[Closed] Got some new (unrequested) pets!!

Awww ...... little cuties !

A couple of years back I befriended a male fox. Me and him became really good mates, he would wait every evening in my porch for his dinner, which he would eat whilst I sat next to him. If I saw him up the road I only needed to whistle and he would come running. Come the spring he had a litter of cubs hidden away somewhere, so I had to give extra food for him to take back to them.

One day when they were old enough, he brought all to meet me (and presumably to show them where to get food!) it was a really moving moment as I realised just how much he trusted me, although his cubs were pretty nervous of me.

He carried on bringing them at dinner time everyday after that, although in the end I had to let come into the house on his own because his cubs were taking all the food and he wasn't getting a look in.

Then the following winter during the mating season, the day which I had always dreaded eventually came, he was knocked down and killed whilst crossing the road - the bugger never had a road sense.

Needless to I was pretty devastated, I guess it was a bit like losing your pet dog. I had his body cremated. His name unsurprisingly, was Basil. His cubs (at least some of them) I think are still around. I put food out still, but not as much and not everyday, and I make a point of not making contact with which ever one is taking it. I don't really want to go through that again, specially knowing that the average lifespan of an urban fox is not much more than 1 year.

I still miss Basil and sometimes wish that I had never known him, but he [i]did[/i] teach just how much a 'wild' animal can come to trust someone who is patient and gives them time. And the feeling of being that 'privileged' is really rather special.

Ace they are cute.

Foxes are cool. Just little creatures trying to make their way in life. Very resourceful, and highly intelligent and adaptable.

And a hell of a lot more noble than the creatures that hunt them down, purely for pleasure. 🙁

They just killed our three chickens.
One missing, one headless and one throatless.

Got to explain things to the kids, now.

They wouldnt survive in our garden. Sodding dog killed an adult Magpie last week 🙁

Thats a heart touching story ernie and good to hear some support for one of our native creatures.

imp999 - Member

They just killed our three chickens.
One missing, one headless and one throatless.

I also keep chickens and try to ensure that they are safe from predators at all times. If they were to be killed by a fox I would consider it a failing on my behalf and not the fault of the fox.

Our local fox must be French judging by the volume of frogs it picked up and ate off our road the other night

Nice to see !

We had some in our garden a week or so ago...but I wasn't quick enough on the camera, but really good to see them.

Also saw one in my local forest (first and only appearance)whilst out walking, really chuffed. 🙂

hector - a refreshing view from a chicken-keeper, thanks!

What lovely cubs they are, I wish I had them in my garden - theres nothing like good old british wildlife.

The cubs are v.cute (and entertaining) it must be said, the only problem I have with them is that they (and crack fox mum) seem to live quite literally under our shed - I have premonitions of going in there one day and disappearing into a hole after the floor collapses 😕

We had foxes & cubs playing on the kids trampoline the other day !! They are very intelligent even open the zip on the safety netting with their snouts. They are not evil creatures...agreed if they get near caged chickens it is carnage, but they obey natural instinct just as any animal. I have often watched them play on our lawn just like dogs. I dont feed them though as i fear it is dangerous for them to start getting to close to humans..

Nothing nicer to watch than young wildlife... c a lot where I live

My mate had a Fox kill his chickens only it was an unusual fox it was the exact same size shape and colour as his neighbours spaniel.

My mate got his revenge by feeding the dog a couple of sausages full of laxatives while it was out in the back garden for a run before being locked in the house all night 😀

[i]Nothing nicer to watch than young wildlife... c a lot where I live[/i]

I live in leafy Lewisham, you don't always expect to see it 😉

I remember years ago on holiday in Scotland. Staying at a B&B, whose owners took us to the local farm where the farmer's wife had raised an orphan fox cub. Although it now lived in the woods behind the farm, when she called at's name it'd come running over. Spent a good hour playing with the cub, it'd crouch, crawl over to you then pounce- play-fighting. Then roll over and be tickled. Great animal.

On the flip side, my Brother had all but three of his sixteen chickens killed by a fox last year. He and the kids were gutted. The local farmer had a flock of geese killed by a fox. Not eaten, just killed. I think opinions of foxes depend on your personal experience of them.

So what do we think about fox hunting then?

i fear it is dangerous for them to start getting to close to humans

Yeah, I very worried about that with my Basil. Whilst many people dearly love foxes (had a mate who owned a pet shop and he said quite a few customers bought stuff to feed foxes) there are also some right nasty ****s out there. In my case at least, this proved to be an unfounded fear. Because just like a dog, he was able to distinguish between someone he knew and trusted and strangers, who he feared and made him nervous.

Many times he would be next to me eating his dinner, when suddenly he would take off and hide under a bush. I knew this would be because he had seen or heard someone coming down the road. As soon as they had walked past, he would come out and carry on eating.

I actually found it quite stunning just how dog like foxes really are in their behaviour. Basil had all the mannerism of a dog, he would cock his leg to pee on my gate post, yawn just like a dog, sit lie and curl up like a dog, etc. In fact I never really noticed any differences apart from the obvious physical ones - foxes are much much more agile, and petite, slim, and 'fragile' than dogs, and of course much prettier too - Basil had not only that beautiful rich reddish, white and black fur which all foxes have, but he also had particularly defined black 'tear-drop' markings down his face which not all foxes have.

ernie_lynch - god man you brought a tear to my eye with that story....

Foxes wouldn't last long in our garden with 3 greyhounds though!

I seen one of the little buggers last night, on me way to footy. It was on the railway embankment.

I love seeing urban foxes. I know they are considered vermin, but they do at least keep the rats down.

you brought a tear to my eye with that story

lol ....If the truth were told, telling the story reminded me too much about Basil, and I starting choking up a bit - which is the reason that I ended up making the comment [i]"I still miss Basil and sometimes wish that I had never known him"[/i]

But nah ...... I'm glad I knew him 🙂