If you see a fox in your neighborhood, it’s no cause for alarm. Heres what you need to know.
Foxes eat both plants and animals. They hunt very small animals and look for food in cities and towns where pet food and trash are easy to find. It’s not unusual for a fox to be seen out and about during the day.
Foxes are scared of people and will usually run away if they see you, but they might come to your yard or neighborhood. If a fox runs through your yard, it’s probably just passing through on its way from one hunting area to another. You don’t need to do anything. Usually, the best thing to do is leave foxes alone.
No matter how big or small your outdoor space, you can create a haven for local wildlife. By providing basic needs like water, food and shelter, you can make a difference in your own backyard.
Discovering a fox den in your yard can be exciting but also concerning. As a wildlife lover I always get a thrill from seeing wild animals near my home. However having a den of foxes so close raises safety issues for both my family and pets. In this article, I’ll explain why foxes create dens in residential areas, signs to look for, and tips on coexisting safely with your fox neighbors.
Why Foxes Den Near Homes
Foxes are highly adaptable mammals found throughout North America The two species most likely to dig dens in yards are red foxes and gray foxes These medium-sized canids thrive in rural, suburban, and even urban habitats.
Foxes den near homes for several key reasons:
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Abundant food sources – Yards provide easy access to rodents, rabbits, birds, pet food, trash, and compost. Foxes opportunistically take advantage of these readily available meals.
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Good denning sites – Crawlspaces under sheds or porches make ideal fox dens. They offer protection, seclusion, and surrounding earth for digging entrance tunnels.
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Lack of predators – With fewer coyotes, bobcats, and other predators, suburban areas provide relatively safe havens for raising fox pups.
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Tolerant humans – Foxes recognize that most homeowners ignore or even enjoy their presence versus harming them. This emboldens foxes to den close to houses.
Signs of Fox Dens On Your Property
How can you tell if foxes have decided to make your yard their home? Look for these giveaways:
- Holes dug under sheds, decks, or porches
- Multiple fox tracks around a specific area
- Fox scat containing fur and small bones
- Foxes trotting to and from a particular spot, especially at dusk
- High-pitched vocalizations, yips, and barks at night
Fox dens in yards are most common in spring when vixens (female foxes) give birth and begin raising kits. If you notice signs of fox activity focused in one part of your landscape, a vixen has likely chosen that spot to birth and shelter her young.
Tips For Safely Coexisting With Foxes
Having a fox family living on your property can be a thrilling wildlife encounter if you take proper precautions:
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Never intentionally feed foxes. Relying on human food causes foxes to lose wariness.
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Eliminate easily accessible food sources like unsecured trash and pet bowls. Fox-proof compost bins.
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Make loud noises when exiting doors near dens to alert foxes.
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Walk pets on leashes and supervise outdoor cats to prevent encounters.
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Have pets vaccinated and use flea/tick control to protect wildlife health.
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Use deterrents like lights, sounds, or water near dens to discourage fox habitation.
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Remove brush piles and obstacles providing foxes cover near houses.
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Seal off crawlspaces, sheds, and porches to prevent access after foxes leave dens.
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Appreciate from a distance and never approach fox adults or kits.
Remember, fox dens in yards are temporary. Vixens will move their kits to new dens after 6-8 weeks. With proper hazing and proofing, foxes will abandon dens near homes and not return in future years. By taking appropriate measures, homeowners can responsibly coexist with foxes during denning season.
Why Foxes Are Valuable To The Suburban Environment
While having a fox den on your property can cause concerns, these intelligent mammals also provide ecological services:
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Rodent control – Foxes help regulate populations of rats, mice, voles, squirrels, and other problematic animals.
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Scavenging – Foxes clean up carrion and food scraps that could attract less desirable wildlife.
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Predator-prey balance – Foxes help control the numbers of species like rabbits, woodchucks, and small birds.
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Soil aeration – Foxes dig tunnels and dens that create channels for air, water, and nutrients in the soil.
If we make minor adjustments to coexist safely, suburban foxes can be incredibly beneficial. Let’s appreciate the remarkable adaptability of foxes that allows them to live among us. With understanding and tolerance, we can maintain healthy fox populations while also keeping our homes and pets secure.
Additional Fox Den Resources
If you discover a fox den on your property, here are some useful resources:
How can I get rid of a fox or fox den in my yard?
Should you want a fox family to leave quickly, mild harassment (scare them away) might help them do so. You can try a few humane harassment options once the kits have emerged.
- Loosely fill the den openings with leaves, soil, or mulch to scare the residents.
- Cat litter that is wet with urine, a T-shirt that is wet with sweat, a pair of stinky sweat socks, or old sneakers
- Stick or pole shiny party balloons or 12 to 18-inch lengths of Irri-tape a few feet off the ground just outside the den door.
- Spread capsicum-based granular repellent around the den entry.
The goal of these methods is to make the parents uncomfortable enough for them to move the litter to a safer place. Once the den has been left empty, make sure that all the kits are out of it before a permanent ban is put in place.
Not only foxes will be interested in a den site that is under a porch, deck, or shed. Other animals will also be drawn to it. Foxes are very good at digging, so the best way to keep them out is to bury an L-shaped footer of hardware cloth around the edge of the area you want to keep them out.
One or more of these humane but effective methods will stop foxes from building dens in places they are not welcome in the future:
- Use noise-making devices, such as transistor radios or motion-sensitive alarms.
- Install a motion-activated sprinkler.
- Use products from garden and hardware stores to keep dogs out of your gardens and yards; they will also keep a passing fox away.
Because foxes and other animals that like to eat can dig under fences, you should bury an L-shaped footer around the outside of an enclosure for animals that will be left alone. Electric fences may be useful when combined with other permanent perimeter fencing. A foot or so in front of a chain link or similar fence, put a single-strand of electric fence that is about four inches off the ground. Always check local ordinances when considering electric fences.
How can I tell if a fox has rabies? Can I get rabies from a fox?
Being out during the day is normal for foxes, so that fact alone shouldn’t worry you. The fox hunts animals that are only active during the day, like squirrels, birds, chipmunks, and others. They may just be looking for food. Take some time to watch the fox and look for these signs before calling to report a fox or for help:
- Partial paralysis or the inability to use their limbs well.
- Circling or staggering as if drunk.
- Self-mutilation.
- Acting aggressively for no reason.
- Acting unnaturally tame.
If you see these signs, don’t get close to the fox—remember that bites or saliva are the main ways people get rabies. If you see a fox that looks like it might have rabies, call your local animal control, police, or health department.
Foxes do get rabies sometimes, but the good news is that the fox strain of the disease has almost never been passed on to a person in the U.S. S. and post-exposure treatment is 100% effective if promptly administered. Rabies is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, such as a bite or scratch. It is very important to get your pets rabies shots to protect them, yourself, and other people from getting rabies. From 2009 to 2018, the CDC received 23 reports of rabies-related deaths. Of those, none were linked to foxes and eight were linked to dogs.
How To Keep Foxes Out Of Your Yard – (6 Easy Ways)
FAQ
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