Help evicting Red Fox family

DannyW

Senior Member
I live in a nice 280 home subdivision with 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots in the Lawrenceville area. We have street lights and sidewalks and the surrounding area is also developed with similar subdivisions. Lot's of people and dogs, it's not your typical red fox habitat.

Late one night about 10 days ago, I saw a red fox and 3 half grown kits playing in our front yard. I thought it was cool and thought no more about it until I saw them again the next night doing the same thing. Usually late at night, around midnight, I will see the momma sitting on the sidewalk under the street light keeping guard while the kits wrestle and play in my yard, even chasing each other up the steps and on my front porch. Then after an hour or two of frolicing she will round them up and they take off as a group, presumably to hunt for dinner.

Yesterday, wondering why they were hanging around my yard, I rooted around in the shrubbery and noticed a fresh pile of dirt next to my brick and mortar front porch/steps. Uh oh....I got a flashlight and discovered they have dug out a den under my porch. Right now they have not caused any damage because the 5x9 porch is supported by pillars, but I'm afraid they will dig around the pillars and cause the whole thing to settle. So, adorable or not, they got to go.

My thought is to fill the hole with dirt and maybe add some concrete blocks to prevent them from digging it out again. But my dilemma is this would be done in the day time when they are inactive, and call me soft if you want, but I cannot bear the thought of burying them alive in their den. I don't see any need to kill them, they're just trying to make a living too.

My initial thought is to drive them out of the den using a gasoline soaked rag poked as far as I can shove it inside the den. Then I will give them some space and it should push them out, right? Anybody got another suggestion from personal experience?

BTW...they show no signs of rabies...they are not aggressive and run at the sight of me when I try to sneak up on them.
 

Doghunter11

Senior Member
Can you not call animal control or the dnr to have them Come out and catch them? With that many houses around they need to be relocated or they will just become someone else’s problem.
 

nickel back

Senior Member
I live in a nice 280 home subdivision with 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots in the Lawrenceville area. We have street lights and sidewalks and the surrounding area is also developed with similar subdivisions. Lot's of people and dogs, it's not your typical red fox habitat.

Late one night about 10 days ago, I saw a red fox and 3 half grown kits playing in our front yard. I thought it was cool and thought no more about it until I saw them again the next night doing the same thing. Usually late at night, around midnight, I will see the momma sitting on the sidewalk under the street light keeping guard while the kits wrestle and play in my yard, even chasing each other up the steps and on my front porch. Then after an hour or two of frolicing she will round them up and they take off as a group, presumably to hunt for dinner.

Yesterday, wondering why they were hanging around my yard, I rooted around in the shrubbery and noticed a fresh pile of dirt next to my brick and mortar front porch/steps. Uh oh....I got a flashlight and discovered they have dug out a den under my porch. Right now they have not caused any damage because the 5x9 porch is supported by pillars, but I'm afraid they will dig around the pillars and cause the whole thing to settle. So, adorable or not, they got to go.

My thought is to fill the hole with dirt and maybe add some concrete blocks to prevent them from digging it out again. But my dilemma is this would be done in the day time when they are inactive, and call me soft if you want, but I cannot bear the thought of burying them alive in their den. I don't see any need to kill them, they're just trying to make a living too.

My initial thought is to drive them out of the den using a gasoline soaked rag poked as far as I can shove it inside the den. Then I will give them some space and it should push them out, right? Anybody got another suggestion from personal experience?

BTW...they show no signs of rabies...they are not aggressive and run at the sight of me when I try to sneak up on them.


yeah leave them alone, once kits are grown they should all move on. If you force them to move, the chances of them living is not good. just my .02
 

Mr Bya Lungshot

BANNED LUNATIC FRINGE
Driving them from their den especially with gasoline is not legal.
Call an expert or leave them to grow and move in a couple months on their own then fill the hole.
 

trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
Leave them be and in a month or so they will move on. Main two reasons fox move into neighborhoods is to escape coyotes , which will kill the kits and an endless supply of dog and cat food. Remove the food and they’ll find a more accommodating neighborhood.
 

Lilly001

Senior Member
I say let them leave on their own then fill in the hole.
If the hole is not causing damage I see the critters as established residents.
 

rosewood

Senior Member
Last edited by a moderator:

Raylander

I’m Billy’s Useles Uncle.
As most have said, they will move on down the road shortly. Get some good pics of those rascals while you’ve got the opportunity!
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
This is the On Topic Forum, folks. If you`ve had a post deleted or edited, you`ll find the reason in the special rules for this part of the forum. Due to people taking advantage of these rules, there will be no more warnings in here.
 

DannyW

Senior Member
Okay...update...rather long, sorry.

I called Gwinnett county animal control...no help whatsoever...they only deal with domesticated animals. They told me to call DNR...which I did. I spoke with a wildlife biologist named Matt Leo.

Matt knew his stuff. Here is what I learned.

  1. Biologists refer to these foxes as "urban" foxes. They have adapted to human activity and are not shy about denning and living around people, pets, and all the activity of humans (cars, noise, etc...)
  2. It IS illegal to disturb the nesting or denning area of a wild animal. However, foxes that build a den next to or near the foundation of a home are considered as nuisance animals and you may take whatever steps necessary to eradicate them.
  3. He told me that foxes use their dens for up to 6 months after the kits are born. Kits are born in March or April, so the den would probably be used until around September.
  4. Foxes always have 2 or 3 different dens that they use, so he was confident they already have other dens in the area.
  5. He gave me three proven methods to get rid of them. The first was to simply run them off every time I see them. He said foxes tire of being harrassed by humans, and after a few times they will leave for another den.
  6. The second tip was to place a wind chime near the entrance to the den. This disrupts their sense of hearing and they will leave. (Or maybe, like humans, they just get tired of the annoying jingle!)
  7. The third way is to take a tennis ball, soak it in ammonia, and toss it inside their den.
Anyway, I have not seen them since I discovered their den. Maybe me shining my Surefire in their den was enough to make mamma decide to move on. Or maybe it was all the fireworks that have been set off in the neighborhood the past 2-3 evenings.

I am going to try the ammonia soaked tennis ball trick and put some garden fencing around the den entrance as a temporary measure until I can do something more permanent.
 

trad bow

wooden stick slinging driveler
Thanks for the update Danny
 
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