Hi all,
I hope you don’t mind me jumping over from the HJ forum:) I have a friend who lives in Philadelphia. She has had an injured red fox show up in her back yard. It is walking on three legs. She has found a shelter that will take it. But she has to catch it first. Can any of you advise as to how she might safely catch it?
Thanks so much for your help. Also, can you advise what to feed it in the meantime? I believe it is regularly coming to eat birdseed.
Thank you so much!
traps
[QUOTE=carroal;8020309]
Hi all,
I hope you don’t mind me jumping over from the HJ forum:) I have a friend who lives in Philadelphia. She has had an injured red fox show up in her back yard. It is walking on three legs. She has found a shelter that will take it. But she has to catch it first. Can any of you advise as to how she might safely catch it?
Thanks so much for your help. Also, can you advise what to feed it in the meantime? I believe it is regularly coming to eat birdseed.
Thank you so much![/QUOTE]
We’ve always caught ours with hav-a-hart traps and cans of catfood as bait (the smellier the better.)
try some wet food too - they really love that stuff.
Very hard to catch an adult in a havahart, but yes your best chance is smelly cat food as bait.
The largest havahart trap will work. You just need the right bait, such as a whole chicken from the grocery store or some really stinky dog or cat food. Canned food only. Try feeding a few yards away from the trap and gradually move food closer and closer and then inside the trap. A whole roast chicken from Sam’s Club will make the fox enter the trap.
Glad that a shelter will take the fox. As it is hard to find vets to treat them.
Poor fox - it is lucky that it strayed into the yard of a caring person like your friend.
Another vote for the Havaheart - but try KFC chicken. No animal can resist. I have caught many a cat that way. Good luck!
We feed our foxes cat food, as it is supposed to be better for them than dog food (info from a fox rescue).
We have a three legged crippled fox on our property. It can step on the leg somewhat. It got injured last year, but adjusted well. It comes to get fed sometimes. It will be coming all the time soon, as babies are about to be born (if they did not pop them already).
Hi everyone, thanks for your advice. The fox has made a burrow under my friends’ garden shed. They have lots of snow. No new tracks since Saturday; so fox seems to have retreated to the burrow for time being. Wonder if it is having babies? Is there anyway to tell the sex of a fox from a distance? I’m urging them to try the chicken. I’ll keep you posted and thanks so much for your replies! Love COTH!
Make sure your friend doesn’t trap the fox and take her away if she has babies. The babies will die.
Pretty sure it is way too early for babies around here (Philly area). We are in or moving into mating season. Need to ask my wife she is the fox expert. But I have never seen any “kits” this early around our farm. Mostly in May and later. There are expert “urban trappers” to be had. Catch, relocate and release or take to a shelter. Do a search, don’t know that they charge. Likewise do a search for trapping, guarantee there is lots of advice out there. Foxes are scavengers they will pretty much eat anything. Fill a bowl of dinner scrapes, especially after a baked chicken dinner.
Hi you all, I was just wanting to share a happy ending to the city fox story. Here is from my friend in Philly: “Exciting fox update! We saw her today, in the back yard next to the shed (she has been living under the shed). While we were watching, two fox pups appeared! They are so adorable–gray, still don’t have their red coats. She also seems to be putting weight on her hind leg now. No wonder we haven’t see her for awhile. She was busy.”
Good news!
fox
[QUOTE=Chall;8078784]
Good news![/QUOTE]
Still worth catching her if possible if only to get her rabies shot and distemper. We do the fox and kits that are around our house.
That is a good idea, especially as they are in the city and close around houses.
I’ll tell her this. Thanks you all!
Be very careful, fox are a rabies vector species. In some states you would need to go through the rabies vaccine series yourself if you have an “exposure”; bite, saliva, blood contact…
[QUOTE=carroal;8078742]
Hi you all, I was just wanting to share a happy ending to the city fox story. Here is from my friend in Philly: “Exciting fox update! We saw her today, in the back yard next to the shed (she has been living under the shed). While we were watching, two fox pups appeared! They are so adorable–gray, still don’t have their red coats. She also seems to be putting weight on her hind leg now. No wonder we haven’t see her for awhile. She was busy.”[/QUOTE]
