When do foxes vacate their den ?

[Rog]

Most years I get foxes at the bottom of the garden under a shed, I live in a London suburb. It's delightful to watch the small cubs growing, playing in the garden etc. And although they get into our rubbish etc they're not a serious problem to us.

But . . . I need to replace the shed. When can I be certain that they have gone ? The last time I saw the cubs they had grown quite a bit and were attempting sex with each other.

What is the "normal" timing of the sequence of events. If they have gone, when will they be back to breed again ?

[mbaldw]

Hi Rog,

the cubs will already be spending less time in the earth, spending more time lying up in nearby vegetation. The cubs will be independent by about September and the family generally starts to breakdown towards the end of the year (from October onwards), but certainly in urban areas the cubs may hang around longer than that. Replacing the shed in late summer shouldn't be a problem (to be honest, I doubt it would be much of an issue doing it now), although the best time (to provide the absolute minimal disturbance) would be during the winter (December or January). Many vixens will be pregnant again and looking for a natal earth mid-to-late February.

I hope that helps.
Cheers,
Marc.

[Rog]

Hi Marc,

Thanks for response. What you say kind of ties in with what I've seen over the years, but I needed some independant comment.

In fact I think that they've already gone. If I go into the shed I can often hear activity beneath it, but now there's nothing.

Cheers

Rog

[mbaldw]

No problem Rog - glad I could help. As you say, they probably spend little (if any) time in the earth now. I suspect it is now only used when significant danger threatens or if the weather turns nasty.

If you don't manage to replace the shed this year and need to get a fox family out from beneath the old one, there are some suggested methods on my site.

Cheers,
Marc.

[Rog]

Originally Posted by mbaldw

If you don't manage to replace the shed this year and need to get a fox family out from beneath the old one, there are some suggested methods on my site.

Cheers,
Marc.

Well, I didn't get around to replacing the shed, so I need to try and prevent another den this winter. It's not really a huge problem for us personally, but neighbours aren't too keen and we do end up with loads of rubbish in the garden. So I'll be trying to seal the gaps leading to beneath the shed etc, but they do seem to be able to get in through remarkably small spaces !
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