How to stop foxes pooing in your garden
If a fox is regularly fouling in your garden then you’re probably incredibly frustrated by the problem and wondering how to stop it.
Fox poo (and urine) smells awful and contains a lot of nasty germs, which makes it a particular worry for those with children and pets. It’s blight on the garden and no doubt you want to do something about it!
In this comprehensive article, we’ll recommend the best tools for removing and cleaning up fox excrement, as well as showing you some effective deterrents to stop foxes coming into your garden in the first place.
“We have a wooded area near us and the fox regularly ventures into our garden to poo. It’s making us worried about our grandchildren playing in the garden, so we really need to stop it.”
– Richard, West Wickham
Why do foxes foul in your garden?
To successfully stop foxes from fouling, it’s helpful to understand a bit about why they poo and spray urine in the manner that they do.
Although it sometimes feels like the fox is pooing just to spite you, this is definitely not the case.
In fact, a fox’s faeces and urine plays a very important role in its communication with other foxes and is vital for its day-to-day survival.
SCENT-MARKING TERRITORY
It’s very likely that your garden forms part of a fox’s territory and, in an urban area where space is tight, the fox will constantly need to reassert control and protect its patch from neighbouring foxes.
The way that foxes do this is by using their poo and urine to ‘scent-mark’ prominent parts of their territory. They normally do this on a daily basis, which is why it can become such an irritating issue.
The two main reasons why foxes scent-mark are:
- It lets other foxes know your garden is occupied and unavailable. The more prominent the scent-mark, the more likely other foxes will smell the message. That’s the reason foxes often poo on top or in the middle of things, like the centre of the lawn, on paving slabs or garden furniture, as well as around the perimeter.
- The presence of its own scent lingering in your garden reassures the fox that another intruder is not trying to take over. The fox equivalent of a (very dirty) comfort blanket. If your garden smells of itself then it’s happy and doesn’t feel under threat.
At the moment, the fox coming into your particular garden probably feels very comfortable and content in its surroundings.
So the way to get a fox to stop pooing and ultimately stay away is to make your garden feel awkward, threatening and unsafe. The more you can get a fox to feel instinctively wary of your garden, the less time it will want to spend in it risking a potential confrontation.
Fortunately you don’t need to rush out into your garden multiple times per day shooing away foxes. Good quality fox deterrents can take care of this process for you.
The best deterrents for reducing fox poo
When using fox deterrents in your garden, the best results come from using several products together, with each one targeting a different sense than the others.
For example, an effective fox deterrence arsenal might be:
- A sound-based deterrent
- A scent-based deterrent
- A visual deterrent
The reason being that the more a fox instinctively feels threatened, the more quickly it will vacate the area to avoid confrontation or injury.
Therefore, the recommended fox deterrent and repellent products below all work in slightly different ways, allowing you to choose according to budget, necessity and requirements.
1. THE FOXWATCH ULTRASONIC DETERRENT
The FoxWatch is a small device that sits in your garden emitting high-pitched bursts of noise every time a fox walks in front of its infrared motion sensor.
While these ultrasonic sounds cannot be heard by humans, foxes find them very irritating. Over time, the FoxWatch teaches foxes to associate your garden with the annoying noises and thus reduces the frequency and duration of their visits until they give up the territory and move elsewhere.
Successful fox deterrence requires patience and consistency as you’re basically forcing a wild animal to change its behaviour and find somewhere else to live, which doesn’t happen overnight.
The low-maintenance nature of the FoxWatch makes it a very popular fox deterrent because it provides the required level of permanency and consistency 24 hours a day, without needing regular invention from you.
Fox sense targeted: Sound
“The FoxWatch is a fantastic product. I’ve had ongoing battles with foxes destroying solar lights and poo-ing in my garden. Since installing the FoxWatch, no more fox poo. New solar lights are my next purchase. ”
– Kathy, Portsmouth
2. SCOOT FOX REPELLENT
Scoot is a scented fox repellent that gives foxes the false impression that another predator is trying to take over their territory.
Because foxes are such territorial animals, a large part of their day is spent scent-marking prominent parts of their territory, which will include your garden. These strong smells sends a message to other foxes that the area is taken and should be left alone.
When you spray Scoot around your garden, it disrupts the fox’s sense of security and introduces a new scent. This makes it think that your garden is being invaded by a rival fox. By continuing to spray Scoot every few days for a couple of weeks, the fox will think it has lost the territory war and will start going somewhere else in order to avoid a possible confrontation.
Scoot is really easy to use and gives you the satisfaction of getting out in your garden to take positive steps to deter the fox. It comes in a powder that you dilute with water and spray around your garden using a garden sprayer or watering cans. Full instructions are included on the packet.
Fox sense targeted: Smell
3. DIG STOPPER PRICKLE STRIPS
Dig Stopper Prickle Strips are rolls of plastic spikes that you can use to protect flowerbeds, potted plants, boxes, grass and vegetable patches from foxes.
The plastic spikes aren’t sharp enough to cause injury, but are too uncomfortable for foxes to walk on. Not only does this put them off fouling in the areas where prickle strips are installed, it also stops them digging holes as well.
The prickle strips are easy to install and simple to cut down to size if needed. In order to fix them securely to the ground, it’s best to use some sturdy U-shaped garden pegs [aff] to stop them from being interfered with by persistent foxes.
Dig Stopper Prickle Strips are an effective way of protecting your garden from the double problems of pooing and digging.
Fox sense targeted: Touch
4. PREDATOR EYE PRO
Animals that are active at night are acutely aware of the reflective eyes of other nocturnal predators. Predator Eye Pro units seek to replicate the eyes of another animal, giving foxes the feeling that they are being watched.
