Last Updated On August 7th, 2020
We can all agree that foxes are gorgeous, but trust us, you don’t want them anywhere near your property. Just like with other wild animals, it’s better to admire their beauty from far, FAR away.
The closer these red-headed rascals come to you, the less lovely they seem. We know you wouldn’t like the peace of your idyllic suburban life to be disturbed by unwanted guests, so here we’ll help you learn how to get rid of foxes in your garden.
Signs You Have Foxes In The Garden
Garden foxes may seem extremely cute, but we know looks can be deceptive. Smells, on the other hand, usually aren’t. If you notice, that the flowers in your garden start to give off a weird scent, you should get suspicious. That pervasive musky odour reaching your nose may be the trail left by a fox.
However, it’s too soon to succumb to panic and turn your lawn into a battlefield. To make sure, take a stroll and take a good look around your house. If you notice any of the following, the odds are that there’s a Cunning Cunnington in the area:
- droppings (unless you have pets that tend to leave; “presents” all around the place)
- dug-up lawn and flowerbeds or trampled plants
- half-eaten fruit on the ground
- damaged fences, garden tools, hose pipes (foxes like chewing stuff, so don’t leave shoes or toys outside)
- rubbish strewn all over the place (told you, foxes are wicked rascals. They are messy and like to have fun).
How To Keep Foxes Away
Once you make sure there are foxes coming into your garden, your initial thought may be to call fox pest control. Getting rid of the pest is not enough though, since one fox can follow another. It’s not always clear what exactly it is that makes garden foxes choose their victim, but there are some things that almost no fox can pass by. Here are a few reasons the grass on your side seems greener to these scallywags, that you should know if you want to learn how to deter foxes from fouling the garden:
Food
If you own a cat or a dog, you probably feed them outside sometimes. Pet food usually has a pungent odour, foxes have a keen sense of smell – do the math. Besides, foxes aren’t fussy eaters, so even bread crumbs, seed and kitchen scraps you throw out for birds may attract them. Don’t leave food outside. If you like watching birds pecking at the morsels, purchase a bird feeder.
Chickens and Guinea Pigs
Foxes are known hunters; the smell of chickens, rabbits, and guinea pigs tempt them to break into the coops, pens and cages for a scrumptious dinner.
Pet Cemeteries
If you have recently lost a dear friend and buried it in your garden, expect some visitors. No, foxes don’t come to pay their last respects to your pet, but rather to exhume its remains in search of some delicacy, or simply because it’s in their nature to bury things and dig them up. Put a paving stone on your pet’s grave, at least for a while, until the corpse loses its smell.
Untidy Overgrown Gardens and Wooden Constructions
Garages, sheds, gazebos can become a perfect hiding place for a fox if it can find its way in. These animals like secluded enclosed areas, so the more unkempt your garden is the more like heaven it seems for the fox. Make sure there’s no rubbish on site, tie the bags and place them in rubbish bins with a lid.
Wrong Things in Wrong Places
Foxes have a curious nature and will investigate, chew, play with or poo into anything you’ve absent-mindedly left outside.
Open Freshly Dug-Over Soil
The fox doesn’t have a green thumb, but it loves digging, especially in the soft soil of flowerbeds and vegetable patches, which is often full of worms and grubs. Besides, if you use fertilizers containing fish, bone or blood meal, you turn the land into a dinner table. Plant-based fertilizers may be a little less effective, but it’s a small price to pay for a fox free garden.
Uncovered Water Features
Just like all living things, foxes need water. Streams, fountains, artificial waterfalls, pools and ponds provide a stable water supply. That’s why if you have an uncovered water feature, foxes may frequent your property to quench their thirst.
There’s no one right answer to “How to keep foxes out of your garden?”. The least you can do is try to make it as unwelcoming for them as possible. At the first sign of foxes coming you will need to fox proof your garden; block all entrances, holes and open spaces in your hedge, fence, beneath your house, garage and shed. Don’t make it easy for a fox to sneak into your garden.
How To Get Rid Of Foxes In Your Garden
If you are unfortunate enough to have already “befriended” a fox, other measures are called for.
Fight Fire With Fire
They barge into your life and disturb your peace, give them a taste of their own medicine. Foxes take their personal space very seriously. Not only do they like secluded areas, but they also like their territory to remain untouched and unchanged. Move things around your garden every now and again and hope, that a fox will get confused and irritated enough to leave. If you have found a place a fox has turned into a den, keep disturbing it, play loud music, and make it stinky. You may ask “What smells do foxes hate, considering they find the stench of dead animals appealing?” The truth is, capsaicin, chili pepper and garlic, mixed and boiled make for a great fox deterrent. Spraying it around the area can stop foxes at the gate.
Let There Be Light
The fox is a nocturnal animal, which means it doesn’t like bright lights, especially if they get switched on all of a sudden in the middle of the night. Therefore, it’s a good idea to install motion sensor lights outside your house to deter foxes.
Let There Be water
Yes, you’ve got it, – foxes don’t like surprises. Install sprinklers with motion sensors that will release a burst of water whenever a fox passes nearby, or buy an automatic water pistol and change its position every now and again to confuse and startle the fox every time it tries to slink into your garden.
Think Outside The Box To Outfox a Fox
If nothing seems to work, you have to get creative. Some people suggest putting stockings stuffed with human hair on the fence. They believe the smell scares foxes and discourages them from dropping by. You can also try placing mirrors in your garden. The threat of a rival can stop foxes frequenting the area. Another fox deterrent is human urine. It is an unusual one but has proven to be successful. So go ahead! Don’t be shy, experiment and try to have fun.
The Gardener’s Way
You may love animals with all your heart, but you should know how to get rid of foxes in your garden. Don’t confuse pets and pests. Don’t underestimate the danger of having a fox in your garden and the damage it can cause. Foxes love to dig. They dig to bury things, hide food, build dens, or simply for fun. They can turn your joy and pride into a mining site. How to stop foxes digging in your garden? – prickle strips, a cheap, simple, and yet effective way to keep the pests away from your vegetable patches and flowerbeds. You can also take tips from other experienced gardeners, and use tried and tested fox deterrents.
Conclusion
If nothing of the above helps, or you simply don’t feel like doing it yourself, contact fox control and let the professionals deal with your fox problems.