In Massachusetts, we have 2 different types of foxes. The Red Fox
(Vulpes vulpes) is the larger of the 2, has black sox and a white
tipped tail and is shown below:
Gray Foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) are smaller and have a black
stripe up their tail. The tail is black tipped as opposed to the red
fox whose tail is white tipped. Gray foxes also have semi retractable
claws, can climb trees and are more nimble then the red fox. A photo of
a gray fox is below:
In early spring (March to June), people start calling worrying
about foxes that they are seeing in their yards or close to their
homes. This has only been happening since about 1999. Usually, the fox
has taken up residence under a nearby deck or shed to have her young.
My theory is that, given a choice, the fox would rather have her young
close to humans than take her chances with the coyotes. Coyotes and
foxes are enemies. The coyote, being much bigger, intimidates the fox
and will kill a fox if it has the opportunity. The coyote population is
exploding here in Massachusetts. Sometimes people will see fox pups
playing around their shed or deck, or often times they will just
observe an adult fox walking through their yard with an animal in its
mouth.
BIOLOGY:
Foxes mate in mid-winter (usually in February) with young being born
approximately 9 weeks later (around mid-April). The male and female
stay together to rear the young. The male usually does all the hunting
at first, but as the pups are weaned onto regurgitated solid food, the
mother begins hunting also. As the pups grow larger and more
coordinated, they will start hunting with the adults. Usually by early
to mid-July, the female may be seen with one or more pups during the
day teaching her pups what they can eat. Usually they will be seen
carrying off a rabbit, woodchuck, or other rodent. By August, the pups
are ready to take care of themselves, though they may stay with the
parents till mid to late autumn.
FOODS: Foxes will eat just about anything that is edible.
Small rodents, snakes, rabbits, fruits, and, of course, garbage, bird
seed, and pet food.
Damage:
Foxes do not really cause damage in the physical sense. They will
usually move into an existing woodchuck burrow that was under a shed or
deck. They are also capable of digging their own burrows, but if the
opportunity is there, they will move into an existing one, possibly
evicting or eating the resident woodchuck. The 'damage' is usually due
to people worried about seeing the foxes during the day, and panicking
when they see 3 or 4 pups playing in their yard, especially if young
children live in the home. With good reason, in Massachusetts, we have
rabies endemic to the mammal populations. Foxes can get and spread
rabies, distemper, and mange to domestic animals as well.
Remediation:
Since 1999, I have experimented with a number of ways to evict fox
families from decks, sheds, and even under houses that don't have
foundations. It is legal for us to trap and remove them, but I will
discuss the options with the client and most of the time, eviction and
exclusion is sufficient to solve the problem. Eviction can take from 1
night to 1 week and then the deck, shed, or other building the foxes
were living under must be animal proofed. Animal proofing also keeps
other animals (e.g. skunks) from moving in after the foxes are gone.
A few more pictures are below. I took these on jobs where fox families were living under sheds.
This
first one was taken at night, 1:03AM. Mother fox was returning to the
shed with something (something with a tail) in her mouth. One of the
pups can be seen at the den entrance peering out. The plywood was
around the shed to restrict their entry and exit to only this one spot.
This shed was raised above the ground about a foot.
The next picture was taken at a different site. This shed was resting
on the ground, but was pretty old and the black colored door was
starting to rot at the bottom. You can see a log I staked in place to
block most of the opening. On the lower right of the picture, you can
see one of the fox pups looking out of the entrance. This was the only
way they had to come and go from this den.
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