This makes foxes feel nervous and causes them to move away from the area in order to avoid a potential confrontation.
Each unit comes with two flashing red LEDs, that charge during the day (via the in-built solar panel) and then come on during the day.
Incredibly low-maintenance and simple to use, Predator Eye Pros can be mounted low on a wall or fence at about a fox’s head height. Be aware however, this is a night-time only deterrent and it will be ineffective during the day.
Fox sense targeted: Sight
The best tools for cleaning fox poo
Installing different fox deterrents is a great way of reducing the amount of time a fox spends in your garden fouling.
However, getting a fox to stay away does take a bit of time while it learns to change its behaviour. Therefore it’s useful to have some tools that help you to safely clear up the fox poo that is still appearing during the deterrence process.
As well as smelling bad, fox faeces can contain lots of germs, including the roundworm that causes Toxocariasis, so it’s important that the poo is dealt with swiftly and effectively. This is particularly the case if your household contains dogs or young children, both of whom like to pick up or eat things they shouldn’t.
The tools below are useful for cleaning up fox poo, disposing of it safely and for getting rid of the harmful germs and bacteria afterwards.
1. LONG-HANDLED POOPER SCOOPER
Yes, you could bend down with a trowel or shovel and try and scrape the poo up into a bag (or flick it off somewhere into the undergrowth). But for the more squeamish, getting up close and personal with fox poo isn’t the most fun thing to do.
This long-handled pooper scooper is a really useful device that allows you to stand up straight and clean up poo easily. Not only does this keep the vile smell as far away as possible, but it’s also great for older people or those with back problems who find it difficult to bend down.
Designed to be used on all kinds of surfaces like hard surfaces, gravel, grass or soil – the most common areas for fox poo – this is an excellent tool which makes a disgusting job slightly less disgusting.
2. COMPOSTABLE DOG POO BAGS
It’s important to consider how you’re actually going to dispose of the fox poo once you’ve picked it up.
If you tip it straight into your dustbin, it could be sat around stinking the place out for a week or two, depending on your local rubbish collection schedule.
A less smelly option is to put it into a poop bag before putting it in your dustbin. This adds an extra protective layer, stopping the smell escaping in case it’s a while before your bins are collected.
These 100% plant-based, compostable poop bags come in packs of 320 and come with carry handles to make tying them up that much easier. They’re nice and large too, making it easy to scoop up the poo and transfer it straight into the bag without getting your hands involved.
3. PET-FRIENDLY SURFACE CLEANER AND DISINFECTANT
If a fox has been pooing or urinating on hard or synthetic surfaces (like patios, decking, artificial grass etc…), then it’s important the area gets a good clean to remove any germs and bad smells.
The Fresh Pet range of cleaning products comprehensively disinfects and deodorises any washable surface with pleasant scent choices such as cut grass or lavender. It can be applied via mopping, spraying, brushing or wiping.
The animal-friendly formula has made it a popular choice for kennels and catteries, meaning it can double up to clean fox mess and any mishaps your own pet may have, including on internal carpets, rugs or tiles.
For those who have concerns about pets (especially dogs) ingesting fox germs or those who encounter terrible smells in the garden, a quality disinfectant and deodoriser is a handy method of combatting these concerning and unpleasant issues.
4. GARDEN PRESSURE SPRAYER
Using a pressure sprayer is a strangely therapeutic experience, as you calmly and evenly spray liquid around your garden by squeezing a trigger.
In terms of cleaning up after a fox, pressure sprayers perform a very practical function too, making it easy to spray a patio or decking with an even coverage of disinfectant.
A pressure sprayer is also the perfect way of distributing the aforementioned Scoot Fox Deterrent around your garden, evenly spraying over grass, shrubbery, fence posts and other hotspots where the fox likes to poo and urinate.
This Spear & Jackson pump-action sprayer comes with a carry strap so you can move and spray Ghostbuster-style and it has a 1.5m ‘wand’ containing a trigger, which makes it simple to deposit liquid wherever it’s required.
Although available in a range of sizes, the 5 litre chamber is perhaps the most practical, striking the right balance between being light enough to lift and containing enough liquid to make it worthwhile.
Pressure sprayers are one of those versatile tools that you can find lots of extra uses for, including gently hosing down a muddy dog, dispensing weedkiller, green algae treatment or washing outdoor furniture.
5. FOX POO REMOVING DOG SHAMPOO
The reason why dogs roll in fox poo (and the faeces of other animals too) has long-baffled animal experts, who can only conclude it may once have served a purpose in canid evolutionary history.
Whatever the reason, dogs like to do it and make a smelly mess of their coat in the process, as many frustrated dog owners can testify.
Animology’s Fox Poo Dog Shampoo is specifically designed to be kind to dogs’ skin, while being tough enough to remove the fox poo and the strong smelling odours usually left behind. It’s easy to lather in and rinse, so washing your dog doesn’t have to turn into a long, drawn-out ordeal
If you’ve experienced the lingering smell of fox poo in your dog’s coat, then this Dog Shampoo is another great tool to have on hand when this rather unsavoury problem crops up.
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Deterrents
- FoxWatch Ultrasonic Deterrent
- Scoot Fox Deterrent [aff]
- Dig Stopper Prickle Strips [aff]
- Predator Eye Pro [aff]
Tools
WANT A SIMPLE FOX DETERRENT?
Looking for a low maintenance, easy-to-use way of keeping foxes away? See how the FoxWatch Ultrasonic Deterrent could make your life easier…
Photo credit: Concept Research
Photo credit: John Ondreasz - Pixabay
Photo credit: Victoria, Hampshire
