my mom is having serious problems with foxes in her garden they are there everynight running around wrecking the plants, weeing everywhere and the other night they were mating and making a awful noise !!!!!! anyone have any tips or ideas to stop them coming in the garden? thankyou,

Short of a pack of hounds to move them on there is not a lot you can do. Make sure you leave no food in the garden and repair fencing but in the end if that is where they want to be you will have trouble keeping them out. Make sure you keep the door shut too they have been known to come into the house.

Would an automatic hose put them off?  one with a motion sensor?

they are so cheeky the other day i was there in broad daylight and one was sitting on her wall at the bottom of the garden, there are allotments at the bottom of the garden,.

the hose sounds a good idea, are they noisy?

They can be a real problem if you have dogs or livestock yourself as they can spread parasites and infection. An automatic hose may move them into your neighbours garden but would think the moment you stop using the hose they would be back. Maybe a dog would be the answer but would have to be something that would stand up to them as they can be aggressive particularly if they have young. They will be noisy if there are males about.

I find a medium to large dog is the best answer, our Golden chased the foxes out of the garden and they now rarely make an appearance. The other thing is to make sure there is no food for them ie keep rubbish out of their way.

my mom has a yorkshire terrier who is 15yrs still a bit feisty though, its mainly at night when they apear.

depends on the sort of place you live i guess, but you can get a pest controller in to shoot them. We have shot several in our garden over the years.

Our Bedlingtons would LOVE a fox to visit LOL    The fox wouldn't be visiting for long they'd soon get rid of it, either it would be a fast runner or it would be dead! 

So...........am I the only one who likes foxes then?  :)

You may well not like them too close, don't think anyone minds wild life living and mating where wild life belongs but under your bedroom window or in your kitchen is no fun and carries a risk of disease and even injury or death to livestock.

I only come across rural foxes who are shy compared to urban foxes, so the ones I see do actually belong here!  :)

I have no problem with Foxes in their natural environment.  I would have a problem with them invading my garden.

I think we're classed as semi-rural here.  I live in a town officially, actually the countryside is 100 yards away! so foxes around here are still shy and rarely seen, but they are here :)

no oldilocks you are not....I also like them :)

I like them too Oldilocks :)  -  I often see them during the day (we border countryside but also close to built up areas) strolling nonchilantly on my street and even snooping around the supermarket car park!   We both see and hear them (less pleasant LOL) regularly in the evening too.  They are very brave which has it's downside and quite often I see them playing in the garden and have even had them sitting on my doorstep looking in through the French doors at the dogs sleeping in the middle of the day

> We have shot several in our garden over the years.

......................so what do you do to the animals you don't like Sam??  :)

lol, i like foxes to oldilocks, but to admire from a distance. i understand they can be a real menace though so can understand them being shot to keep numbers down

Scoot
Scoot is an entirely non-toxic spray and carries only a mild ammonium smell. Its effects are similar to those of Renardine but they are achieved differently. The product reacts when an animal scent marks by urinating or fouling onto it.

The chemical reaction causes the 'wrong' scent to arise and any territorial animal will suppose another animal is threatening the territory by over scenting its own scent. It can be applied directly onto vegetation and is particularly suitable for lawns as it can be applied inexpensively over a wide area.

Works well against fouling, urinating and scent marking.

Stay Off
Stay Off is similar to Scoot and is used in the same way.

Get Off My Garden
Get Off My Garden are entirely non-toxic jelly granules that carry only a mild citronella smell. Its effects are similar to those of Renardine, but it is shorter lived, particularly in bright sunlight or in wet conditions.

A good alternative to Renardine as it may be used close to human accommodation.

Wash Off and Get Off
Wash Off and Get Off is a non-toxic citronella scented spray that neutralises scent marking and urine smells. It is particularly useful against persistent fouling and, unlike most other repellents, may be used on hard surfaces.

Treatment procedures

Shallow foraging scrapes
Shallow scrapes dug into lawns and flowerbeds as foxes forage for food, such as worms, grubs and beetles, are particularly common in late summer.

To avoid staining grass Get Off My Garden granules can be used by squirting liberally into each scrape. The scrapes can then be filled in. Do not fill in holes if you cannot see the bottom.

Plant damage
Plant damage is usually caused by foxes trying to reach grubs around plant roots or by playful cubs chewing and tugging out plants. Recently dug soil is especially attractive as it is easier to dig and the use of bone meal or other animal based fertiliser's causes foxes to think that carrion is buried underneath.

Some problems can be resolved simply by changing the fertiliser used, alternatively use Get Off My Garden around the plants.

