Urban fox pests (I tried to post this one yesterday ......)

[jim]

Tried:-
* pee-ing
* borrowed a friends dog
*sat up late with a load of pebbles to throw (dozed off due to taking a bottle of wine as companion).
So far chicken wire frames around the beds has been fairly effective, however, the fox has retalliated by crapping on the paths instead!
Sadly the .22 airgun seems an option. Do you need a firearms certificate?
Love and Peace
jim

[happy place]

to own a .22 air rifle under 12 foot lbs you do not need a fire arms licence.
to successfully dispatch a fox you need to get a rifle as near to the legal limit as poss probably around 11.6 foot lbs and use the heaviest pellet you can. a head shot is the only option and the range needs to be under 40 foot ideally for a clean kill. i know some people will find this distasteful but if your are going to kill you must make it clean.

[MKG]

"So far chicken wire frames around the beds has been fairly effective, however, the fox has retalliated by crapping on the paths instead!"

So you're thinking of shooting the fox just for crapping?

[Ratty]

to own a .22 air rifle under 12 foot lbs you do not need a fire arms licence.
to successfully dispatch a fox you need to get a rifle as near to the legal limit as poss probably around 11.6 foot lbs and use the heaviest pellet you can. a head shot is the only option and the range needs to be under 40 foot ideally for a clean kill. i know some people will find this distasteful but if your are going to kill you must make it clean.

Gah. Might I remind "You are liable to prosecution should you do anything which causes cruelty to animals, including foxes. It may be considered to be cruel to shoot, snare, poison or use dogs against foxes."

Ratty

EDIT. Found this which might be of use

Research has shown that non-toxic chemical repellents are sometimes effective in reducing nuisance from foxes when they are used correctly. Scent neutralisers can discourage foxes from fouling specific areas. All repellents must be renewed regularly, especially in hot weather and after heavy rain.

'Scoot' can be used to deter foxes from digging and fouling on lawns. It should be diluted and sprayed onto the lawn where the problem is occurring.

'Get Off My Garden' is a solid repellent and can be used to deter repeated digging or fouling in specific areas. It should be placed in the holes which foxes are digging, or in other areas to which foxes pay particular attention.

'Wash Off' is a scent neutraliser and can be used to discourage repeated fouling and urinating on hard surfaces by removing the fox's scent so that it cannot mark the area successfully.

[oldfella]

Human pee works - just don't ask me how I know!

Tried peeing on a fox once, now sing Soprano in our village choir.

[jim]

No, NOT just for crapping.
The original posting posed the problem I had with an urban fox. It ended with "looking forward to realistic suggestions". Yours was neither realistic nor a suggestion, more in the line of a catcall from the back row.
May I refer you to Ratty whose posting demonstrates a similar opinion to the one you are attempting to express BUT does contain realistic suggestions which I shall put into practice.
Read the text, understand the question, posit a reasoned response and you might just pass the exam young MKG,

Love and Peace
Jim
(Peering over the schoolmaster specs balanced on the end of his sarcastic nose!)

[MKG]

Whew - just tell the fox off, Jim - it'll run a mile.

[jim]

Dear Mkg
Would like to try but fear I am unable to communicate with Reynardine due to my ignorance of Vulpine languages,

Love and Peace

Jim

(No schoolmaster specs this time)

[Christine]

If all else fails, perhaps try putting out food well away from your beds. In years long past, we had a family of foxes in the garden of the derelict house next door (London) and the local butcher was very happy to hand over a disgusting mix of who-knows-what to feed them. Earthworms might not seem worth the trouble - a bit like having a bag of crisps and then losing interest in the hard work involved in cooking a meal. Obviously, you then encourage the fox - so perhaps put the food in the neighbour's garden?
I've had to create a cage out of pallets on the allotment to store bagged-up manure in because the fox was digging through the bags for worms.

[The Prehistorian]

I had a problem with catsdigging up the beds. Solved it with chicken wire, but rather than putting up supports and making a chicken wire 'box' over the bed I put it on the ground and let stuff grow through it. The cats tried digging once, foyund that they couldn't because of the wire and didn't come back. I chose this method because I'm too lazy, tight and cack-handed to make a proper framework for the wire.

Might work for foxes? Of course, it depends on what you want to grow as well!

[maggienetball]

I have read through all the posts but can't find an answer to this question, have you actually SEEN the fox or are you assuming it is a fox because of the damage and poo? Badgers dig for worms and roots regularly and are a nightmare on our allotments. I'm sure that foxes could also dine in that way but is less common. They are cunning hunters.

Also, keeping a dog is in no way a deterent to a fox unless the dog lives in with the chickens and is a fighter. Foxes will dig under wire, scale large fences and generally try their damnest to get in anywhere they feel a meal may lie. They lie in wait for days at a time "casing" your garden and learning your routine. They kill indescriminately. A single fox killed all of my chickens last year but only took 2 away. I had to dispose of the other headless bodies myself. Several small dogs lost their lives to foxes in our local woods last year in broad daylight too.

The best way to deter foxes is an electric fence.

Other than that it's a case of constant vigilance if you have small mammals or chickens. Just because reynard does not attack one year does not mean your pets are safe. I sadly speak from experience.

Good luck with your fox problem

[mrsflibble]

does girl wee work or is it like compost where you need boy wee for it to be effective?!

[maggienetball]

I don't think any wee is effective against a determined hungry fox. But I would imagine boy wee would be more effective (smells much worse anyway!!)

[jim]

Dear Maggienetball,
Yeh, I've seen him. Big bugger, able to leap tall buildings at a single bound (well, garden fences anyway!) How he got on my neighbours shed roof to leave decomposing meat from someones' dustbin would have been a sight to behold. Admiration for his ability to survive has to be tempered by irritation at his nuisance value .....
Thanks everyone for the suggestions,
Love and Peace
Jim

[dragonsue]

I had a fox dig up three of my four new beds within the first week of owning my allotment and I was furious!
Discovered sprinkling chilli pepper and cayenne pepper worked very well, only needing to replace it after heavy rains.
But then the mice and rats moved in, so I welcomed the fox back with open arms, putting down the uneaten left-overs of my cats dinners for them, and now (seven weeks later) we are getting along very well indeed! No more damaged plants from foxes or rodents! And as an added bonus, the fox killed two pigeons last week too! (After they ate my entire 1st sowing of peas, I'd happily shoot them!