Fox V small dog

Red-1

Red-1

I used to be decisive, now I'm not so sure...
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Hi,

Hekkie was out playing for a while today and I found Mr Fox hanging round near the yard gate. The yard is dog proof but not fox proof.

Is Hekkie the small terrier safe from a fox attack or not?

Heck is quite a wimp (when not shredding dog toys).
 
Drat, Mr Fox has just strolled back across the garden and has been looking into the yard through the gate. Twice in one day. I reckon Heck will have to be accompanied at all times for a while.
 
That's what I would do. There is a fox taking newborn piglets near us because the sows are farrowing outside. If they will risk that, I doubt that a small terrier will stand much chance.
 
OK, that was disconcerting...

Mr Fox came back a third time so I leaped out of the french doors to chase him off, and he fronted me up. So, I took a slipper off and threw it, and he looked at me and would not back away despite shhhhing....

Got OH out with a hoover pipe and he did then run off.

I really hope this fox is ill and does not have Hector in his sights.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
That's what I would do. There is a fox taking newborn piglets near us because the sows are farrowing outside. If they will risk that, I doubt that a small terrier will stand much chance.
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I have never seen a fox like it. OH chased it off, and on his way in the confounded thing had doubled back round the field shelter and was on his way back to our yard. Next door farmyard's owner says he has been around for a week.

I would not take it well if anything happened to Hekkie!
 
Maybe some idiot has released a town fox into the country. They have very little fear of strangers and no idea how to hunt for food so if hungry might risk a small dog or cat. I'd definitely accompany Hekkie outside while Mr Fox is about.
 
MurphysMinder said:
Maybe some idiot has released a town fox into the country. They have very little fear of strangers and no idea how to hunt for food so if hungry might risk a small dog or cat. I'd definitely accompany Hekkie outside while Mr Fox is about.
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I think you may well be right. Looking at gov. website I would not be allowed to poison him, but would need a fox trap.
 
Red-1 said:
No, they are dairy and as far as I know have no gun.

I think I will order this... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-FERA...233114?hash=item41cb36b01a:g:fJAAAOSwl9BWJ4hW

What would I bait it with (apart from Hekkie!)?
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What would you do when you have caught the fox in the trap? I must admit that I have a horror of traps which wild animals must be absolutely terrified of, if they are left inside for any length of time. I would ask around for someone who can shoot it for you.
 
You need a big trap to catch a fox, they tend not to go into ones where they can 'sense' the sides. That one would be no good, IMO.
If you are in Yorkshire you must have a local shoot? Any keeper would gladly get rid of it for you, does your neighbouring farmer know of anyone?
 
Pearlsasinger said:
What would you do when you have caught the fox in the trap? I must admit that I have a horror of traps which wild animals must be absolutely terrified of, if they are left inside for any length of time. I would ask around for someone who can shoot it for you.
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I must admit that the fear of the fox in the trap is less on my mind that then thought of Heck being eaten...

We do have local farmers with guns, and I guess someone shooting fox in trap is easier to arrange than them having to wait around for Mr Fox to arrive???


ETA - what are the rules on that???
 
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Red-1 said:
OK, I have found a local pest control company who will deal with Mr Fox.
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Good.
I do share your fears for Heckle and appreciate that you care far more about his well-being that that of the fox but I always feel for trapped animals who must panic when in a 'humane' trap. I have no such worries about hunting or shooting. I hope your pest controller deals with the fox quickly so that Hekkie can be safe in his own home again soon
 
Good. If anyone else has issues, National Fox Welfare will come and trap/remove it. If your fix is fearless, OP, it may have toxoplasmosis, which affects the brain and apparently makes them lose all inhibitions.
 
cinnamontoast said:
Good. If anyone else has issues, National Fox Welfare will come and trap/remove it. If your fix is fearless, OP, it may have toxoplasmosis, which affects the brain and apparently makes them lose all inhibitions.
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Does that make them look ill? I ask because we had one recently that took one of the chickens when my daughter was about 30' away. I saw it on another day and yelled and waved my arms and it carried on towards me until the dog chased it. I assumed it was a released fox, it was a big handsome animal, then disappeared so either shot, run over or found raiding bins easier. Good luck with Heck, most wild foxes wouldn't tackle a small dog or the Hunt terriers would be unsafe but these flipping half tame ones, not so sure.
 
Clodagh said:
You need a big trap to catch a fox, they tend not to go into ones where they can 'sense' the sides. That one would be no good, IMO.
If you are in Yorkshire you must have a local shoot? Any keeper would gladly get rid of it for you, does your neighbouring farmer know of anyone?
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Thank you Clodah for your post. I missed it yesterday, cross posted while replying to Pearl. I looked at the trap and decided the same, although of no one will come I will still then buy it as this one seems fearless.
 
cinnamontoast said:
Good. If anyone else has issues, National Fox Welfare will come and trap/remove it. If your fix is fearless, OP, it may have toxoplasmosis, which affects the brain and apparently makes them lose all inhibitions.
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Thank you. I have contacted 3 local companies for them all to quote. If I have no lick then I will contact them as you suggest.
 
millikins said:
Does that make them look ill? I ask because we had one recently that took one of the chickens when my daughter was about 30' away. I saw it on another day and yelled and waved my arms and it carried on towards me until the dog chased it. I assumed it was a released fox, it was a big handsome animal, then disappeared so either shot, run over or found raiding bins easier. Good luck with Heck, most wild foxes wouldn't tackle a small dog or the Hunt terriers would be unsafe but these flipping half tame ones, not so sure.
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I wondered if this one was ill myself as it did not even run even when I hurled a slipper at it. The fox was not trapped at all but did not run. He has been with the neighbours (who have cats) for a week though, would he not be dead now if ill?

