Should I feed my foxes ?

[gentlegreen]

Judging by the size of 'em, I'm guessing they're doing fairly well already - but I bought some dry food for a hedgehog I no longer see - and there are massive bags in Aldi for a fiver.

But the youngsters are forever rootling about out the back - presumably hunting rats...

... on the other hand, I wouldn't want to discourage 'em from doing that ...

 

[a_chap]

I put food out for foxes.

I don't buy anything specifically for them but when I roast a chicken I put the carcass outside; it never fails to be gone by the morning.

 

[gentlegreen]

I put food out for foxes.

I don't buy anything specifically for them but when I roast a chicken I put the carcass outside; it never fails to be gone by the morning.

Sadly all they get from me at the moment is bendy carrots and the odd crust ...

 

[Pickman's model]

Sadly all they get from me at the moment is bendy carrots and the odd crust ...

things the eu won't allow you to sell

 

[8ball]

Judging by the size of 'em, I'm guessing they're doing fairly well already...

No need to feed them, then.
They are apparently delicious (which surprises me), though you need to tenderise the meat properly or it can be quite tough.

 

[joustmaster]

The mother in law has been leaving food out for the foxes in her garden.
She thinks the sudden upturn in rats is unrelated.

 

[gentlegreen]

I just chucked out some out of date tuna - they seem to be liking that

 

[farmerbarleymow]

Of course you should feed them gentlegreen - foxes are lovely.

 

[gentlegreen]

Of course you should feed them gentlegreen - foxes are lovely.

It's hard living in the city - we have to take what we can get - pavement weeds, seagull dawn chorus, wood pigeons on the bird feeder, foxes, snails in the bathroom ... I draw the line at rats though.

 

[Magnus McGinty]

If you don't want rats id refrain from feeding the foxes.

 

[Treacle Toes]

They are not 'your' foxes.

No you shouldn't be feeding them as it discourages them developing their own survival techniques.

It will also encourage rats.

When I moved into my current home there was a vixen who would come to the garden every night and sit under the kitchen window with her cubs waiting for food to be thrown down to her.

As sweet as that sounds, I never did feed them and they stopped coming. Building that kind of dependency isn't cute or clever IMO.

 

[gentlegreen]

As sweet as that sounds, I never did feed them and they stopped coming. Building that kind of dependency isn't cute or clever IMO.

That was sort of the way I was leaning - except they're actually living in my garden - or under next door's shed - or both.
Thankfully the badger I once had left of his own accord.
I just have rather a lot of out of date canned food ...

 

[gentlegreen]

Anyway, at least this has made me download some security s/w for my three IP cameras - I actually have a few analogue cameras I intended to fit in the greenhouse aimed at their den.

 

[nogojones]

They are not 'your' foxes.

No you shouldn't be feeding them as it discourages them developing their own survival techniques.

It will also encourage rats.

When I moved into my current home there was a vixen who would come to the garden every night and sit under the kitchen window with her cubs waiting for food to be thrown down to her.

As sweet as that sounds, I never did feed them and they stopped coming. Building that kind of dependency isn't cute or clever IMO.

Your meanness on the dinner front just made them sit in front of other windows til they found a more reliable street food outlet

 

[Treacle Toes]

Your meanness on the dinner front just made them sit in front of other windows til they found a more reliable street food outlet

I'm not mean!

Good grief, they are not pets!

 

[nogojones]

I'm not mean!

Good grief, they are not pets!

They might be though if you put a cat flap in

 

[Treacle Toes]

They might be though if you put a cat flap in

Good lawd, I bet people actually do this.

 

[dylanredefined]

Fox trying to steal my lunch. After I shared some with it.Also stole one of my buckshee jungle boots. Not exactly a fan.

 

[nogojones]

View attachment 176949
Fox trying to steal my lunch. After I shared some with it.Also stole one of my buckshee jungle boots. Not exactly a fan.

You might as well have let him have the pair. You must have tiny feet though

 

[Treacle Toes]

I am constantly finding odd socks, shoes and random children's toys in the garden (I think they like the human pong) along with chicken boxes, food wrappers etc.

 

[pogofish]

We were walking along a little visited estate path through woods and past smaller fields at the weekend - a fox came trotting round the corner, like it owned the place and continued padding towards us unperturbed till it eventually noticed us, paused a second in complete surprise before hurtling-off into the woods..!

 

[scifisam]

No, they're wild animals and they often mess up gardens. Because of my neighbours feeding foxes my garden is unusable - the foxes dig up everything I plant, bring in loads of rubbish, have torn up my garden furniture and strewn the bits over the garden, poo on the baby's play equipment, chew and destroy everything they can get, and attack my cats. When I had a greenhouse it was unusable because the foxes broke in and knocked everything over every night.

If I find out who's feeding them I'm going to go round and ask them to pay to repair the damage, since they're treating these wild animals like they're pets.

(Obvs I won't really, I'll just seethe in their general direction).

 

[TopCat]

No, they're wild animals and they often mess up gardens. Because of my neighbours feeding foxes my garden is unusable - the foxes dig up everything I plant, bring in loads of rubbish, have torn up my garden furniture and strewn the bits over the garden, poo on the baby's play equipment, chew and destroy everything they can get, and attack my cats. When I had a greenhouse it was unusable because the foxes broke in and knocked everything over every night.

If I find out who's feeding them I'm going to go round and ask them to pay to repair the damage, since they're treating these wild animals like they're pets.
(Obvs I won't really, I'll just seethe in their general direction).

Collect your first piss of the day for a week, leaving the container in the sun. Empty carefully a stream of this on your boundaries.

 

[nogojones]

Collect your first piss of the day for a week, leaving the container in the sun. Empty carefully a stream of this on your boundaries.

I did this and the Royal Mail now refuse to deliver anything

 

[passenger]

Feed them at certain times so they have a routine, otherwise all the others just help
themselves

 

[TopCat]

I did this and the Royal Mail now refuse to deliver anything

A mere trifle. Have the foxes returned is the main thing?

 

[Idris2002]

Collect your first piss of the day for a week, leaving the container in the sun. Empty carefully a stream of this on your boundaries.

Interesting. Now maybe you can help scifisam with his fox problem.

 

[Treacle Toes]

No, they're wild animals and they often mess up gardens. Because of my neighbours feeding foxes my garden is unusable - the foxes dig up everything I plant, bring in loads of rubbish, have torn up my garden furniture and strewn the bits over the garden, poo on the baby's play equipment, chew and destroy everything they can get, and attack my cats. When I had a greenhouse it was unusable because the foxes broke in and knocked everything over every night.

If I find out who's feeding them I'm going to go round and ask them to pay to repair the damage, since they're treating these wild animals like they're pets.

(Obvs I won't really, I'll just seethe in their general direction).

Can you borrow a dog? When I was dog sitting they gave my garden a wide berth on the whole and didn't start coming back till log after she was gone.

Also, get a man to piss around the garden, also a deterrent so i'm told

 

[klang]

I am a man and sell piss for £5/gallon.
PM for paypal details.

 

[andysays]

In addition to everything already mentioned, if you feed this lot they will (understandably) decide that your garden is a prime breeding ground and next year you will potentially have many more fox cubs arriving.

Unless you really appreciate the smell of fox piss and all the other downsides of having an ever-growing number of foxes in your garden, including potentially making it more difficult to sell your house, I'd stop feeding them right now and start taking active steps to deter them.