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antipodi
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Fri Jun 16, 2006 9:42 pm
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 Securing Cavys from Foxes
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Securing Cavys from Foxes
In Australia the introduced fox is fast becomming a danger (to our pets) regretably and they have moved into many city areas ..sadly many Cavys and Rabbits in outside hutches are in peril and we should be aware of taking precautions.
The first step is understanding them , their instincts and what they are capable of can reduce the risk of losing your domestic pets , especially outdoor Rabbits and Cavys..
It is adviseable to take all the steps you can to protect your small friends and, possibly foxes, pet and pet keepers can live in harmony
The following are frequently-heard quotes about foxes and the answer to those misconceptions
“There are no foxes in our garden”
There weren’t yesterday, maybe not today ....but what about tomorrow? It will only take a fox on its first visit to prove you wrong, then it may be too late.
“A fox wont bother my caged animals when there are rabbits in a nearby field”
Foxes are lazy feeders, although efficient predators, they are basically lazy and will not bother with elusive prey where scavenging might produce an easier result. This means that as well as preferring to break into a badly secured hutch, they can be easily deterred by strengthening the mesh and locks.
“No fox will get that lock open”
Your hutches and runs are only as strong as the weakest part of them. A strong bolt can be pulled off entirely if the screws are too small. A wooden latch may as well not be there! The mesh or chickenwire can be pulled right out if is only held in by staples. Chickenwire can be bitten through. A weak or rotten cage floor can be dug through from underneath. Any of these weaknesses can be exploited by the fox and need to be strengthened considerably
“I have a walled or fenced garden so they wont get in there”
The Department of Farming & Rural Affairs’ (England)advice is that a mesh fence needs to be at least 6’ 6” high with a sheet of smooth metal at the top of at least 1’ and buried to a depth of at least 1’ 6”. Foxes frequently scald a fence this height and the barbed wire on top.
Rather than to try and make it a fortress, it is probably better to accept that the fox will enter the garden at some point, and take other measures to prevent it getting near the pets.
“We have foxes in our garden but they don’t bother our pets”
One of two things is probably happening here. Maybe the fox has tested your defences, failed to get through them and is waiting for a day when you leave a chink, maybe by forgetting to lock the hutch door, or by leaving the pets in an unsupervised run after dark, giving the fox time to dig up under the run. Or maybe they do not need any food at this time, preferring to leave the pets where they are until they do. Either way, don’t get complacent, its time to check your defences. Even a failed break-in can stress a pet to the degree that they have heart failure, so take measures to keep foxes away by using deterrents.
“I lock my pets in a shed at night ~ that’s when foxes hunt”
It is when they do MOST of their hunting but they are frequently seen during the day, and remember what opportunists they are ~ you need to be as vigilant in the day as night time.
“I keep my hutches on a stand”
Foxes climb well, they can run up a mesh fence, and use their teeth to haul themselves up the last few feet. The hutches need to be kept behind a barrier such as a shed door, to be truly out of reach
You will proabably never achieve a completely fox-free garden while you have pets to attract them in, so make sure you are prepared for this.
If you want to reduce the chances of foxes coming into your garden, you can make it less attractive to them by:
- using fox-deterrent chemicals, (which smell so bad they may even deter YOU from using the garden)!
- avoiding use of fish blood & bone fertiliser (which can fool the fox into thinking that if it digs it will find food).
- securing rubbish in wheelie bins, or in dustbins with bungee straps across lids.
This advice should not give you the impression you should be anti-fox ~ it is more a case of “know your enemy” ~ if you are well aware of what they are capable of, and accept that you have to take measures to prevent them achieving their natural aims, you will be able to live side-by-side with these beautiful and intriguing animals without them causing undue distress to you or your animals.
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Location: UK
Sat Jun 17, 2006 3:52 am
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some good advice there.
one thing id like to say is that some people think foxes kill cats and small dogs, this is very rare, because the cat is very fast on its feet, and dogs can bite back. there are cats in our garden often , also we have our regular visiting "friendly foxes" we actually feed ours. if i had small pets in the garden or birds. i would make sure they were in a properly built fox proof enclosure. i think our pets are our responsibility. its not right to kill a fox because we havent provided the security for our pets.
this is what farmers here do, they reach for their gun, it should be stopped.
and kittens should go out supervised i think.
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antipodi
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Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:09 am
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I agree if we are able to have a back yard it is a wonderful place for ALL animals andyes there are was it can be done ...If we only know how to manage the vunerable animals against the preditors it will be fine...I think I will try and get more articles like this that promote this harmony ...It was farmer paranioa that made the Tasmanian Tiger extinct...
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
Posts: 814
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Location: UK
Sat Jun 17, 2006 12:14 pm
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yes we have badger culls, because they "think" badgers cause TB in cows.  there is no solid evidence that they do. its all heresay.
today in the car, on the road i counted 7 dead hedgehogs, one dead badger  and one live hedgehog. 
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antipodi
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Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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Sun Jun 18, 2006 1:31 am
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Sadly you are witnessing the price of urbanisation
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Location: UK
Sun Jun 18, 2006 4:00 am
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thing is is dont need to be like this, there are things that can be done to protect these creatures from our roads, but can you imagine asking the highways dept to insert tunnels under the roads. it would cost money and unfortunately thats more important to most people
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Juliemarie
Joined: 04 Feb 2006
Posts: 56
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Location: Australia
Tue Jun 20, 2006 10:10 pm
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I have seen foxes and even huge feral cats in the bush, where my dad spends much of his time. But I was so surprised recently to see a fox run across our road, as we only live 5 ks from the city. it reminded me never to leave the guinea pigs in the back garden unsupervised.
Sadly a couple of weeks later I saw the fox dead on the road not far away. We live near a cemetery and I think, it was leaving there at the time.
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antipodi
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Joined: 25 Jan 2006
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Wed Jun 21, 2006 12:18 am
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Hi Juliemarie ...Yes Foxes live in the Suburbs of Melbourne ...I was walking down a main road of my suburb one day late at night when i saw what I thought was a large cat with a very bushy tail ..as i got closer it got up and raced off ..I could see it was a fox ...I too was surprised to see such an animal in such a built up area ....That is why I did this article to ensure safty for piggies as well harmony for the Foxes ...we can live together with wildlife if we are careful and secure our vunerable pets...
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Antipodi
May one day man and Animals live together in harmony and peace
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Karma: +10 (10)
Location: UK
Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:22 am
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hi Juliemarie, thats so sad i like foxes a lot and we have been feeding ones in our back garden now for nearly 2 years.
i live in the country, but ive heard foxes here in the uk are venturing into towns, its probably because we are building more and more and their natural habitat is shrinking.
hi Anti, i agree with a little more focus,harmony with both animals can be achieved.
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Juliemarie
Joined: 04 Feb 2006
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Location: Australia
Wed Jun 28, 2006 11:10 am
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Yes, it was so sad to see the fox run over. Wouldn't have happened in its own habitat.
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jsqueek
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Joined: 24 Feb 2006
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Karma: +10 (10)
Location: UK
Wed Jun 28, 2006 2:45 pm
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we've been feeding some for a few years now , my hubby says its more than 2, i lose track of time sometimes 
anyway for the first time we have actually seen baby fox cubs we have counted 3 so far, but there could be at least one more. we have 3 regular adults too. we have a favourite adult and called him Wellie, because he has black legs, it looks like his wearing wellington boots. he is very cute and is handsome enough to be in a movie.
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