What To Do When You Find A Fox Den In Your Yard?

Although foxes can be dangerous for small pets left outdoors, theyre usually no cause for alarm. Heres what to do if you see one.

Foxes are omnivores, hunting very small animals and scavenging in cities and towns where freely available pet food and garbage can make life easier. It’s not unusual for a fox to be seen out and about during the day.

Foxes are afraid of people and will usually run away when they detect your presence, but they may visit your backyard or neighborhood. A fox cutting through your yard is probably just passing through on their way between hunting areas, and no action is necessary on your part. Usually, the best thing to do is leave foxes alone.

How can I get rid of a fox or fox den in my yard?

If you need a fox family to move on sooner rather than later, mild harassment (scaring them away) may encourage an earlier move. You can try a few humane harassment options once the kits have emerged.

• Loosely pack leaves, soil or mulch in the den openings to disturb the residents.
• Place urine-soaked kitty litter, a sweat-soaked T-shirt, a pair of smelly sweat socks or old sneakers in or near the den opening.
• Mount shiny party balloons or 12-18 inch lengths of Irri-tape on sticks or poles a few feet off the ground just outside the den entrance.
• Spread capsicum-based granular repellent around the den entry.

The purpose of these techniques is to make the parents uncomfortable enough to move the litter to a more secure location. Once the den has been abandoned, make sure all the kits are out of the den before any permanent exclusion is put in place.

If the den site is under a porch, deck or shed, then it will remain an attractive denning area and not just to foxes. Foxes are excellent diggers, so the best defense is to bury an L-shaped footer of hardware cloth around the perimeter of the area you are trying to exclude.

If you want to prevent future denning activity in certain areas where foxes are not welcome, try one or more of these humane, yet effective, approaches:

• Use noise-making devices, such as transistor radios or motion-sensitive alarms.
• Install a motion-activated sprinkler.
• Apply products sold in garden and hardware stores to repel domestic dogs from gardens and yards, as they will have a similar effect on a passing fox.

As foxes and other predators can dig under fences, you should bury an L-shaped footer around the outer perimeter of an enclosure for animals who will be left unattended. Electric fences may be useful when combined with other permanent perimeter fencing. Place a single-strand of electrified fence about 4 inches off the ground a foot or so in front of a chain link or similar fence. Always check local ordinances when considering electric fences.

How can I tell if a fox has rabies? Can I get rabies from a fox?

It’s normal for foxes to be out and about during the day, so that alone isn’t cause for concern. Foxes prey on squirrels, birds, chipmunks and other animals that are only active by day, so they may simply be looking for a meal. Before calling to report a fox or to ask for assistance, take time to observe the foxs behavior and look for these signs:

• Partial paralysis or the inability to use their limbs well.
• Circling or staggering as if drunk.
• Self-mutilation.
• Acting aggressively for no reason.
• Acting unnaturally tame.

If you observe these signs, do not approach the fox—remember exposure to rabies is primarily through bites or saliva. Contact your local animal control agency, police department or health department if you see a fox showing the signs of rabies.

Foxes do sometimes succumb to rabies, but the good news is that the fox strain of the disease has rarely, if ever, been transmitted to a human in the U.S. and post-exposure treatment is 100% effective if promptly administered. Rabies is transmitted through direct contact with an infected animal, such as a bite or scratch. Having your pets vaccinated against rabies is the most important thing you can do to protect them, yourself and others against rabies. Of 23 rabies-related deaths reported to the CDC between 2009 and 2018, none of the rabies exposures were attributed to foxes and eight were attributed to dogs.

Fox kits playing by their den in my yard

FAQ

What to do if you find a fox den?

1. Loosely pack leaves, soil or mulch in the den openings to disturb the residents.
2. Place urine-soaked kitty litter, a sweat-soaked T-shirt, a pair of smelly sweat socks or old sneakers in or near the den opening.

Should I be concerned about a fox in my yard?

Unless you have a small pet or child that may be at risk, a fox will pose no danger to you and is best left alone. As long as you aren’t leaving food out for it (or garbage), it should leave. If you do have a child, your best option is to call your local Animal control and they will deal with it professionally.

Are foxes good to have around your property?

Even to the exclusion of the joy many people get from interacting with them, foxes provide vermin control (preying on mice, rats and pigeons) and run a litter clean-up service in urban areas by eating discarded food. In rural areas, foxes feed heavily on rodents and rabbits that can be considerable pests to farmers.

Should you block a fox den?

If the space is occupied by foxes or other animals, it’s illegal to trap them by blocking the entrance. Instead, wait until the foxes stop using the space and then block the entrance before the next breeding season which lasts from December to May. Foxes don’t usually stay in a den after they have reared their cubs.

Do foxes leave Dens in yards?

Remember, fox dens in yards are temporary. Vixens will move their kits to new dens after 6-8 weeks. With proper hazing and proofing, foxes will abandon dens near homes and not return in future years. By taking appropriate measures, homeowners can responsibly coexist with foxes during denning season.

How do I get my Denning foxes to go elsewhere?

In order to give yourself the best chance of successfully encouraging your denning foxes to go elsewhere, you need to get them to associate your garden and their den with something negative, inconvenient or irritating. The best way to do this is to use a variety of fox deterrents close to the entrance of the den.

Are foxes Denning in your garden?

Foxes denning in your garden can cause a lot of mess and inconvenience. Digging holes under sheds, decking or summer houses is very frustrating, but can you do anything to get rid of them. In this article we show you want to do and what deterrents to use to get a fox family to leave.

Can foxes abandon a Den before they are ready?

While it’s notoriously difficult to get foxes to abandon the den before they are ready, the good news is that it’s not impossible. With a bit of perseverance, there are some steps you can take to try and get the foxes to move on before they would normally do so naturally.

How do you get rid of foxes in a den?

Depending on where the foxes made their home, you could use soil, rubble, bricks, paving slabs, breeze blocks or wood to minimise the chances of foxes accessing the space in future. If you aren’t sure if the foxes have actually vacated the den then you must do a test to ensure you are not accidentally trapping a live fox inside.

Do foxes use a den?

Foxes only use a den while raising their young, so once the kits are old enough to fend for themselves – usually by mid to late summer – they will abandon the den and move on. “It’s helpful to think of the den as a crib or nursery; adult foxes don’t use them,” Owens said.