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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions ... Continued 3
We live on a few acres adjacent to town. We are absolutely delighted that our back yard brush pile has become the home for a vixen and three kits. We are interested in knowing more about foxes, as a result. We are curious how long they will stay with us as a group.
Usually the cubs will abandon their earth in June and start living above ground and whilst they will still play together, they will start to roam alone or at the very least in pairs.
How long the vixen might stay after the young leave?
The vixen will shortly start lying away from the cubs to wean them off her milk and onto solid food. The vixen will still be in the area and visiting this site nightly long after the cubs have left completely
What is the usual litter size?
Between 4 -
At what age the kits turn red? (Ours are a dusky gray with dark feet and white tail
tip. (Approx age 4 -
Roughly five -
What are the chances that she will stay with us or return next year?
If she survives another year, very high.
We have recently had the joy of seeing foxes in our back garden, but to our horror a few nights ago we had our family tortoise dug up! I wondered if any body else has had similar problems, or if you can offer a solution to our problem as the tortoise hibernates outside in shallow soil, and doesn't hibernate inside.
I can explain as to why they would do this, but to offer an explanation may be more difficult. Foxes when they come across an abundance of food, rather than waste it, will bury it. This is usually called a cache. Opportunistic foxes may spend their nights raiding their families caches. A fox coming across a tortoise underground may see this as a cached supply of food and dig it up.
Are Red fox's endangered?
The answer is simply no they are not. Our work is carried out to help the fox population remain healthy. It must also be said that many people only start to care when an animal is endangered i.e. the Tiger. If more people had the interests of the tigers to heart prior to them becoming endangered, it just may not have been allowed to happen. We see our role as being the advocates for the foxes
I have heard people say that foxes kill cats, is this true.
Foxes will scavenge dead cats off the road and anyone seeing this assumes the fox has killed the cat. I have seen on many occasions a fox carrying a marrow bone, never do I jump to the conclusion that the fox has killed the cow! Peak calls regarding foxes and cats come in during the mating times, because of the blood chilling scream of the vixen calling her mate. We then get another load of calls when foxes are observed chasing cats in March/April. This is usually the dog fox or vixen chasing away a cat from the earth, as cats given the chance will play with and kill fox cubs. Finally we get another load of calls stating the foxes are hunting in packs after cats. This is usually in July when cubs, although nearly the size of adults will still be in the family group and if a cat is observed by one of them they will go over for a closer look, usually once the cat has scratched them on the nose that's enough to satisfy their curiosity. In this case curiosity certainly didn't kill the cat.
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When one talks about foxes the fox and chicken scenario always springs up, usually in defense of fox hunting! Imagine for a moment the fox in a field, around the corner are twelve birds eating seeds. The fox creeps up on the birds and pounces, and is lucky to catch one, eleven however fly away. The only time this falls down is if the birds can not get away i.e. a chicken coop. The first question to ask if anyone brings up the fox and chicken scenario is how do you know it was a fox. The answer is usually because they've seen the fox return. If the fox had killed the chickens it didn't take for pleasure then why is the fox coming back. The answer is simple a successful predator will kill more than it needs when the opportunity arises so it can store them for a day when food may be short i.e. they cache them. This is why the fox will come back to the coop, its to take the dead birds away and bury them. Many predators surplus kill or have at least surplus to their immediate requirements. The domestic cat will however much you have just fed it, still go out and kill birds, mice etc. A domestic dog when its eaten all it can will often be seen trying to bury its food either under the carpet or a bone may be buried in the garden. Its quite remarkable really when one considers that a Lion, considered by most, to be the king of the jungle, will often kill more than it can eat at one sitting yet no one questions why one lion will kill a zebra when a gazelle would have been more than sufficient.
It amazes me how with today's technical advances that we can speak via the computer, we can have board meeting without anyone leaving their house, we
send rockets to planets millions of miles away, yet people still fail to be able to protect their chickens from a twelve pound fox. If we can keep foxes in our care when we are treating them, surely people with chickens can keep them out? Whilst foxes are intelligent animals never have I observed one carrying keys. In short if they can not get in they can not kill any chickens.
Lastly, how many people go to a supermarket and shop for just one days dinner and how many people just go shopping when they are hungry?