Fox Calls - For a Month?

[julia g]

Hello All,

For the past month one of the foxes that visit my garden has been "circling" with a three bark call every 5 - 10 minutes and he/she circles dawn, dusk and then through the night. I understand this call might be calling for others, but there are others coming to the garden and this one is extremely shy and I haven't been able to see it. This morning one was eating while the other was calling in the garden - any clues? My imagination is taking on Disney-like emotions - mum lost? on it's own?

Thanks for any help - also, any ideas on what to do about mange? I've tried the National Fox site to no avail.....

[faz]

hi julia g welcome to WAB It’s the mating season so it’s all to do with this as well as defining there territories. Some of there calls sounds like some is being murdered.

[julia g]

Thanks Faz - I know about the mating calls, but would a cub from last year be calling for it's family if they have "dispersed" and left it? It's heart wrenching and my imagination is going wild! And he won't come to any food that I put out, although a couple of others still do...

[artdemole]

Same thing happened here in field at rear.Was calling a long time.Had a reply,a few more barks from direction of reply with both barking then all went silent.Must be a happy fox now.

[julia g]

Wish this fox would receive a reply

[mbaldw]

Originally Posted by julia g

I know about the mating calls, but would a cub from last year be calling for it's family if they have "dispersed" and left it? It's heart wrenching and my imagination is going wild! And he won't come to any food that I put out, although a couple of others still do...

I've heard foxes calling 'mournfully' while wandering about after what sounded like a serious fight, and I've read about foxes doing something similar when they've just lost their mate/family (i.e. when an earth as been gassed/dug out). I'm not aware that dispersing foxes show any signs of 'missing' their family, although there is much about the factors affecting fox dispersal that we still don't know. It seems, though, that a reduction in affiliative behaviour (i.e. grooming) may cause social detachment and make it more likely that an animal will leave of its own accord, although forceful evictions can and do happen. My suspicion, however, is that the animal in question is a vixen calling for a mate. As the breeding season draws to a close, vixens spend more time at the periphery of their range calling lots - this, coupled with the males making more long-distance movements late in the season, make it more likely any un-mated vixens will find a partner. It should be all over by around the end of next month.

Originally Posted by julia g

also, any ideas on what to do about mange? I've tried the National Fox site to no avail....

Ideally, a fox needs veterinary treatment to clear up the infection (although a few seem to spontaneously recover, while others just live with low-level infections). Any arachnicidal treatment requires the animal be under veterinary care (although some can be obtained online without this necessity), so most welfare charities offer homeopathic treatments to give the fox in food. How effective these are is a matter of debate, but many swear by them and they certainly don't appear to do any harm. If you've not had any luck with the NFWS, you could try the Fox Project. There is more information about the disease and treatments on the Fox Project site and on my website, if you're interested in reading more.

I hope this helps.
Cheers,
Marc.

[julia g]

Thanks everyone, I'll just have to picture her meeting Mr Right soon! Marc, thanks for that info - makes sense and I'll have a look for mange treatment.
I absolutely love watching these fascinating animals and really miss them when they move on - until the new cubs start to appear!