Waking up or coming home to find a fox has fouled in your garden is a real pain. Foxes fouling is one of the most common reasons for people to go out and buy a fox repellent. This article will help you understand why foxes do it and how you can use this information to stop them doing it.
Why do foxes foul in the garden?
In a similar way as dogs and cats like to mark their territory by urinating, foxes place even greater importance on using both fouling and spraying urine as a way of claiming theirs. Foxes are very territorial and so it is important for them to spread their scent and protect their particular patch from other predators.
Unfortunately, not only does this mean they will foul on your lawn and spray on walls and fence posts, but as many people have experienced, they will also poo on anything prominent in your garden, such as garden furniture, childrens toys or even shoes!
What can be done to stop foxes fouling?
1. Remove all garden objects. Before you even buy a fox repellent, remove anything from your garden that can be stored away in a shed or garage. Shoes, children’s toys and gardening implements should not be left out on your lawn overnight. These are classic targets for a fox marking its territory and removing ‘landmarks’ like this will instantly stop one form of unpleasantness you associate with foxes fouling (e.g. having to use a trowel to remove fox poo from a garden chair or pair of shoes.)
2. Find the fox’s entry point. Once you’ve put things away, you now need to try and locate where the fox gains entry to your garden. You know your garden pretty well so it’s likely you know where the fox comes in already. Likely spots are over or under a fence or from an adjoining area of vegetation. If there’s a gap in your fence, mend it. If there’s a hole under your fence or wall, fill it (though be sure it’s just a hole, not a fox den – burying a live fox in a fox den is illegal). Targeting the entry point is crucial to undermining a fox’s sense of safety and confidence about coming into your garden. If you make it an unpleasant experience for the fox at the entry point, the fox will soon learn to keep away.
3. Use a combination of fox deterrents. For maximum effectiveness, use a combination of a scent based repellent and a sonic deterrent device. By employing two different types of repellent you are targeting two different and important senses the foxes relies heavily upon. The scent based repellent covers the fox’s own scent and makes the fox believe another predator has claimed your garden. As far as the fox is concerned, that means your garden is no longer a safe place to be. At the same time, the sonic deterrent emits a horrible sound inaudible to humans, but designed to sit in the exact range of the fox’s hearing that is unbearable and again is perceived as a threat to safety.
4. The repellents to use. Both of the following recommendations have been designed especially to deal with foxes. They are not generic animal repellents, making them unique and effective in the urban fox problem. The best scent based product is Scoot Fox Deterrent which is a powder you dissolve in water and spray on your garden via a watering can or a garden sprayer. Concentrate on the entry point and reapply several times in a 2 week period. Scoot is not harmful to the environment or to pets and is the best fox repellent on the market. The most popular and effective sonic deterrent is the FoxWatch Fox Repeller. This unit can be mounted on a fence or a wall, or it can be stuck into the ground using the included pointed spike. It should be installed very near the fox’s entry point so that the fox triggers the sensor as soon as it attempts to get into your garden.
Using these two repellents together are a really effective combination and will convince the fox that your garden is not a safe place, meaning horrible fouling will be a thing of the past.
Important – Please do remember to reapply the Scoot several times. Just doing it once and expecting the fox to magically disappear will not work. Foxes don’t work like that! They need to be repeatedly shown that your garden is not a place they want to visit. Reapplying Scoot a few times over a 2 week period (and then again after another week if you want to be absolutely sure) is much more likely to rid them from your garden for good.
Extra tip – If you have a dog, you should encourage it to regularly urinate at the fox’s entry point as well as in prominent places in your garden as this will leave a scent that the fox will detect. This will act as another reason for the fox to decide it’s safer to avoid your garden.
Recommended Reading
Scoot Fox Repellent Review – More in depth review on how to use and apply Scoot with a short accompanying video
FoxWatch Fox Repeller Review – Article on how to use and get the best out of the device along with a short instructional video.
Buy Scoot Fox Repellent on Amazon UK »» Amazon generally has the best choice & prices on fox repellents.
Buy a FoxWatch Fox Repeller on Amazon UK »»
Why Amazon is actually better than Homebase & B&Q for buying fox repellent »»
2 Ways To Spread Scoot Around Your Garden Effectively »»