Why do foxes dig holes in my garden?

Digging is natural for a fox. It is best to fill in unwelcome excavations at the very beginning.
Störungen durch Füchse

< questions | links >		 Holes in the flower beds, in the compost heap, under buildings, in the garden path – this is all the work of foxes. Digging is part of fox behaviour. In suitable surroundings and with the right kind of soil they dig out dens with a system of passages where they can rear their young (for more). In gardens they dig short tunnels in the most impossible places. These holes are often less than a metre long and never used.

When fox holes are a nuisance:
  • ill in any such hole before it is dug deeper. But be quite sure that no fox is still in it. As a precaution fill in the hole first with loose earth or block it with an object that can easily be pushed aside from the burrow so that a trapped animal can escape without any trouble.
  • If nothing has changed after a few days and you are certain no animal is in there any more, fill up the provisionally blocked burrow first with brick or similar material to make digging difficult for foxes, and then cover it with earth. If you persist, the foxes will eventually give up – although often only after several unsuccessful attempts to dig another hole.
  • Foxes have a very keen sense of smell (for more). So it is possible to deter foxes by using odours foxes find unpleasant. The following means can be tried but without guarantee of success: a lot of dog hairs spread around the place, pepper, repellants (e.g. “Katzen-Stop” grains from Schweizer, available in pet shops and garden centres), and rags soaked in petroleum. But be careful with poisonous substances!

Foxes also dig holes to store food. The hidden booty will be dug up later on and eaten. However, these holes are smaller than those mentioned above.

Related questions
When do urban fox cubs emerge from the den?
How can I keep foxes out of my garden?
How can I prevent foxes wrecking my flower beds or vegetable patches?


home | ©