Harper Asprey Wildlife Rescue encouraging through knowledge a natural balance

fox in the garden

 

Foxes are extremely clever and adaptable animals and have taken well to towns. The urban fox has evolved so well he seems really at home in our towns now.

 

As a rescue we get both town and country foxes and they are almost different breeds.

 

 

Foxes get used to their surrounding and recognise people and noises very quickly. This can make them very cheeky. Cubs have far less reserve than their parents and will come right up to people, cats and dogs unaware of the dangers this often causes them. By the time a fox has reached the end of their first year they have learnt to respect all of them and should keep a safe distance away. That distance in the countryside is greater as they are just like humans, the need for personal space varies from countryside to city.

They are creatures of habit and have territories, these territories are secured by the vixen and at this time of the year will be defended. A vixen will ensure she has several safe earths for the birth of her cubs and if disturbed from one will move to another. The foxes feel safe and welcome under your neighbours shed and that is why she uses it as her home.

 

Cubs are typically born between January and April. The litter will range from on average four to five cubs. It is unlikely that more than one of these cubs will survive to adult hood. A vixen will protect her cubs and it is this time of the year that we see foxes chase cats away if they get to close. No matter how close you can get to a fox once caught they will bite. They are not normally aggressive unless protecting cubs or trapped.
Foxes have to eat every day and an adult fox will have learnt where and when it can eat. They follow set paths and in urban areas often have several people that feed them. We recently had to catch a fox that had a severe wound on his neck and over the week of trapping we had five calls from neighbours reporting his injury. Each neighbour was unaware the other was feeding and this is one of the main issues with urban foxes....humans feeding them. Often one neighbour will feed the fox and another will dislike it. Their natural drive to survive and need for food sees them form relationships with humans. Unfortunately for the fox they cannot always tell at first glance who they should trust.

 

They are extremely agile and in most ways like a cat. They feel confident on roofs and can easily balance on walls and fences and in London will spend most of their time off the ground.

Foxes do eat pigeons but in London this is not their common food. Many pigeons contract a virus that prevents them from flying and so they remain on the ground making them easy prey. Foxes do store food and in the countryside they will always bury it but we have noticed in London sometimes they leave it on the ground. I don’t know if it's the abundance of food available to them but usually they will return to it.
A simple way to keep them from your garden is to keep the garden tidy and clear. The use of a water sprinkler can also be a deterrent. Foxes can get through a three inch gap so they do not need a lot of space. If you have toys in your garden or shoes the will be attracted to them as they love playing. If you feed a cat, pet or birds in your garden the fox may be attracted to that food. They will eat seeds, nuts and most fruits in the countryside. Just like children; if the room is uninteresting they won't want to play in it.

 

If you have gerbils or rabbits you must ensure the cage is secure. Foxes come with paws and teeth not drills and saws and it is quite easy to secure a hutch or run much as we secure our homes against burglars the rabbits, guinea pigs and other pets need to be protected. It is natural for foxes to eat rodents and small mammals in the wild so these creatures will be of interest to them. I personally had rabbits and guinea pigs for several years with my children and in spite of visiting foxes in our garden all ours were kept safe.

 

 

Weak foxes often pick up canine Sarcoptic mange when they are weak. The mange mite burrows into their skin and lays its eggs, this is very painful for them and their health will deteriorate. We cannot treat foxes for mange at this time of year as they may have cubs and the treatment can affect them. This species of mange cannot reproduce in human skin so you cannot catch the infection.

 

 

Foxes also carry a fungal infection of the skin called ‘ringworm’. This is carried by cats, dogs and most commonly for us hedgehogs. ·Depending on the species it can cause a skin infection in humans, this is easily treated with a cream and is usually only transmitted when handling foxes or other infected mammals. I have personally trapped and handled several hundred foxes and have never contracted either of these. I also have cats and dogs which have never contracted them.

By far the highest risk of infection from a fox is from a bite. ·Like cats, fox bites need to be taken seriously and medical attention sought immediately. ·A number of bacteria are transmitted in fox bites, in particular, Streptococcus species.

As with your pet dogs or cats, hand washing after touching a fox would be enough to guard against diseases such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Just like cats ··cats, foxes carry Toxoplasma . ·Cats, dogs and foxes all carry Toxocara.

Rabies is not found in this country but as with all mammal rabies will infect a fox.
Fox urine can transmit the disease Leptospirosis which causes liver failure in humans. Never touch fox urine without gloves.

 

Foxes

Foxes in Your Garden

Foxy Deterrents

Fox Hunting

Foxes in Urban areas
Giant Fox

 

why we do it

Once upon a time, there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day, as he was walking along the shore, he looked down the beach and saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself at the thought of someone who would dance on the beach, and so he walked faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he noticed that the figure was that of a young man, and that what he was doing was not dancing at all. The young man was reaching down to the shore, picking up small objects, and throwing them into the ocean READ MORE

 

How we started

Whilst out walking with my dog in the early 1980's I found a small hedgehog stuck in a fence. He was too fat to go through and his prickles wouldn't let him go back.

He had been pushing so long in an attempt to free himself that the wire had cut into his body and his leg was bleeding where he had pushed and pushed against the ground. READ MORE