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If you have had a close encounter with a fox, chances are that you might be worried about whether you are in danger or not. Unlike domestic animals such as dogs or cats, these ones are known to be wild animals.
However, these animals are sometimes seen near people’s homes due to one reason or another. In most cases, if their habitat has been destroyed or they do not have enough food, they might have to raid people’s homes. After all, they have to look for ways to survive or perish. The good news is that these creatures are not aggressive or violent.
However, they pose a great danger to both humans and pets. In this article, we shall take a closer look at the potential danger of having these creatures around your home.
Are Foxes Dangerous for Humans?
Although these creatures dread the presence of people, they can be detrimental to children. This is because it can attack small children at one time or another. In most cases, this happens whenever the children invade the territory of a fox.
In a bid to defend itself, this animal may attack small children. However, when it comes to adults, these creatures hardly launch attacks. Instead, they will run away and try to hide. Even if you draw close to it, the fox will just run away for its safety.
Anyway, these animals are a great threat to humans as far as their health is concerned. This is because these creatures carry diseases that can be lethal to mankind. Some of these diseases include:
1. Mange
This infection is usually caused by a mite. Some foxes can carry this infection and can transmit it to human beings. However, the good news is that this disease will be over in a period of a few weeks.
On the other hand, your dog may get infected by this disease which can be detrimental to its health. The last thing you would wish to encounter is a situation where your dog is suffering from mange. On the other hand, cats rarely get mange from foxes.
2. Rabies
Although mange is manageable, the disease that you should be scared about most is rabies. This is because rabies is lethal to individuals who are not vaccinated. However, you can easily distinguish a fox that has rabies from that one that does not have this infection.
For instance, foxes with rabies tend to be more aggressive. Other times, they can either act as if they are extremely docile. In other scenarios, they can start staggering or stumbling as they walk. All these are indications that the fox in question might have rabies.
3. Toxoplasmosis
Apart from the 2 dangers mentioned above, foxes can cause Toxoplasmosis. This disease is usually caused by the parasite found in the droppings of these creatures. One can easily get infected by this disease if one comes into contact with these droppings. One symptom of this disease includes fever, pain, headaches, and so forth.
Besides this, foxes can mess up your compound in a number of ways. This is because these creatures usually leave a mess in the form of dug-up gardens, piles of feces, and urine all the place. If two or more foxes invade your home, your home’s compound might be a mess.
Also, they might spread the same mess on your garden and thus make it look unattractive. Since these wastes carry a number of diseases, you will be more exposed to diseases.
Foxes also have a tendency of attracting other wild animals to your home. Besides this, they can attract insects, and these can also come with a number of dangerous diseases. As a result, you should keep these animals away from your home.
Are Foxes Dangerous for Pets?
Foxes not only pose a great danger to human beings but also to pets and other farm animals. For instance, if you have reared chicken in your home, a fox can invade your chicken coop and either inure or eat them on the go. This is the reason why you should protect the coop of your chicken to avoid such problems.
Apart from chickens, foxes also prey on pets such as rabbits. If you have reared rabbits, you should always ensure that their hutch is safe all the time. You might need to either replace the door or repair any areas that might expose your rabbits to foxes.
Foxes also feed on a number of items such as eggs, seeds, fruits, and tubers that might be present in your home. Therefore, you should try to keep these animals at bay as much as possible.
How To Keep Foxes Away
Since we have noted the various dangers that foxes pose to both humans and pets, the time is ripe for you to know how to keep foxes at bay. Some of these methods include:
1. Mark your territory
One effective deterrent that works magic is scent marking. Ideally, these animals do not like areas that are inhabited by human beings.
In this case, you can try to use human hair clipping as an indication that someone lives or visits that area more often. The good news is that these human hair clippings will have a human smell, and this will keep the foxes at bay.
Better still, you can spray chemical fox deterrents around your garden or lawn. If a fox smells these chemicals from afar, it will not come close to your garden or lawn. You can even spray these chemicals around your flower bed in a bid to keep these creatures away from your home.
2. Tidy up
Foxes like living in untidy places. If your garden has overgrown plants or bushes, be sure that it will be vulnerable to foxes and other related creatures.
To keep these animals at bay, you should trim your lawn and weed out any unnecessary plants in your garden. If there are bushes in your garden or compound, clear them, and foxes will no longer invade your home.
3. Keep an eye on your bins
Remember that foxes are scavengers by nature. With this in mind, you should restrict the access to the bins you have in your home. If possible, try to ensure that your bins are tightly sealed.
Any rubbish that goes for collection should not be exposed. Instead, it should be in a closed bin. Also, you should ensure that all the rubbish in your home is collected regularly. By doing so, you will avoid having any overflowing bins in your home.
4. Ensure that you feed your pets indoors
Since dog or cat food is delicious to foxes, there is a need to feed your pets indoors. If you choose to feed them outdoors, ensure that you remove this food from the compound immediately after the pets are done feeding.
In case some food spills on the compound, try to clean the mess as soon as possible. Leaving the remains on your compound will be a good way of inviting foxes to your property.
5. Light up your garden
It is no secret that foxes like moving in the night. The last thing that a fox would want is a bright light flashing out of nowhere. If this happens, this creature will sense danger, and it will run away.
Therefore, you should install motion sensor lights around your garden. You can even install some in your compound as well.
6. Block Entry and exit point
There are many ways foxes can access your garden and even your compound. For instance, if there are bushes within your garden, these could be ideal entry points for these creatures.
Also, if you have not fenced your home well, foxes might find their way to your property. As a result, you should ensure that you have a good fence around your home.
You can even put spikes on your fence and even on top walls. If there are doors that lead to your garden, ensure that they are always closed all the time. Since foxes are fond of digging under the walls, there is a need for you to ensure that the foundation of the wall surrounding your home is about two to three feet below the ground.
7. Get a guard animal
Although foxes can easily kill small pets and other domestic animals, it cannot kill a huge animal such as a guard dog. Instead, this dog will scare it away.
However, your home might end up being noisy as these dogs bark loudly. The good news is that the presence of such dogs in your home will be a good deterrent for foxes and other related creatures.
Final Words
It is true to say that foxes are dangerous to both humans and pets. Although they might not essentially harm human beings directly, they are capable of bringing disease-causing organisms into your home.
If unchecked, you may get ill. Your pets might be preyed on and thus cause huge losses. Fortunately, we have outlined some of the ways that can help keep foxes away from your home. Consider these ideas today, and your home will be free of foxes.
