Hi,

My rabbits were making a terrible noise last night and when I went to investigate I saw a fox trying to get into the run.
As I live in Hillsborough I was quite shocked to see such wildlife. My rabbits were really quite bothered by the experience and Im worried that it might come back. Does anyone know the habits of foxes? ONce scared off might he return?

Thanks

Go up Southey Green they are all over the place. My mum had one staring through her open back door on Wednesday. She dropped her cup of tea and it ran!

There are loads of foxes around built-up areas. Lots of food.
In fact I reckon in Hillsborough the Foxes could live on left over pizzas and kebabs, rather than having to steal rabbits/chickens etc!

If you drive around in the early hours of the morning you'll see foxes going about their business.

hillsborough is about 2 mins from rivelin valley and thence the rest of the peak district.

And there are more foxes living in urban and semi-urban areas than out in the wilds these days.

Originally posted by Olliekitten
Hi,

My rabbits were making a terrible noise last night and when I went to investigate I saw a fox trying to get into the run.
As I live in Hillsborough I was quite shocked to see such wildlife. My rabbits were really quite bothered by the experience and Im worried that it might come back. Does anyone know the habits of foxes? ONce scared off might he return?

Thanks

There are more foxes and dog foxes in towns than there are in the countryside so I’m not surprised you have seen one. Actually I’m surprised you haven't seen one up until now.

A fox is a pretty good killing machine and will, once it has found easy prey, return until that source of food is gone.

I suggest you check your rabbit run and if so make it more secure. I’ve seen stable doors that have had the wooden panels torn off by a fox before now.

Alternatively, put them in your shed if you have one.

Oh Olliekitten how worrying!

We have foxes around here and they have never bothered our rabbits thankfully.

(Well, one did get killed but we don't know it was a fox)

Anyway, yeah, they're little buggers for getting at things and I'd strongly suggest you review your run.

We used to let ours out in the run because the hutch was too small to live in but we used to have a very small door that the rabbit could fit through in case a dog got to them or whatever, that way they could get in but the dog couldn't.

The problem is, I don't know how big yours are and foxes can get through tiny holes.
Also, watch out for rats. I know it sounds crazy but they can easily kill a rabbit and can get into the hutch a lot easier too.

Generally, if you're at home, the fox won't get the rabbit because rabbits make so much fuss that you'll get there first but I don't know what else to suggest.

Don't panic too much though because like I said, we have foxes around us and for months ours just lived wild in our garden (they ate through the hutch and dug under the run - it was never meant to be :rolleyes: )

welcome back Lotti! :wave:

Longley is crawling with them.

We have nightly visits from them, sometimes 2 or 3 at a time in our garden. We leave food scraps out each night and they usually queue up behind hedgehogs and cats.

In fact they have been known to play with our cats.

It's great to see them.:thumbsup:

Thanks KookyKoo! :wave:

Hmm, a few people talk about them eating food with cats and hedgehogs, but other people talk about them ripping their pets to shreds - I've known people with rabbits and cats killed, and it's not something we want to even risk. I think we'll have to give the rabbits away...

The more animal experts that i speak to, the more I realise that a fox can be very determined to get to a potential food source.

Originally posted by rich951
Hmm, a few people talk about them eating food with cats and hedgehogs, but other people talk about them ripping their pets to shreds - I've known people with rabbits and cats killed, and it's not something we want to even risk. I think we'll have to give the rabbits away...

Foxes eating rabbits would be the expected norm as they are part of the same food chain, but having watched foxes interact with cats, the fox seems to be the most timid of the two and appears to offer respect to the cat which has razor-sharp claws and a threatening 'hiss'.

I've seen our cats run from dogs and strange humans, but show no fear where foxes are concerned. Maybe it's because foxes normally go for easy/defenseless pickings such as slugs, snails, scraps, birds and their eggs, small mammals (usually baby animals) etc., none of which would pose a threat. A cat on the other hand would pose a needless threat.

Ok, we've made the decision to try and rehome the rabbits, and in fact have already mentioned it on the for sale forum here (http://www.sheffieldforum.co.uk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=51725) (accidentally posted under a different account name :))

The two rabbits have a hutch each and share a run. You can see the hutches and one of the rabbits in this photo (http://www.dignall.co.uk/rabbit-run.jpg). Please contact either myself or olliekitten if you are interested in giving them a fox-free life!

I used to live on wynyard road

and one night when I was walking my dogs I saw 2 foxes running along upwood road.....

that was around 11.30 pm!!!

Well, if you're happier rehoming them, good luck.

However, I think you've done pretty well with such a big run and hutches, they don't look particularly unsafe either.

I don't think there is an area in Sheffield where there are not foxes to be seen. Even just one.

I doubt that the home they go to will have any less chance of having a foxy visitor than yours to be honest.

I may be wrong.

Hi, My son lives in Hillsborough and yea there are lots of foxes around there!

Fox seen in Hillsborough
Did you get her name & address? :heyhey:


Do you know the difference between a fox & a dog?

About 8 pints :hihi:

Because I work shifts, I get to see foxes fairly regularly in the (very) early hours, in Hillsborough and in many other places too...

