Streetlife

Very difficult to get rid of them! You can make sure that there are no hiding places; under sheds, untidy areas of the garden etc.

There is something you can get called Roar but this smells also. If you know where their route into the garden is, urine (male) can discourage them.

All most impossible though. Sorry! Shelley

I too have heard that if you can get a man to ... urinate that helps?!

I have had some success with electronic device that gives of a (inaudible to humans) piercing sound that frightens them . Look on internet and dont buy one that costs below £30.00. Cannot remember make of the one I had. Good luck Leah, and if ever replacing your fences go for vertical boarding and concrete bases. Yes, theyre beautiful creatures but horrors to have in garden. I have a neighbour who insists on feeding them! - so fighting a losing battle. Sylvia

Bin day tends to give them a free feast each week so they're not in much of a hurry to leave

The only thing I've heard of working is this - http://www.primrose.co.uk/advanced-fox-scarer-p-17240.html?cPath=24_197

good luck! Andy

We have dozens of foxes. They seem to have moved in cubs and all. Our two cats will frighten them off if they're in the mood. My dad used to swear by weeing round the perimeter fence (!).

Plain chocolate will kill them apparently. That then leaves a moral dilemma. I was torn what to do last summer as they had taken over our gardens but it seems someone else took the decision because one day they were there, the next they weren't.

Chillies. We discovered this by default when "digging in" some kitchen waste; they've not been back to that area since, presumably, one of them had a stinging encounter. They really don't like that at all, but it shouldn't harm them

Definitely male urine. We tried everything and found that the electronic device that sends out the piercing sound does not work at all. Finally, my husband did his business every night in the areas where the fox had dug up our newly laid lawn and the fox didn't come back. But since my husband has put fertilizer down this last week, the fox is making a comeback, so my husband will have to get out there again.

Someone recently told me that soaking rags in Jeyes fluid and placing them where the foxes hang out will remove the smell of their urine (marking territory) & chase them away.

I've not tried it myself as they seem to have gone from my garden (yay!!) but I know that humans find Jeyes fluid very strong so I can well imagine foxes hating it too.

good luck!

A month ago I bought the fox scarer to which Andy No_1 refers. 3 days ago I was wondering how long it would be before it became effective when my neighbour's Siamese cat came over the fence and walked straight up to it! It's not as if the batteries were flat as I'd only just replaced them! So much for the manufacturer saying they should last 3 months! Then 2 days ago I had an email from Primrose asking me to rate the product. Quite clearly they don't publish really bad reviews!

Ah. Maybe ignore my plan then.....

There is some good news though. They offer a money back guarantee

Thanks all, some good suggestions! I am just sitting here, watching the mother fox groom two of the cubs in the sunshine, and I honestly can't bring myself to do anything to hurt them - even chilli! So will have to resort to making the garden less of a thoroughfare for them with chicken wire, and meshing up my vege seedlings which they seem to especially like. The lawn will have to fend for itself. And as it already smells like a loo out there, I have asked my husband to start "marking his territory". He is also teaching our 3 year old son to do it, who thinks it bloody hilarious. God only knows what our neighbours think...!

Some websites say that just simply us regularly being in the parts of the garden they frequent might do the trick as they don't like us being around their cubs, and by June the cubs move on in any case so hopefully the little destroyers' stay with us will be shortlived!

Don't worry about what your neighbours think. Our neighbour and his 5 yr old son actually joined in on my husband's efforts. The son came over the other day asking if he could help out again. Was quite sweet. Our neighbours upstairs think it's humourous too. Just don't take yourselves too seriously. Good luck.

Hi Leah,

I feel your pain!!! I have a small well kept garden and last year the foxes turned it into their own personal play ground.

Digging up plants, then soil gets all over the pebble work which is hard to clean up. Even eating the root of a 15 year old palm plant which is now struggling to survive. Planting food they have found from else where also became common. It got to the point that I felt frightened sitting in the garden once the sun started to go down and leaving the back door open was a no no.

After lots of time and money spent on cleaning up and replacement plants I turned to the Internet. The male urine does work but there is 2 problems. 1st it could attract rats and the 2nd if you check out wandsworth council website it is against their rules! (they have a section on dealing with the problem but it's not that good) So be careful!!!

Lots most of the other things mentioned do work for a time including black pepper. Lots of the Asian shops sell it grounded in packets which is very strong smelling. Or get a cat, they keep them away.

The best thing I have found is a product called silent roar. I brought it from the below site. check out the site. It's good but can work out to be expensive as when it rains the smell of the pellets starts to wash away. (we don't smell anything) Also they do not dissolve so leaves little small pellets around the garden. BUT IT WORKs. I have lots of boxes here and if you wish you are more than welcome to come and pick a box up to try it out. But you do need to keep on top of it.

