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A family of foxes wandering near my house

McGiord

McGiord

macrumors 601
Original poster
Oct 5, 2003
4,558
290
Dark Castle
Hello MR Community, I live in an urban area, and I am seeing three foxes wandering near my backyard. I just reported them to the home owners association, should I do something else? Animal Control for example?

Thanks for your suggestions.
 
ever think that you are in their backyard?

grab a camera and enjoy their beauty ... they are not there to do any harm
 
McGiord said:
Seriously, they are harmless? I have small kids 2 and 4 year old.
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As iJohn has stated they are basically harmless if they are healthy and not rabid ... they are afraid of humans and will go out of their way to avoid human contact
 
Foxes will eat mice, rabbits, plus assorted berries and bugs they bump into while out hunting, but they really, really like chicken... I guess if you are in an urban area then probably your neighbors don't raise chickens in coops in their yards... ??

A problem with foxes is that they can carry rabies. The disease can be transmitted by contact with an infected animal's saliva, across species, so that an actual bite is not necessary. If your neighbors have outdoor kitties and have not protected them against rabies then I would mention the presence of the foxes to them so they can get their cats vaccinated immediately. Rabies is not a pleasant way to go, for critters or people.

As others have mentioned, the foxes should be wary of people, not approaching them. If they approach, bad news, probably sick.
 
As everyone has been saying, foxes when healthy are not going to strike and will run once it notices a human has spotted it and is getting closer.

Our home gets herd of deer. We always like to throw carrots into the yard when we see them on our way out or in. One time they trusted us and they would come up right by us to take the carrot out of our hands. That went out the window when some jackass decided to go hunting in our front yard and shot one.

Don't be afraid of animals. Be cautious to see if it is acting weirdly and could have rabies. But if it is just wandering through acting normally, then there isn't anything to worry about.
 
Urban dweller here too. We see a lone fox frequently, as well as a woodchuck, hummingbirds, hawks, deer nearby, but not on our lot. In a large city, the Animal Control people aren't going to hunt down healthy wildlife. They have their hands full.
 
McGiord said:
Seriously, they are harmless? I have small kids 2 and 4 year old.
Click to expand...

You might be thinking of coyotes which can be dangerous to small pets. My Aunt and Uncle live in Plymouth, Mn a suburb adjacent to a wild life park and have a family of foxes living under their deck. They have been enjoying having the kits running around the back yard. When people show up, they vamoose. (They observe from inside the house.)
 
They are a normal animal in my neighborhood. Leave them alone, they don't bother people or plants/property.

I did see a fox with a ball in his mouth one night. Made me laugh.
 
"A dingo stole my baby."

OP, you need to do a bit of research into the wildlife in your area. Foxes are very skittish...you are luck to see them. Enjoy the show...better than seeing them in the zoo. If they don't run away when they see you, or they approach, they are either diseased or have been fed. At they point you need to call animal control. Loss of fear of man is not a good thing for an animal in the wild.
 
Like others have posted, enjoy them, teach your young ones respect of nature.
Also, take and post some Picts, I took these last year as this guy wandered thru my 2 acres.
They do make noises at night marking their territory, have you heard their "yelping"? It's kinda strange sounding at first.
_MG_7139.jpg


_MG_9851.jpg
 
The biggest worry is them having rabbis. Animal control would give you a trap or two and then come relocate them away from people. It would be best for you and the foxes to have them relocated.
 
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