For the safety of your pets, keep them leashed at all times. Pet ownersĪlthough free roaming pets are more likely to be killed by automobiles than by wild animals, foxes can view cats as potential food. Keep livestock such as rabbits and chickens in secure enclosures that prevent entry from above and below. These areas provide prime cover for foxes and their prey. Don't let foxes intimidate youĭon’t hesitate to scare or threaten foxes with loud noises, bright lights, or water sprayed from a hose. Remove feeders if foxes are regularly seen around your yard. Use feeders designed to keep seed off the ground, as the seed attracts many small mammals foxes prey upon. Close these areas off to prevent animals from using them. Close off crawl spacesįoxes will use areas under porches and sheds for resting and raising young. Keep compost in secure, vented containers. Take out trash the morning pick up is scheduled, not the previous night. Secure your garbage in tough plastic containers with tight-fitting lids and keep in secure buildings when possible. Foxes that rely on natural food items remain wild and wary of humans. Don't feed or pet foxesįeeding, whether direct or indirect, can cause foxes to act tame and over time, may lead to bold behavior. Remember, share these tips with your neighbors your efforts will be futile if neighbors provide food or shelter for foxes. If you want to make your property less attractive to foxes and avoid having any problems with these small predators, follow these basic practices. They require only a source of food, water, and cover. Tips for residentsįoxes can thrive close to humans in suburban and urban areas. Foxes typically use the transitional areas between habitat types for most of their activities. Gray foxes also prefer a landscape mosaic, but will thrive in dense northern hardwood and mixed forests where they often inhabit thickets and swamps. Red foxes can be found in a variety of habitat types, but prefer areas where different habitats-forests, fields, orchards and brush lands-blend together. Territories are shared by mated pairs and their immature pups, but are actively defended from non-related foxes. Foxes actively maintain territories that may vary in size from 2 to 7 square miles. They remain active all year and do not hibernate. Activity is variable foxes may be active night or day, and sightings at dusk or dawn are common. Foxes are usually shy and wary, but they are also curious. Foxes are quite vocal, having a large repertoire of howls, barks, and whines. ![]() They return to these storage sites and have been observed digging up a cache, inspecting it, and reburying it in another spot. Foxes cache excess food when hunting and foraging are good. They are opportunistic feeders and their primary foods include small rodents, squirrels, rabbits, birds, eggs, insects, vegetation, fruit, and dead animals. Life historyīoth the red fox and gray fox are omnivorous. They will climb trees to escape predators and to access arboreal food sources. Gray foxes are one of only two canid species in the world that can climb trees thanks to their hook-shaped claws. ![]() They measure about 31–44 inches in total length and weigh 7–13 pounds. ![]() Compared to the red fox, the gray fox has a shorter muzzle and shorter ears, as well as oval pupils. The gray fox appears smaller than the red fox, but the shorter legs and stockier body are deceptive. The belly, throat, and chest are whitish. The overall coloration is gray, with the darkest color extending in a stripe along the top of the back down to the end of the tail. The gray fox is often confused with the red fox because of the rusty-red fur on its ears, ruff, and neck. Similar to cats, red foxes have vertical pupils which help to enhance night vision for hunting. The white tip on the tail distinguishes this fox from other species at any age. They are recognized by their reddish coat and black “leg-stockings.” Red is the most common coat color, but individuals may vary from light yellow to a deep auburn red to a frosted black. Adults typically weigh 7–15 pounds, but may appear heavier. They measure about 35–40 inches from the tip of the nose to the tip of the tail. The red fox is the most widespread carnivore species in the world ranging across the entire Northern Hemisphere.
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