Welcome to In the Back Yard where we have small thoughts about living alongside wildlife. Today we have a look at what happens if a fox makes a den in your back yard.
First off, don’t panic.
Foxes don’t live in dens year round – only to give birth and raise kits.
Breeding season for the Red Fox is January to February.
Kits are born in March to May.
The kits stay hidden with their mother in the den their first month of life.
When they are 8 to 12 weeks old they will start going out hunting with their parents.
The family unit will depart from the den by mid-summer.
Foxes are generally shy and avoid people.
A healthy fox is typically not a threat to a pet unless pets are small and unattended.
Foxes control rat and mice populations.
If you have a den – know that foxes are just parents trying to raise their babies.
Leave our bowls of water – but don’t feed them.
The funny thing is that people discover they have a fox den in their backyard and worry intensely for a month or two – and then one morning realize the family has quietly disappeared and normal backyard life resumes.