Cause of death..

[stripee]

Sorry cheerful subject. But found dead fox cub (female) yesterday in old polytunnel. I saw it a couple of weeks ago and it looked very well. Had been dead a more than 10 days found it by the smell! Don 't think its been shot, looks like natural causes. Not mange, its fur is good. Plenty of food about this time of year would have thought.The mum is fine see it every day. What kinds of things/diseases see off foxes?? Also interested in what other mammals die from!

[Lance Morgan]

Poisoning? either deliberate or accidental?

[demicav]

Poor thing .

[Gaina]

Could have possibly died of over-heating in the polytunnel? Poor little mite .

[stripee]

No it wouldnt have been overheating! Because all the plastic except for a bit at the ends of the polytunnel has come off! It looked like it might have slept underneath some staging.I did wonder about poisoning because neighbours on next hill have a rat problem, but then I don't know how eating dead rats would affect something bigger like a fox. I knew this cub from very small in Feb. I'm puzzled because it looked so healthy. Maybe though if you actually follow particular farmilies of mammals quite a lot of them die young anyway it's just not noticed. Some grow up and some don't for various reasons.

[Meles meles]

do you still see the vixen around??
Is it possible that the vixen has died or dissapeared, thus leaving the poor little thing to poorly fend for itself, If it was healthy before, could it maybe have died of starvation, lack of fluid etc in the recent heat. Especially if its been lying in wait in a "thermos tunnel"
Always dissapointing to hear such things

[stripee]

Yes, the vixen is around every evening and sometimes the afternoon. I heard her calling last night.
My first thought was starvation. Maybe the vixen wasn't experienced enough, this is her first cubs. I saw her with the cub a couple of weeks ago. Since then I saw it on its own. They all had sneezing fits in the Spring, and she has only just stopped sneezing, although I didn't notice this cub sneezing. Perhaps it got weak from not enough food and lost condition quickly. It hasn't been that hot here, raining just now! chilly evenings.

[Meles meles]

sounds like the baby was abandoned before fully knowing how to survive.

[Cazzie]

That's so sad, but just nature taking it's course I suppose....

unless - could it have been hit by a car maybe, and then got to the polytunnel to die?

[thunder]

Originally Posted by Cazzie

That's so sad, but just nature taking it's course I suppose....

unless - could it have been hit by a car maybe, and then got to the polytunnel to die?

That's always possible. RTA animals can run a long way before they stop.

henrya