Deterring foxes from digging up my garden/eating roots
Discussion
I spent a huge amount of time yesterday digging up, moving and replanting some laurel bushes. I went out earlier to get the hose on them to make sure they don't dry out and some fox has dug about 180 degrees round the base of one of them. Lots of the root structure is now open to the elements. I wouldn't normally be that bothered but I've already disturbed them and this won't do them any good at all
I'll stick a load more topsoil down tonight and lay down some hardcore round the base of the plant but are there any other suggestions as to how to deter foxes?
I'll stick a load more topsoil down tonight and lay down some hardcore round the base of the plant but are there any other suggestions as to how to deter foxes?
onedsla said:
I've had some creature digging around some recently planted berry bushes. A few rocks around the stems seem to have sorted.
Good to hear. Yesterday was hard work not least because whilst digging I came across loads of broken up concrete and paving slabs.I've put the remains to good use.
Crusoe said:
don't hammer in any sausages HTH 
Yeah good point. Also, thinking about it, I did put some chicken pellets and bone meal under this particular plant. And, as it was at the end of the day, probably didn't fill the whole think in properly either.
From a fox's perspective that's probably too much to resist.
I had this problem. I used a couple of containers of "Get Off" dog and cat repellent sprayed liberally all around my garden and it worked very well.
Foxes are creatures of habit. Once they get out of the habit of using your garden, you don't have to use it very often at all. Just a little squirt every few weeks after, to remind them that a Big Nasty Predator uses this garden.
The downside was that my angry-psycho-neighbour then accused me of training the local foxes to use her garden instead.
Sadly there is no repellent to deal with disturbed neighbours, so I had to move to solve that one.
Foxes are creatures of habit. Once they get out of the habit of using your garden, you don't have to use it very often at all. Just a little squirt every few weeks after, to remind them that a Big Nasty Predator uses this garden.
The downside was that my angry-psycho-neighbour then accused me of training the local foxes to use her garden instead.
Sadly there is no repellent to deal with disturbed neighbours, so I had to move to solve that one.
5potTurbo said:
Are you sure it's foxes and not badgers?
I don't know if the deterrent's any different though.
I'm in London, deffo foxes - I see them all the time.I don't know if the deterrent's any different though.
They don't particularly bother me apart from digging things up and crapping in odd places - middle of the lawn, back patio, front drive, that sort of thing.
blearyeyedboy said:
I had this problem. I used a couple of containers of "Get Off" dog and cat repellent sprayed liberally all around my garden and it worked very well.
Foxes are creatures of habit. Once they get out of the habit of using your garden, you don't have to use it very often at all. Just a little squirt every few weeks after, to remind them that a Big Nasty Predator uses this garden.
The downside was that my angry-psycho-neighbour then accused me of training the local foxes to use her garden instead.
Sadly there is no repellent to deal with disturbed neighbours, so I had to move to solve that one.
I'll give it a go if they keep having a go at my laurels. It turned into a huge job to move them and replant them. Don;t want to lose them.Foxes are creatures of habit. Once they get out of the habit of using your garden, you don't have to use it very often at all. Just a little squirt every few weeks after, to remind them that a Big Nasty Predator uses this garden.
The downside was that my angry-psycho-neighbour then accused me of training the local foxes to use her garden instead.
Sadly there is no repellent to deal with disturbed neighbours, so I had to move to solve that one.
5potTurbo said:
Are you sure it's foxes and not badgers?
I don't know if the deterrent's any different though.
I know it's not relevant to the OP but in case you're interested: Badgers are surprisingly lazy, and if you block their usual route they usually can't be bothered to find a way around and go somewhere else instead. The way to keep badgers out is a physical barrier- find out where they're getting into a garden and block it off if you can. I found a hole in a fence blocked by a big rock solved my badger issue.I don't know if the deterrent's any different though.
blearyeyedboy said:
I know it's not relevant to the OP but in case you're interested: Badgers are surprisingly lazy, and if you block their usual route they usually can't be bothered to find a way around and go somewhere else instead. The way to keep badgers out is a physical barrier- find out where they're getting into a garden and block it off if you can. I found a hole in a fence blocked by a big rock solved my badger issue.
Foxes, meanwhile, just respond by digging deeper....
I bought 500g bag of Cayenne ground Pepper powder from these people: ebay and mixed with 500g of bicarbonate of soda to pad it out, bought a cheap flour shaker from a pound shop. Mixed it up in an old tin, filled shaker, liberally shook powder of an evening over entrances to garden where I knew fox was coming in. You could sprinkle on plant base to deter as well. Worked for me.
CoolHands said:
I bought 500g bag of Cayenne ground Pepper powder from these people: ebay and mixed with 500g of bicarbonate of soda to pad it out, bought a cheap flour shaker from a pound shop. Mixed it up in an old tin, filled shaker, liberally shook powder of an evening over entrances to garden where I knew fox was coming in. You could sprinkle on plant base to deter as well. Worked for me.
Good tip, thanksonedsla said:
I've had some creature digging around some recently planted berry bushes. A few rocks around the stems seem to have sorted.
Update; this has worked on the original one - once I'd filled in the hole I put dowm the old rubble I'd dug out. I can see where the foxes have been back and have had a half-hearted attempt and have given up.Just put a load off rubble round the base of the second one.
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