Fouling
Foxes use their droppings as a signal to other foxes. For this reason they do not bury them and often place them in prominent positions such as on high ground, footpaths and on objects left in the garden.

Fouling is relatively easy to prevent and a squirt of Get off My Garden placed on or next to each dropping will usually break the habit. For fouling on lawns use Scoot as per manufacturer's recommendations. On paths, patios and other hard surfaces use Wash Off and Get Off.

Fox earths
If the 'earth' is very close to human habitation use Get Off My Garden or Scoot in and around the access points. Under the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 it is illegal to block a fox inside its earth by filling in the entrance. It is therefore essential that the earth is empty before filling in the holes.

Placing twigs across each entrance hole in such a way that they would be disturbed if the hole was used can easily check this. Check the sticks daily and when 3 nights have passed without disturbance you may assume it is safe to fill in the holes.

From February to April checks must be made daily for 10 days as a vixen could stay below ground for that length of time if nursing newborn cubs. After treating a territory with scent repellents a temporary increase in fouling or scent marking is sometimes experienced.

This is because a 'scent marking war' has been started. A fox will take the alien smells to be those of a rival animal and try to defend or regain the territory by aggressive scenting. If this occurs, it is usually only for a short period.

Although repellents sometimes have an immediate effect on foxes it is more usual for them to have a cumulative psychological effect. In order to prevent a fox reclaiming its territory it is advisable to remove any faeces on a daily basis.

Other repellents

Ultrasonic
Ultrasonic devices (electrical devices that give off a high pitched sound inaudible to humans) were found to be largely ineffective against foxes.

Water scarecrow
The Water scarecrow is a gadget that reacts to movement in the garden and shoots water in the direction of that movement. It can be turned on and off as necessary and is also effective against cats.
It frightens the animals away without harming them. This gadget was very effective against foxes when used to protect entire gardens.

Availability
Recommended repellents are widely available from garden centres or hardware stores (though not, usually, the warehouse types).

Should products prove difficult to obtain, please contact the manufacturer:

Scoot - Sinclair Horticulture and Leisure (01522 537 561)
Stay Off - Vitax Limited (01530 510 060)
Get Off My Garden - Pet and Garden Supplies Limited (01659 50 141)
Wash Off and Get Off - Pet and Garden Supplies Limited (01659 50 141)
Scarecrow - Pet Safe Limited (01993 823 833)

If the dog is in the house then the fox knows and comes in the garden anyway.  My dog has not succeeded in frightening the fox away by barking. She did chase one round the garden one morning!  It didn't even seem worried that we were stood a little way from it.

i dont get the logic???? I mean i like cows and chickens and geese and keep all 3 species....but i also kill and eat them.

But you don't eat foxes though do you?  :)

My daughter and I were in the garden centre yesterday about 3 pm. A fox brazenly strolled through from the outside plant area, straight past us, trotted past the till and out the exit door! It made our day :)

My rear garden is well fenced for my dogs and I have not seen a fox in it for quite some time.  Before I put up secure fencing for my dogs I would see foxes quite often.  Didn't mind them if all they did was run through to get somewhere else - although my dogs certainly did mind!  What I could not stand was the scat they left - quite disgusting; my own dogs' poo I can pick up without a fuss, fox poo turns my stomach. 

I know what you mean - it
is the smell :(

yep, you can certainly smell when a fox has been visiting :)

>Before I put up secure fencing for my dogs I would see foxes quite often.

You have to be a bit careful with the fencing, foxes can go over our 6ft fence (or dig under it), the dog can't.  So you can't assume that putting up a fence will work

Shadbolts,

I did not say I put up fencing to keep foxes out of my garden, the fencing is to keep my dogs in my garden.  :-)

BTW - if a fox can dig underneath a fence so can a dog.  Likewise re scaling or jumping a fence for a determined dog, even a small one.  One of my Cairns can jump four feet from a standing position straight up, sort of like a canine helicopter, so with some runway he could easily jump onto a six foot fence (chain link) and scale the rest of the way up and out.  Luckily I have a large garden with plenty of interest and he's shown no inclination to leave it.

I have barriers to prevent diggiing all around the fencing and check frequently for any disturbance, although there's never been any. The direction which foxes normally took to get into my garden now has a double line of fencing and I suspect that's why they do not bother to go into my garden.  They get where they want to go without bothering; so we're all happy.

Fair point :)

Re the dog digging under / going over it does of course depend on the dog.  Our Golden wouldn't dig under or go over a six foot fence but the fences won't stop a fox.  Mind you the dog has tried to go through the fence a couple of times !