Foxes in garden

Hi all

The night before last we had 2 foxes in the garden, who disappeared when I disturbed them, and since yesterday morning all pigs and buns have been in the house as I have read so many awful stories about foxes and how they won't give up. When outside the pigs are in a covered hutch and the buns are in a playhouse with attached run on slabs. Yesterday morning we also saw a fox 2 roads away in the light so I'm worried they could come back in the day too as they know where they are now.

I do put run panels in front of all doors at night which are bolted and padlocked, I'm worried about the foxes "terrorising" them now though

OH wants the pigs and buns put back out ASAP and is in a bit of a strop about me being over dramatic. What would you all do ?

Lisa

Keep them in doors, foxes NEVER give up!

Thanks snowy this is what I thought I'm willing to do this but the OH keeps reminding me how he spent "days" perfecting it all for me (playhouse etc). The foxes were aiming for the buns area and they looked like they had a plan to me Do you think the foxes could possibly harm the furries even though they are in a secure playhouse and hutch? (I need to demonstrate to OH that I'm not being over dramatic).

Thanks again.

I'm with snowy on this one, especially if they're urban foxes. Poor blighters are probably starving hungry themselves and will have no fear of humans.

As to whether they can break into a secure playhouse and hutch, I'd say it's always a possibility. Foxes are as agile as cats and as strong as dogs, and I'm always amazed at the places I've seen them get into. Short of turning your hutch into fort knox or bringing your bunnies in (or in my case, buying a dog and keeping a flock of geese) there aren't many options. There are things you can do to discourage foxes however - you can buy a product called silent roar and spread it on your garden. It's basically lion poo and the smell scares foxes and cats away. There are also electronic fox deterrants which apparently don't harm buns, but they have quite a long range and are not a good idea if your neighbours keep dogs.

didn't someone's bun(s) get attacked by a dog through the run mesh and get badly damaged leg? kind of similar.

what kind of mesh have you got on the run and how secure is the playhouse? i mean does it have flimsy plastic windows that can just be pushed in etc? with strong locks?

one thing is that the foxes might have been visiting your garden for months but you have never seen them and so your set up is secure?

i love foxes but it would make me nervous too. you could sleep in the playhouse a few nights with them and see if you see anything?

racheld69 wrote:didn't someone's bun(s) get attacked by a dog through the run mesh and get badly damaged leg? kind of similar.

what kind of mesh have you got on the run and how secure is the playhouse? i mean does it have flimsy plastic windows that can just be pushed in etc? with strong locks?

one thing is that the foxes might have been visiting your garden for months but you have never seen them and so your set up is secure?

i love foxes but it would make me nervous too. you could sleep in the playhouse a few nights with them and see if you see anything?

The run is made of run panels which have weld mesh, we've nailed some slightly stiffer mesh to the outsides but it is still a bit bendable. We've nailed some wood across the inside of the side windows so it is harder to push them in. The windows at the front have put some wooden frames around the inside but if someone or something pushed hard enough I'd imagine they could get through.

It is pretty secure and has 2 padlocks on run and 2 on the door and a big bolt. I'm still so worried though, I don't honestly think I could sleep with them out there ATM. I noticed that I didn't hear the buns thump until I was down in the garden, in the past I have heard a few thumps but never seen anything so maybe the thumping scares of the foxes so I don't see them? The only reason I saw them was because one knocked a little dish of of a wall.

The pigs are in a thistle hall hutch which is covered at night with 2 padlocks and run panels pushed up at night too.

KathyT wrote:I'm with snowy on this one, especially if they're urban foxes. Poor blighters are probably starving hungry themselves and will have no fear of humans.

As to whether they can break into a secure playhouse and hutch, I'd say it's always a possibility. Foxes are as agile as cats and as strong as dogs, and I'm always amazed at the places I've seen them get into. Short of turning your hutch into fort knox or bringing your bunnies in (or in my case, buying a dog and keeping a flock of geese) there aren't many options. There are things you can do to discourage foxes however - you can buy a product called silent roar and spread it on your garden. It's basically lion poo and the smell scares foxes and cats away. There are also electronic fox deterrants which apparently don't harm buns, but they have quite a long range and are not a good idea if your neighbours keep dogs.

Well we have an 8 month old shih tzu who demonstrated I cannot rely on him for this as he slept through it! OH said he'll happily get a dog for the garden but I'm not too sure about this. The one we saw in the light just after just strolled leisurely right in front of us

They can be so bold, it's amazing. Even with all the precautions I take we occasionally loose chickens - not lost a bun yet, touch wood, but then the foxes don't seem to come into our garden or too close to the house luckily. Last year one wandered into the yard though in broad daylight and snatched Errol the cockerel right off the gate in front of me.

Your hutch sounds pretty secure to me - you could always add a few more nails to fasten the wire slightly tighter perhaps? That way even if a fox gets through a small gap he won't be able to make it any bigger.

What about one of those motion sensor security lights? That might frighten them off.

sounds secure to me. perhaps just double check everything and reinforce the windows at the front? security light sounds a good idea to. also the lion poo thing (unless you have cats/cat friends who visit you in the grden).

Thanks again for the replies. OH seems to have come round a bit and everyone is settled back in the bun room upstairs. The workmen told him last night how they had found fox poo in the front garden yesterday too, as they know we have the buns. I think his main concern is the effort and expense spent on the buns accomodation but TBH i really don't think I could sleep having seen them here for sure. Without putting electric fencing around the hutch/playhouse I don't think I will be happy. May be crazy but thats what I'm like

Human wee is a good fox deterrant I believe.

Perhaps you could encourage your OH to mark out the boundary of your garden or around the buns accommodation. I assume this needs to be done on a regular basis

I do feel for you, we live on the edge of the moors and have seen a fox come through our garden once (during the day?). Fingers crossed we have not seen or heard any since.

Bizarrely I think you're almost safer from foxes if you're in the countryside as they can find enough food without bothering to go near humans!

You are right I think. I hadn't thought about it like that.

I do still worry a little tho

I used to see them quite a lot around Bolton - in Farnworth of all places! They must have lived on a diet of chips and kebabs But round here I usually only see them from a distance, or very fleetingly if they do come near the house.

The human wee thing is interesting - I have been known to present hubby with a jug for the compost heap so maybe I could use that....