Please don't underestimate foxes!

That's terribly sad! I rarely put my piggies out because I see birds of prey flying over my garden too often and many small birds taken. The only time they go out is when I am sat with them.
 
Now matter how much i tell my friend who has rabbits, that foxes are very good at jumping high and climbing up. She just says....o right.

I see a fox the other night jump a probably 7ft high fence, they will dig under runs aswell
 
Julesie said:
That's terribly sad! I rarely put my piggies out because I see birds of prey flying over my garden too often and many small birds taken. The only time they go out is when I am sat with them.
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Magpies and crows will peck at small animals aswell, which birds of prey are you seeing? I think buzzards will be a danger, but red kites i think only take dead animals( not too certain on this) and sparrow hawks are maybe a bit small to take pigs, again not certain on this either.
 
After seeing a fox sat quite confidently in the garden and cleaning itself, I don’t dare leave the piggies out by themselves anymore!
 
Foxes are good at climbing. My garden has a 6 foot high wall and they still managed to get in and take my 3 chickens. I only have my piggies out during the day and when there is someone home to keep on the on them.xx
 
I should show this to my hubby, he's always been puzzled about where they go when there's only one way in/out the garden. I have been tell him for years they can easily get over the fence but he chooses not to believe me
 
They are like the look of a dog with the skills of a cat. Lethal weapon! A fox took my old friends puppy out of their garden
 
I suppose this time of year they’ll be taking food back to their young too so extra vigilance around them.

We were watching the most beautiful fox the other day sunning herself in a field. Wouldn’t want her anywhere near my piggies though!
 
This is why I can’t have my piggies outside 😱😱😱

I do know there are definitely foxes hanging about
 
SkyPipDotBernie said:
Magpies and crows will peck at small animals aswell, which birds of prey are you seeing? I think buzzards will be a danger, but red kites i think only take dead animals( not too certain on this) and sparrow hawks are maybe a bit small to take pigs, again not certain on this either.
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It’s this bird. Took this photo of it over my house.
 

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Julesie said:
It’s this bird. Took this photo of it over my house.
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Red kite. Only take dead normally. But stil good not to risk it, you never know! Red kites have weak talens they cant grab live prey well.
 
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Julesie said:
It’s this bird. Took this photo of it over my house.
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That is a red kite, they tend to feed on carrion or small ground nesting chicks. Unlikely to harm guinea pigs along with buzzards as they only eat worms and carrion.

Seagulls are more of a threat x
 
If you have a secure run with proper mesh with small holes that is covered overhead and not just open topped then they should be perfectly secure. You can stake the run too for more protection.
Birds of prey are not generally a threat, unless you have golden eagles!
The worst predators are cats, dogs, foxes, badgers, stoats, pine martins and weasels. Crows, rooks, blacked backed gulls and sea gulls cannot carry off guinea pigs but can peck at eyes, as they often do with sick lambs on the moors.
 
Bill & Ted said:
That is a red kite, they tend to feed on carrion or small ground nesting chicks. Unlikely to harm guinea pigs along with buzzards as they only eat worms and carrion.

Seagulls are more of a threat x
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That’s really nice to know :) we have two always flying over the top of my garden. Though we have something that is coming down and stealing birds too around here but not as common as that one.
 
Magpies tend to be the “chick snatchers”. They are very clever, they watch the parent and follow them back to the nest! I suppose it’s only nature but it can be so cruel at times x

Sparrowhawks can catch birds as big as blackbird on the wing, they then pluck the bird of feather then carry it off. That sounds like maybe what you have.
 
Julesie said:
That’s really nice to know :) we have two always flying over the top of my garden. Though we have something that is coming down and stealing birds too around here but not as common as that one.
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Sparrow hawk more than likely. Not big enough to take a guinea pig i would have thought. A tawney owl will though, but only a worry at sun down mostly

Didnt see post above @Bill & Ted
 
We have a sparrowhawk that’s hunts around us, very beautiful striped breast. A devil though, he takes all sorts of birds, finches, bluetits and blackbirds. Got a photo of him somewhere must try and find it!
 
Bill & Ted said:
We have a sparrowhawk that’s hunts around us, very beautiful striped breast. A devil though, he takes all sorts of birds, finches, bluetits and blackbirds. Got a photo of him somewhere must try and find it!
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They can dive and pick off a bird at 80mph apparently. Or is it 90
 
Foxes are voracious predictors, they will kill all in a flock of hens, take one and leave the rest and come back time and time again. Our bantams were free range, we were lucky but we always looked them securely up at night x
 
I live on the edge of a city and we've often seen foxes at night, but a few years ago we regularly saw a fox in our garden at lunch time. As our piggies are out in runs during the day it was very frightening to see a big fox standing on top of a run looking down at the piggies. We could only leave the piggies in their runs if one of us was constantly watching.

I now have a solution. I have an electric fence surrounding the runs. It seems to have solved the problem as I haven't seen a fox in our garden since I got it. Visiting cats give it a wide berth too.

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It is sold as poultry netting and is easy to move around the garden. It has a gate too.

I can now confidently leave the piggies out all day.
 
ChrisU said:
I live on the edge of a city and we've often seen foxes at night, but a few years ago we regularly saw a fox in our garden at lunch time. As our piggies are out in runs during the day it was very frightening to see a big fox standing on top of a run looking down at the piggies. We could only leave the piggies in their runs if one of us was constantly watching.

I now have a solution. I have an electric fence surrounding the runs. It seems to have solved the problem as I haven't seen a fox in our garden since I got it. Visiting cats give it a wide berth too.

View attachment 110831

It is sold as poultry netting and is easy to move around the garden. It has a gate too.

I can now confidently leave the piggies out all day.
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That’s a great bit of kit! No fox is going to attempt getting to your piggies x
 
ChrisU said:
I live on the edge of a city and we've often seen foxes at night, but a few years ago we regularly saw a fox in our garden at lunch time. As our piggies are out in runs during the day it was very frightening to see a big fox standing on top of a run looking down at the piggies. We could only leave the piggies in their runs if one of us was constantly watching.

I now have a solution. I have an electric fence surrounding the runs. It seems to have solved the problem as I haven't seen a fox in our garden since I got it. Visiting cats give it a wide berth too.

View attachment 110831

It is sold as poultry netting and is easy to move around the garden. It has a gate too.

I can now confidently leave the piggies out all day.
Click to expand...
Liking this idea! There are foxes where we are going to move to and was wondering how to overcome this.
 
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