or upgrading to a more robust commercial repellent system.
Mike from Walthamstow says:
‘A fox has destroyed my back garden. It tore up my lawn, dug up my raised beds, ate my vegetables, and poop all over the place. Now it’s having loud sex every night. I have a cat, so I don’t want to install a deterrent that might scare him. And actually, I totally love foxes. Google advised that I wee all over the garden. ’.
How to Use Human Urine as an Animal Repellent
FAQ
Does urine deter foxes?
What smell do foxes hate?
Does human pee repel animals?
What is the best deterrent for foxes?
Does human urine deter foxes?
Male human urine can deter foxes because they think that their marked territory, which is your garden, is under attack and causes the fox to flee as foxes avoid human confrontation and will most likely run rather than attack. Human urine has a strong scent that masks the smell of fox urine and forces them out.
Do foxes eat urine?
With overgrown grass, trash and garbage, an untidy garden and birds on your trees, some gardens can seem like a paradise for foxes. However, for practical and behavioural reasons, using urine to deter foxes may not be the best approach. For example, if your intruder fox is an urban fox, then these tactics might be less effective.
Can a Fox smell human urine?
Therefore, the smell of human urine would not be as intimidating to an urban fox as it might be to a rural fox who rarely encounters humans. If you’ve got a dog, you’re better off getting them to have a tinkle around the garden instead, as the fox will consider a dog much more of a rival than a human. 2.
Does coyote urine deter foxes?
There’s not much science to support many homemade or commercial fox scent deterrents. However, one that has some studies to back its use is coyote urine. While the studies indicate it works to deter some prey species, Graves says it makes sense it could work with foxes when you consider where both these canids sit on the food chain.