As I would sometimes forget to give the garden it's weekly treatment and the problem would come back I have now resulted to a detector. See website below this one comes with a 90 money back guarantee and a high pitch noise comes on once body heat is detected in the garden at a 40 ft radius. Only they can hear the noise unlike other detector the noise is not continues so once they come into the parameter they back away and realise they are causing the affect and stay away. It is expensive at £60 but with a money back guarantee it's worth a try and so far I've spent a lot more than this on the problem. I will send you my phone number and if you wish to collect the silent roar you are more than welcome to have it. (i have not been able to buy it in the shops and have tried all the other products with them either not working or not as good)

As I said I feel your pain! Best regards

*For detector * http://www.foxolutions.co.uk/index.phpmain_page=product_info&products_id=10 -

For silent roar http://www.primrose.co.uk/silent-roar-cat-repellent-05kg-p-791.html??source=googleads&gclid=CIGq0L2J3qgCFchO4Qodj3rjAQ

We had a fox set in our garden when we moved in. I'm afraid to say that male urine worked really well - it took a few weeks but they don't hang round / damage the garden any more. My boyfriend insisted that if he drank more beer it was more effective, but I'm not so sure!!!

We have had a similar problem and tried the high pitched noise device. Woke up one morning to find a fox sleeping virtually on top of it so clearly that didn't work! Tried the male urine but clearly my husband living in a house with me and 3 daughters (and only one son to help even up the balance) doesn't have enough testosterone. Only thing that seems to have worked is rags soaked in creosote at the points where they come into the garden. Other thing we have found to work is sprinkling cayenne pepper on the fence. Also works round the base of a tree at the front of our house that all the local dogs seemed to be using. Good luck.

I used to have terrible problems with foxes in the gardens and they used to wake me up and scare me half to death. They seem to have disappeared so I no longer have a problem. But I have enjoyed reading these comments.... So thank you, all of you!

I'm really glad people haven't turned this thread into an excuse for 'culling'. I know foxes can be a bit of a pain sometimes but we have to be happy when wildlife thrives naturally, surely?

Caroline, I agree. And anyway, culling doesn't work, nor relocation; if I got rid of this group, another would move in, our garden is obviously a des-res to foxes! The cubs are just so playful, they trample everything, and there are so many of them. We are going to enclose the whole back fence area in chicken wire this weekend and see if that slows them down. The wee is also working a bit I think! Plus I have been going out there banging pots at regular intervals which is also working. And theraputic! Michelle, thanks I might take you up on the Silent Roar, if lion excrement won't scare them, nothing will!

Its been fascinating reading this thread so I'm going to give chillies a go - after soaking in a jar of my man's urine! The cat thing doesn't work as depends on the cat. I have seen an adolescent female cat chase off a large fox. Foxes are quite timid (if you go outside they will run off) so you shouldn't fear them - but yes if you offer an open door with food about and nice soft furnishings they will come inside. My cat just sits and watches them and he's a large territorial male!

THE LONG TERM SOLUTION IS CHANGING OUR BEHAVIOUR. There are still many people who put food waste outside unbinned and who feed them. ONLY PUT FOOD WASTE IN BINS WITH LIDS. PLEASE DON'T FEED THEM and when you replace your fences - deep concrete bases with chicken wire dug deep into soil, vertical boarding (as horizontal gives them more of a purchase)

I know its difficult, but speak to neighbours who leave out only bagged-up waste overnight. - and report that van/neighbour who dumps rubbish on our footpaths. We had a problem in Himley Road and got Environmental Health/ Health and Safety involved. We don't have that neighbour dumping his waste unbagged and unbinned in front of his property anymore.

I haven't tried this method of scaring them away, but logged it just in case they became a pest in my lovingly tended corner. There's an infrared detector device, but instead of whistling, it sends out a brief blast of water from the attached hosepipe. It's item number 58 20 18 at http://www.ferndale-lodge.co.uk, called Jet Spray Cat Repeller, but I guess it could work on dog relations too. If anyone tries it, I'd love to know the success/failure rate. Completely agree with Sylvia on the need for keeping waste food in bins, not plastic sacks.

try not encouraging them on to your property foxes are vermin and should be treated as a such.I witnessed one recently savage my neighbours dog in broad daylight in her back garden.they carry plenty of diseases such as Wiels disease, you may think they look cute but think of your neighbours and surrounding streets having to put up with the vermin you are incouring.get rid of the den. rant over not a fox lover.

I had same problem in my garden as it backed in to a big playing field, tried a few things but in the end it was male urine carefilly dotted in the two corners of the garden nearer to the fields. Now we were told the first urine of the day when he wakes up in the morning works best as I presume it probaly has more concentrated testoterone.( sounds funny ha?) well the scent of the urine apparently signals a stronger male territory. after a week of strict dosage they will stop coming, You don't have to ruine your garden with urine remember foxes have very strong sense of smell so they pick up the most suttle smells. repeat the process if they re-appear. Good luck. Good luck

Hi

I had a major problem with foxes about 3 years ago. I had a vixen and about 6 cubs in the garden. I sought advice from a fox specialist who understands fox behaviour.On his recommendation I had a concrete base put under the shed and created an 'underground fence' by sinking 18" metal rods all around the perimeter of the garden - no more than 3" apart. This was expensive but very worthwhile. The reason for the rods is that a vixen will not have cubs in a garden if there are no exit routes at ground level. Whilst the stuff that I have done has not stopped the occasional adult fox coming in I have not been troubled with cubs since and I found it was the cubs who created most of the problems.

Male urine is certainly one route, but if you want a longer term solution, then get a dog. You’ll still get the occasional fox in your garden, but none will settle. Obviously... you’ll need to be at home enough for the dogs welfare. The main thing I want to know is why Merton refuses to supply appropriate bins to prevent the fox feast nights around the borough.