Content:
- What Does a Fox Sound Like?
- Why Does a Fox Scream?
- Do Foxes Make Noise and What Kind?
- Where are Foxes Found?
- How to Stop Foxes Screaming?
- Conclusion
The screams of foxes could be loud and disturbing. Do you want to know how to stop foxes from screaming?
Do you want to prevent their disturbing screams from getting into your house? Here are ways to go about that.
Foxes are loud creatures and they always find their way to residential places. They can make various sounds that can be irritating or disturbing to one’s sleep.
What Does a Fox Sound Like?
The unique sound is peculiar to the female fox. A fox can produce a pained cry at any time of the day – even at late hours. The sound can be like a woman screaming. The female fox makes the sound to signal to the male fox that it is ready to mate. In return, the male fox can respond with a bark like a dog would do.
Most times, their mating period occurs in January. Also, for people who have foxes in their gardens, one would notice that the male fox comes to visit around this time of the year. They take this visit seriously because mating is important to them. They recognize that sound and will always come around.
Why Does a Fox Scream?
A fox can also scream when it is hungry or under attack. There are different reasons animals produce various sounds.
Their sounds could be mean several things based on the circumstance of the fox at that time. For a fox, their scream could be to scare predators away and enjoy rest. However, their screams are more peculiar for the mating period.
What time of the year does a female fox give birth?
A female fox looks for a place of birth in her den after its mating period. By the way, a female fox is called a vixen. They clear their den and look for an appropriate spot where they can give birth to their three, four, or five cubs. The birth process happens around March.
The cubs are blind and deaf when they are born. They cannot regulate their body temperature too. Hence, the vixen is always around her cubs in their early weeks. Other adult foxes in the group feed her during this period.
Are foxes solitary or do they live in colonies?
Some foxes are solitary while a larger group is in colonies. Foxes are often found in different units called families. More especially in the breeding season, one can see an adult male fox (dog), its female partner (vixen), and litters of cubs. The vixen nurses the cubs and watch them grow while the dog hunt food and brings home for the vixen to eat.
Do Foxes Make Noise and What Kind?
Foxes make noise and a whole lot of it. However, they do not make noise at every time or opportunity they find. Their major period of scream is during their mating moment in January. Nevertheless, they can produce over 20 sounds which they use to communicate among themselves.
The male fox sound like a dog. They bark and make the famous “woo” sound of dogs. Their cubs can make a different sound when they are fighting or playing. Often, it is the “ack, ack” sound.
Where are Foxes Found?
Foxes are seen in burrows which they have dug. Their homes are called earth or dens. It may be surprising that different foxes may have more than a den.
The hot summer is a different time for them. They look for a better shelter because the dens could be too hot at this period. They love hidden spots that are covered by piles of rubbish or bramble pitches. Seeing a fox take a nap during the day is a bit of great luck and a blue moon.
Are foxes found in urban areas?
It may surprise one that there are more foxes in rural areas as compared to in urban areas. In urban areas, it is easier to see foxes because they run away from predators in the woodlands, wetlands, or even farmland.
Foxes can be shy as one can see them lurking around in the city. However, they are becoming a major occupant and getting used to the city lifestyle. They are often found in dens, under sheds, in drainages, or even on the street.
How to Stop Foxes Screaming
Stopping a fox from screaming could mean a lot of work because they make these sounds when the situation arises. However, here is a list of options one can explore to minimize the effect of their screams;
- Talk to authorities that deal with wildlife to remove the fox from the street
- Get sleeping headsets since the foxes make the screaming sound at nights
- Put garbage in airtight containers that make them inaccessible to foxes
- Destroy dens, shades, or burrows that could be hideouts to these foxes and keep them at bay from the house
Just like many animals, foxes scream. However, the last thing anyone wants to do is to kill a fox. They are becoming rare and they should be much protected before they are completely eradicated from the earth.
Conclusion
Foxes can be disturbing animals. To them, they are only expressing their emotions or attracting the opposite gender. These sounds can be disturbing to humans especially when the female foxes make that disturbing scream. Since this sound is common during January, one can always get ready for this moment and stay protective.
If the sound becomes repetitive and unbearable, reach out to agencies that control wildlife. Do not make an attempt to eliminate foxes. They need to be preserved.