I have a theory that there's a few live in the wooded (for want of a better word) area in between Penistone and Langsett Road - where the old pigeon huts are/were. Couldn't tell you where I get that theory from though....

I've also seen a squirrel on West Bar before.

I see foxes quite often in Brightside - and I've also had one round that back of the house banging on the rabbit hutch. I just tightened up the hutch security and things seem to be ok now.

Once when driving down the Bithholmes between Outibridge and Middlewood, very early in the morning, a full family of deer jumped over the wall and ran out into the road - the stag looked amazing. They all stopped in the middle of the road for a few seconds and then jumped over the other wall and made their way down towards the river. Wondered if anyone else had seen the deer?

Liz

I see fox's a lot arround our end too from time to time.but i saw them more when i lived in shirecliffe.but i put that down to beign near the tip and the big field behind my old house.i think they are cool animal.

As Serapis says, the phenomenon of the 'urban fox' [more confident, 'feisty' and 'streetwise' than its rural counterpart] is relatively common these days. When I lived in Nether Edge, there was the famous Montgomery Road fox, which regularly sauntered nonchalently, its head often held at a jaunty angle, through residents' gardens in the mid 80s. I recall too, the Mapperley fox, from when we lived in Nottingham in the early 90s, which frequently delighted the patients of Mapperley Hospital with its daylight as well as nocturnal visits. Nowadays, in Lancashire, I have seen foxes several times raiding dustbins in Southport.

There are horror stories [one recently made the news] of foxes killing pet dogs. They are certainly capable of putting up a good fight, but they are regularly killed by 'hard' terriers such as the Fell Terrier, and its smoothcoated offshoot, the Patterdale Terrier in the hunting scene of northern England. Also, some Jack Russell [not the 'show,' Parson Russell Terriers recognised by the Kennel Club] terriers crossed with Staffordshire Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier, Lakeland Terriers and Border Terriers are adept at killing foxes. The northern approach to foxes requires a dog that will slay, rather than keep at bay the fox. I cannot imagine any fox getting the better of my huge English Bull Terrier bitch, 'Tallie'. Nevertheless, if there were a fox about, I would not allow a 'softer' breed such as a King Charles Spaniel to play unattended. A fox might present a danger to a 'lap dog' like the latter. They would certainly kill cats, rabbits and poultry without a doubt.

Originally posted by timo
They would certainly kill cats, rabbits and poultry without a doubt.

As far as I know, foxes killing cats is a very rare phenomena.

Considering the number of urban foxes now at large, and the large cat population in our streets, cats would be going missing (or found dead) at a considerable rate.

However, the fox defending its cubs or starving and vying for food, might pose a threat to cats on occasion.

The foxes which frequent our garden seem very wary and cautious around the cats (I have this on film) and seem to recognise their place in the order of things, ie, the cats are the masters of the territory and they're armed to the teeth.

A while ago some fox cubs were killed by feral cats at Forgemasters. very sad.

Saxon 51,
My claim re foxes killing cats is based on my experience of what happened on a relative's farm in Cambridgeshire. A fox killed the cat, and a litter of kittens. Maybe it is, as you say, relatively rare. Nevertheless, it does sometimes happen. Foxes are canine predators after all.

Think that's right; I've seen foxes in our garden in the early hours and even found a dead rat which surprised my landlord and some of my neighbours who hadnt previously believed me.

Fox seen in Hillsborough - Shocking!

What next? Bird seen in sky? Fish seen in water? I dont know how anyone can sleep at night! :confused:

There's plenty of foxes about in S8 too as you would expect. There is likely to be much more competition in their 'natural' rural settings due to the banning of hunting with dogs. This is likely to mean that there's going to be more fox’s living in urban areas, preying on our domestic animals, be they lap dogs or house cats. Strange that rural people wanted to control such effective killers, but are prevented from doing so in the manner they wish by politicians.

Never mind in a few years when we're over run by urban foxes some busybodies will find the time to have a campaign so urban fox have to be culled, to protect their little pet kittens and rabbits. A little like the banning of people controlling badger populations a few years back, and there now being a huge problem with TB in the creatures, which needs to be resolved for the UK cattle’s sake, by killing hundreds of badgers indiscriminately.

I've been seeing them in Sharrow for years. I live at the side of mount pleasent park and there is a family of them in the bushs

my dad lives up Parson Cross but goes drinking in Hillsborough on a friday night, he walks home after hes been drinking and he often sees foxes, but recently has been seeing lots and lots of rabbits near where the Hillsborough Leisure Centre is,

My mum also heard and saw a fox really early in the morning a few months ago on our road, god knows how it got there our area is full of houses and no scenery (apart from Hills Park!!)

And there are more foxes living in urban and semi-urban areas than out in the wilds these days.

Ahh, the joy of pedantry!!
Being able to correct a post from 6 months ago.:hihi:


I suppose it could depend upon what you mean by "semi-urban", but:

Total fox population is estimated at around 250,000.
Urban fox population is estimated at anything between 25,000 and 78,000.

The density is much higher in the towns though: 25 per square mile compared to 7 in the countryside.