Foxes are no strangers to modern back gardens, but they aren't welcome everywhere, especially if you discover the contents of the bin scattered around your outside space. Here David Hall offers advice on how to deter these nocturnal visitors..
Every so often a fox hits the headlines by gaining entry to a house and gets the nation talking about the merits of this beautiful but sometimes controversial animal.
Some say that foxes are a menace that needs to be controlled as they can live under sheds, make awful noises during the night, foul the lawn, dig up plants and turn over bins before eating the contents.
However, others blame humans for encouraging these animals to make the urban environment their home, by leaving out food and destroying hedgerows in the countryside where they normally live and forage.
How to discourage foxes
There are several ways you can discourage foxes from coming on to your property by:
Using Chemicals
Adding Fox Ornaments
Removal of potential food sources
Placing deterrents around a shed
Chemical fox deterrents
There are several products to deter foxes that can be obtained online or from a garden centre, they work by confusing the animal's sense of taste and smell and is effective against cats, dogs and rabbits as well as foxes. Other products, including several cat repellents, can be seen here.
Fox ornaments
Recently we received an email from a customer in Glasgow who had purchased a highly detailed Vivid Arts life-sized fox that she put in her garden. As a result, the local fox was discouraged.
"...it is now in the garden in the pouring rain and looks SO!! realistic, so much so, that at lunch time our resident fox appeared and obviously thought it was real, he circled and arched his back at the ornamental fox, but was not brave enough to approach...".
Making cat, bird or other food unavailable to foxes will make a garden less attractive, and by using fertilizers that do not contain fish, bone or blood products will stop foxes from digging in flowerbeds or lawns in search of a non-existent carcass.
Foxes under your shed
If there is a den under your shed, just soak some rags or straw with a deterrent such as Cat A Pult and loosely block all the holes, which are the entrances to the den. Do not block the holes with bricks as this will prevent the female from getting to the cubs and they will starve to death. Each morning replaces the rags and straw in the hole. Once the rags or straw have not been moved for a couple of days, there will be no foxes left under your shed and you can permanently block the holes.