I just put it down to being hungry after the big freeze.

Nice this morning, out with Hekkie in dressing gown and slippers while he did his business. Happily it is considerable milder now. I clutched a schooling whip to bludgeon it with if it came for him!!!
 
You could get a water pistol, something like a super-soaker, or a garden sprayer, and fill it with a mix of water and strong vinegar... get that on the fox's face and he might get the message.

This talk of trapping reminds me of a story told to me by a woman who was my manager for a while in a previous job.

She lives in a small town up in Connecticut, very suburbar with lots of space between houses, a lot like the place I lived; we worked together in New York state, upriver from Yonkers.

We were talking one day about animals that live in and around humans and come through the gardens... groundhogs, skunks, white-tailed deer, coyotes, occasional black bears... There was a skunk that used to come around and spray near our house, and the smell was so strong that it would come in through the bedroom window and wake me up.

She told me of her own skunk problem that her husband had decided to solve. He went off to the store and came back with a trap and a water butt... his idea was to trap the skunk and then drop the whole trap in the full water butt and drown it.

Until his wife said "do you think the skunk will be angry and scared when he realises he's trapped?"
"Yeah, I suppose so"
"And what does a skunk do when he's angry and scared?"
"oh, right.... maybe I won't do that, then"
 
cinnamontoast said:
Good. If anyone else has issues, National Fox Welfare will come and trap/remove it. If your fix is fearless, OP, it may have toxoplasmosis, which affects the brain and apparently makes them lose all inhibitions.
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Reloacting them is very cruel, they have to try to find a territory in an area they don't know.
 
We have some perfectly healthy brazen foxes about. My neighbour's cat came home with bite wounds recently. She and I were standing in the front garden discussing if it could have been a fix when the biggest fox I have ever seen walked down our road and then got INTO her open car door (she'd been cleaning the door) staying in the car for a bit then came out again, sauntered past us. I made a Grrrrrr noise and it just stared at me and wandered on.
 
MissTyc said:
We have some perfectly healthy brazen foxes about. My neighbour's cat came home with bite wounds recently. She and I were standing in the front garden discussing if it could have been a fix when the biggest fox I have ever seen walked down our road and then got INTO her open car door (she'd been cleaning the door) staying in the car for a bit then came out again, sauntered past us. I made a Grrrrrr noise and it just stared at me and wandered on.
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:eek: That is terrible. Not just us then. It did run when OH went for it with the hoover pipe ;)

I will consider the water pistol, sound like a good idea. The slipper did not impress him, that I do know!
 
MissTyc said:
We have some perfectly healthy brazen foxes about. My neighbour's cat came home with bite wounds recently. She and I were standing in the front garden discussing if it could have been a fix when the biggest fox I have ever seen walked down our road and then got INTO her open car door (she'd been cleaning the door) staying in the car for a bit then came out again, sauntered past us. I made a Grrrrrr noise and it just stared at me and wandered on.
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Around here, very wild open country, you can tell the foxes that the RSPCA have released because they are enormous and fearless.

And very quickly shot.

So that works well, doesn't it RSPCA?
 
Red-1 said:
:eek: That is terrible. Not just us then. It did run when OH went for it with the hoover pipe ;)

I will consider the water pistol, sound like a good idea. The slipper did not impress him, that I do know!
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How are you getting on with finding a pest control company? It is plain scary when wild things lose their fear. OH was saying that with the urban fox population as it is the fearless fox is now the rewarded one, as it gets fed, whereas historically the fox that kept away from humans flourished.
 
Thistle said:
A farmer friend has been finding that some of the foxes he shoots have been castrated!
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A friend of mine who does a fair bit of fox shooting got one with a leg amputated once!! And on one occasion he was in some woodland at the top of a field and a van pulled up in the gateway at the bottom, released a dozen foxes and drove off. He put the lamp on them and shot the lot....
 
At my old yard, a fox started hanging around, was eating the yard cats food. One night it sort of cornered one of the liveries and really stood its ground. It was soon dispatched.
 
OK, a friend who knows about these things advised that we "marked" our property as belonging to another hot blooded male.

OH was initially horrified at his new found duty :eek: :o but has 'obliged' and marked his territory ;)

Seems to be working. We are still either accompanying Hector out or turning any noise in the house off and keeping the door open so we are sure to hear whatever is going on.

Who knew??? :D:D:D
 
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