Most of us are familiar with the story of Reynard, a cunning fox who tricks other animals into believing he is not so clever and then uses their fear to his advantage. In modern terms, this could be called misdirection: Foxes in our backyard (or your home) seem less feared than they really are because we don’t know them well enough yet. If you’re afraid that your fence may not keep out these crafty creatures—and if you have time before dusk to set up some traps for them—read on about how foxes can climb fences as well as 10 ways around this problem.
Foxes are predators. They can be quite cunning, and will try to get into your house if they find a way in. To keep foxes out of your garden, you need to make sure that the fence is high enough for them not to be able to climb over it. Read more in detail here: how small a gap can a fox get through.
There are affiliate links in this post. If you make a purchase after clicking on an affiliate link, I may get a commission. I also earn money from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate. —
Foxes are one of the most difficult pests for homeowners in places where they are prevalent. They’re quick, have keen teeth, and are much more intelligent than insect infestations or rodent problems.
If you try to keep foxes out, they will almost certainly find a way back in.
A wall may seem to be a viable option. After all, foxes are quick and clever, but they can’t leap over walls, can they?
Well, the truth is that they can. Walls aren’t nearly as effective as some people nowadays seem to believe, and foxes are no exception.
Many foxes can leap three feet high and climb up to six feet or even higher with their claws. As a result, unless you’re willing to construct a new Berlin Wall around your house, it’s not the most effective strategy to keep foxes out.
With that in mind, here are a few pointers to help you outsmart those foxes and keep them out of your yard.
1 – Remove All Attractions
Before you spend all that money on anything, consider why all of these foxes are visiting your house in the first place. What keeps foxes coming back when they have better things to do than wreck up your yard?
The answer is most likely related to what you have in your yard. Foxes will not take to the trouble of scaling a high wall unless there is something useful on the other side.
For a fox, this usually signifies they sight or smell something that looks like a tasty lunch.
Are you attempting to keep foxes away from your dogs, birds, or cattle in your backyard or farm area? If that’s the case, you’ve found your solution.
Anything from the fragrance of prey to the sight of chickens running about or in their coop might tempt foxes to become unwanted visitors and penetrate your property in search of a tasty meal.
Thankfully, identifying and solving this issue is as simple as removing the cause of the foxes’ attraction. They’ll probably stop coming if they don’t see a chicken coop and think it’s their own KFC.
They’ll cease paying them “a visit” if you don’t have animals in your yard for a time.
Other things you can do to keep a fox out of your yard include:
Remove any food scraps.
Remove any loose compost containing fish or other organic items that foxes might mistake for food.
Cover any sources of standing water, particularly at night.
Avoid using fertilizers that include fish, blood, or crushed bones.
If you have fruits or vegetables growing in your yard, be sure to harvest them when they’re ripe rather than leaving them on the ground as a smorgasbord for foxes to enjoy.
Shoes, dog toys, and other items that foxes could use as playthings should be kept inside.
2 – Plugging Holes
If foxes aren’t coming to your yard for food, it’s possible they’re looking for a place to stay. Foxes like dark, secluded locations to hide in.
If you have such locations on your land, you should fence them off so that foxes can’t use them as dens.
Check to see whether there are any animals already living there (because enclosing still-alive animals is both unlawful and cruel), and then take whatever procedures are required to seal the area.
3 – Repellent for Foxes
This is about as direct a reaction as you can get to fox invasion. If foxes continue to visit your property despite your efforts to make it less “attractive” to them, your next best option may be to repel them completely.
However, you should avoid using fatal force to deter foxes. For one reason, this may be deemed cruel and unlawful in other jurisdictions.
After all, you’re not “hunting” them as much as you’re simply trying to remove them off your land, which doesn’t need such a brutal and sad non-solution.
Instead, think about using a humane fox repellent. To keep foxes away, there are two types of repellant available.
There are scent-based repellents, for starters. Like dogs, foxes are primarily motivated and led by their sense of smell. Something that smells nice will attract them, while something that smells bad will repel them.
Aluminum ammonium sulphate and Methyl nonyl ketone, for example, are two odors that foxes despise. Sprays containing these fragrances may be beneficial in luring foxes away from your property.
Location is crucial when spraying fox repellant. You don’t want to squander your money by spraying fox repellent all over your property, whether it’s cheap or costly, and you also don’t want to smell fox repellant all over your property. As a result, you must be more smart about where you apply fox repellant.
Spraying fox repellant near veggies, for example, isn’t the greatest or most attractive idea; instead, spray it on the soil around and leading up to the area, warding off foxes long before they get there.
If you have any pets buried in your yard, you must spray fox repellant on top of their grave to avoid horrible fox graverobbing.
