Other animals
The RSPCA can be contacted for advice on all other animal problems.
Foxes are now common in London. They have adapted to the food sources available in towns and cities, and shelter in gardens and other spaces.
How to deter foxes
The best thing to do is to make your garden as inaccessible and inhospitable to foxes as possible.
Start by checking your garden for any holes or spaces they could use for access, or as a potential den, and block them up.
You should also:
- remove any possible food sources, for example, scraps from compost heaps or food fallen from bird table, if you can't remove them, put them out of reach
- make sure you store any household rubbish in the wheelie bins and not in bin liners
- remove any fox faeces and disinfect the soiled area as soon as possible
- make sure you keep small pets (for example, rabbits, guinea pigs) and chickens in strong hutches or enclosures
- protect your vegetable patch by using netting for vegetables above ground and chicken wire under the soil to protect bulbs
How to reduce fox problems in your garden
If foxes have made their home in your garden, you should:
- try placing a strong smelling fox repellent around the entrance to the den or earth, you can buy these from garden centres and hardware stores
- lightly block the entrance with soil so the vixen can dig out any young foxes living in the hole
- block the entrance securely once you're sure foxes are no longer using the space
- consider increasing the height of fences or walls and if the fence or wall is on soft ground, try placing a wire mesh at the bottom of the fence, the wire mesh should continue at least 18 inches beneath the ground