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.
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.