birth time for foxes

[aland]

Around the twenty first of April last year i started a thread on the discovery of four fox cubs in our hay shed, does any one know if there is a fixed month or time for the birth of these creatures only we have been feeding one young vixen all winter with out seeing her very often but we think she is under our stables and hope to have the same surprise again but would like to be ready with the camera, aland.

[valleyforge]

Hi aland,

Vixens are normally mated between December and February, exhibiting spontaneous ovulation and an average pregnancy of about 53 days.

The peak month for the birth of cubs in the UK is normally March, although up here in the north it is not surprisingly a little later.

For the first 3 weeks after birth, the cubs are unable to regulate their own body temperatures, so the vixen will remain with them almost constantly ... this is the period she will most appreciate supplementary feeding from you, so that her foraging trips can be as short as possible.

The cubs won't emerge above ground until they are at least 4 weeks old and have begun to be weaned onto solids.

Let's hope that you are lucky enough to see cubs again this year, and that you are able to keep us up to date with developments over the next month or so.

[sumbody]

I am in South London and have a family of at least 3 foxes living in the next door overgrown garden - there are a couple of dens made in the piles of dead twigs as well as one deep in the brambles.

Last week I heard the constant cry of a kitten (sound) - looking I couldnt see anything - but I haven't seen any of the foxes for about a week - one being I suspect last year's baby (except for one male? (last year's dad I think and hopefully this year's as well) that I am treating for mange) so am assuming this was a fox cub I heard (or a very very young kitten ?) - but the noise stopped as suddenly as it began - but went on for a good few minutes.

[aland]

Thanks for the info valleyforge, we never thought about or knew about the vixen staying so close to any cubs she may have, in the way you describe, we think that this vixen is one of last years cubs and one that my wife named Lilly my daughter puts food in a metal chicken coupe each night and as done this all winter this is about twenty feet from the den entrance we do not intend to change anything for fear of upsetting the apple cart and we may be disappointed and have no cubs any way, if we do we will be better equipped than last year, as it was a shock to see them sat in the hay shed as we were mucking out the stables, aland.

[aland]

Hi sumbody, it is nice to here from somebody else!!! pardon the joke, I hope you are lucky enough to see the cubs they are really a eye opener, last year my wife spent hundreds of hours sat only eight or ten feet away from them four in all and all different not just in looks but in behavior one female very curious another very nervous, one male three female we only got sight of the male a few times and that was that, i had a shock at their tiny size, my wife used to hang up bonios with bale string and they would play with them for hours, at least your foxes do not have to run from the guns and hounds in the city's but i expect there are other problems for them such as food etc, aland.

[mbaldw]

Some of the wildlife rescue places in my neck of the woods have already had fox cubs handed in (some almost two weeks ago). As valleyforge says, the cubs typically don't appear above ground until they're four-or-five weeks old, usually mid-to-late April. I'm hoping that a reasonably local fox family will have cubs this year and we'll get some decent views. Good luck photographing yours.

Cheers,
Marc.

[Words]

Our local vixen had her cubs on 8/9 March. I've not seen the cubs yet (and may not as I don't know where her den is), but she was out and about a few days later. I've posted some photos in the mamal Gallery (should be visible soon... just waiting for approval).

[posie]

My adjacent neighbour (farmer) had some men on his land doing a Lamping night-SHOOT about a week ago and I havn't seen a fox since ! Could be the vixen is in the den with newborn cubs. Could be the others have gone to ground for a while out of fear.....COULD BE they've been shot..... ....I cannot describe how I feel about this, we haven't seen any deer since the shoot either, they must have been so terrified that they moved on... the noise of the guns was terrifying even to me, and my horses who live out in the adjacent field.. also the shooting started suddenly while 2 big horses were being led from the field to be brought in, that was a problem too.......If the vixen had new babies and her 'supporters' were shot, she would desert the babies to survive and they would starve to death........I'm only just coming to terms with the horrors of 'The food chain' and now this ! ! The horrors of 'Human behavoir'..Posie...

[sumbody]

That's terrible news Posie - I hope in a couple of days the foxes come back.

Must be awful for them with the shooters after them - and my worry is that once shot, they don't die immediately and crawl away to hide and suffer a slow painful death.

I am sure you will let us know if there is any news

[aland]

Hi posie, try not to let this sort of thing get to you, we have the same things going on around us and it really as me screaming, we live between at least four woods within a couple of miles or so and the obsession with guns is unreal but we will never be able to stop it, any one that hides behind the name of sport whilst preventing any creatures from living a simple life is not in my mind normal and they need to get a real life, But i do not want this thread that i started, to go back over old hatred ground, If you have the chance to help any wild animal bird or even insects then do it and to hell with selfish folk,