Foxes

Percypatch · Jul 4, 2020

Hey everyone,
My two boys, Peanut and Patch, live outside in our garden and it has recently come to my attention that foxes have started coming in to the garden during the night. We have done everything physically possible to keep them out but I’m not really sure there is much more I can do to keep them away from the piggies. We have put up tall mesh wire on all of our fences but the fox has now started to to try and break the neighbours fence as well. Sometimes during the day I’ve noticed the fox climbing the tree in the garden opposite us just to get over the fence and look at the piggies. The hutch is raised of the floor by around half a metre so that she can’t burrow underneath it. She has also started pooping near the hutch which might be a way of marking territory? This particular fox also has five pups with her as well. I was wondering if there is anything I could do to get rid of her. Obviously nothing harmful to her and her pups. Is there something that would deter her like a particular smell?
Thanks

teddymouse · Jul 4, 2020

Can l ask if you're Male or female, sorry if this sounds odd,but a good deterrent to foxes is Male human wee .

PoppyFloss · Jul 4, 2020

Percypatch said:
Hey everyone,
My two boys, Peanut and Patch, live outside in our garden and it has recently come to my attention that foxes have started coming in to the garden during the night. We have done everything physically possible to keep them out but I’m not really sure there is much more I can do to keep them away from the piggies. We have put up tall mesh wire on all of our fences but the fox has now started to to try and break the neighbours fence as well. Sometimes during the day I’ve noticed the fox climbing the tree in the garden opposite us just to get over the fence and look at the piggies. The hutch is raised of the floor by around half a metre so that she can’t burrow underneath it. She has also started pooping near the hutch which might be a way of marking territory? This particular fox also has five pups with her as well. I was wondering if there is anything I could do to get rid of her. Obviously nothing harmful to her and her pups. Is there something that would deter her like a particular smell?
Thanks

Well, male urine keeps foxes away, they hate the smell! I also read somewhere that foxes don’t like chilli peppers, vinegar and garlic, so to make this into a liquid to spray in your garden I guess you could blend it all together.

Percypatch · Jul 4, 2020

teddymouse said:
Can l ask if you're Male or female, sorry if this sounds odd,but a good deterrent to foxes is Male human wee .

Hahah

I’m female so...it’s a no go there

Percypatch · Jul 4, 2020

PoppyFloss said:
Well, male urine keeps foxes away, they hate the smell! I also read somewhere that foxes don’t like chilli peppers, vinegar and garlic, so to make this into a liquid to spray in your garden I guess you could blend it all together.

Great! I’ll have a go. Thanks

Qualcast&Flymo · Jul 4, 2020

You could try one of those electronic devices that emits a sound that foxes (and some other animals ) don't like. Unless you have a cat, I guess...

ChrisU · Jul 5, 2020

We had a problem with a fox that appeared in our garden in the daytime. Our piggies are out in their runs during the day. It is quite terrifying to look out of the window and see a big fox standing on top of the run with the piggies looking up at it!

I tried male urine (hubby obliged), but it didn't work.

Eventually I bought an electric fence (sold for chickens). We put it in a big circle round the runs. We haven't seen a fox in our garden since. All the local cats give it a wide berth too.
.

Percypatch · Jul 6, 2020

Qualcast&Flymo said:
You could try one of those electronic devices that emits a sound that foxes (and some other animals ) don't like. Unless you have a cat, I guess...

I’ve seen those around but wasn’t sure if I should buy one just in case they harmed the piggies.

Percypatch · Jul 6, 2020

ChrisU said:
We had a problem with a fox that appeared in our garden in the daytime. Our piggies are out in their runs during the day. It is quite terrifying to look out of the window and see a big fox standing on top of the run with the piggies looking up at it!

I tried male urine (hubby obliged), but it didn't work.

Eventually I bought an electric fence (sold for chickens). We put it in a big circle round the runs. We haven't seen a fox in our garden since. All the local cats give it a wide berth too.
.View attachment 147357

Ahh great! Thanks for the idea

Qualcast&Flymo · Jul 6, 2020

Percypatch said:
I’ve seen those around but wasn’t sure if I should buy one just in case they harmed the piggies.

That's a good point. I don't know how species-specific they are. Perhaps they can be sited so that the hutch would be out of range of the sound, but the place where the foxes get in is in range.