Another apparent spot where fox repellant might help is at your property’s entry points.
Finally, keep in mind that foxes are territorial, which means they might leave “leavings” behind in order to “mark their territory.”
If they have done so, spraying repellant over top of the “leavings” locations may confuse foxes, as they depend on their sense of smell to detect their own scent and decide where “their territory” is.
However, such repellents may make you wrinkle your nose. If you find that idea too revolting to contemplate, you may want to try giving foxes a taste-based repellant instead.
Pepper sprays and other extra-spicy sprays, for example, may be useful in keeping foxes away. However, this approach has the big disadvantage of requiring the fox to eat it in order to be effective, so if they ignore it, the repellant will not function.
4 – Get a Security Dog
This is a straightforward response — after all, dogs are known as “Man’s Best Friend” for a reason.
Needless to say, not all canines are suitable for hunting foxes. If foxes are bothering your yard, chihuahuas or shih-tzus are more likely to become fox food than fox deterrents, so keep them inside.
The sorrowful narrative of a young fox and puppy ripped apart by society’s expectations that they fulfill their duties and become natural adversaries is told in Disney’s The Fox and the Hound.
Still, hounds and other large dogs make ideal fox guard dogs as long as they aren’t long-term friends with a specific fox.
5 – A Difficult Situation
This is an amazingly economical option whether you’re a barber, know one, or have just given yourself a haircut and are wondering what to do with the trimmings. Human fragrance may be enough to deter foxes from pestering your property.
If this is the case, scattering human hair about your home may help deter them from visiting or remaining.
6 – The Victory Chorus
Foxes rely heavily on their sense of hearing in addition to their sense of scent. Playing music or anything else from the radio or something similar will help keep foxes away.
7 – Urine Issues
Although this approach is not attractive, it has the potential to be successful. We’re dealing with a fox’s sense of smell and territoriality once again.
If you spray your cat or dog’s urine over the fox’s territorial markings, they may get confused and opt not to remain.
Scarecrows for Foxes (number 8)
Although erecting a “Scarefox” does not have the same ring to it, the core concept remains the same.
Build a scarecrow and place it at your property’s entrance or anywhere else where the fox may see it.
9 – Constructing a Fox Pen
Let’s assume you’ve tried a few of these techniques and the fox in question still refuses to listen. If this is the case, it could be necessary to take more drastic steps. You may get rid of a fox once and for all by catching and caging it.
However, it should be noted that this is a much more severe and expensive choice than the ones listed above.
Only consider this option after you’ve exhausted the other possibilities, and even then, only if you’ve done fox trapping before and are confident in your ability to do so in a humane and successful manner.
Again, you don’t want to hurt the fox, and you certainly don’t want to fail to capture it, as this would make them protective and hence much more deadly.
There are various features to look for in a decent fox cage, the most important of which is the size. You must ensure that the cage is large enough for the fox to fit comfortably within and for them to see the entrance as one worth entering in the first place.
A little or narrow opening won’t fool any foxes into entering, and it wouldn’t be humane to do so anyhow.
When in doubt, go with bigger cages rather than smaller ones.
The fox often triggers a fox cage by entering the area or standing on a push pad, causing the metal cage to slam shut. This usually signifies that they have a sliding release door.
While one sliding door may suffice, having many doors boosts your chances of success, since the fox may enter the cage via a variety of routes.
However, you’ll need to make sure that when the cage doors are activated, they all crash shut and remain shut.
You should also put some bait in the cage to entice the foxes to enter.
The fox is likely to be shocked after the cage has been activated and the fox caught. On the one hand, this is logical, yet a trapped wild animal, particularly one with sharp fangs and claws, may be exceedingly deadly.
You should never put your hand inside the cage after the fox is inside.
To prevent this, use a cage with a handle so you can carry it without inserting your fingers into the wire holes.
However, this may still be quite hazardous, so proceed with care and only do so if you’re confident in your abilities.
ten. Contact Animal Control
If you’re not sure how to cage a fox, you should hire a professional. Experts in animal management know how to appropriately confine foxes and may also eject them using various humane means.
Different animal control professionals work in different regions. Simply Googling the topic should provide results for local animal control agencies. Specify that you want assistance with foxes, and they will gladly assist.
The best way to get rid of a fox depends on how the fox behaves, the condition of your land, the amount of money you want to invest, and your degree of experience.
However, with time and organization, these approaches may do what fox barriers typically fail to do: outfox foxes and permanently remove them from your land.
The “Can Foxes Climb Fences?” is a question that has been asked many times. The answer is yes, they can climb them if they have enough time and patience to do so. However, there are 10 ways to ward off a fox. Reference: can foxes climb chain link fences.
