Last Updated on April 5, 2024 by Real Men Sow
You may be frustrated if a fox keeps feigning in your garden. Fox urine (and fox poo) is a horrible odor and can contain a lot of harmful germs. This makes it an especially dangerous hazard for people with pets and children.
If you have a cat, it could be mistaken for cat poo too but these signs will tell you what to look our for with foxes.
This comprehensive article will show you how to remove and clean up fox excrement from your garden. It also includes effective deterrents that can be used to prevent foxes from entering your garden.
Why Do Foxes Poo or Pee In Gardens
It’s important to learn about the reasons foxes poop and spray urine so you can stop them from fouling. It can sometimes feel like the fox is trying to spite you. However, it is not true. In fact, a fox’s urine and feces play a vital role in their communication with other foxes. It is also essential for their day-to-day survival.
Your Garden Is… A Scent-Marking Territory
Your garden may be part of a territory that foxes use. In urban areas, where space is limited, the fox will need to assert control over its area and defend it from other foxes. Foxes use their urine and poo to mark prominent areas of their territory. This is something they do on a daily basis which can be irritating.
The two main reasons why foxes scent-mark are
- This signal lets other foxes know that your garden is empty and occupied. Other foxes are more likely to smell it if the scent-mark is more prominent. This is why foxes poop on the tops and in the middle of things like lawns, paving slabs, or garden furniture as well as around the perimeter.
- Your garden smells like a fox’s own, which reassures it that there is no other intruder. A comfort blanket is the fox’s equivalent to a very dirty blanket. Your garden will be happy if it smells good and doesn’t feel threatened.
The fox that comes into your garden is likely to feel very content and at ease right now. To get a fox away from your garden and stop it from pooping, you can make a fox feel more comfortable in your garden and less likely to risk a confrontation. You don’t have to run around your garden trying to get rid of foxes multiple times per day. You can get fox deterrents of high quality to take care of this for you.
The Best Fox Repellents For Reducing Fox Poo
The best way to deter foxes from your garden is to use multiple fox repellent products, each targeting a different sense.
An example of a deterrent arsenal for foxes is:
- Sound-based deterrent
- Scent-based deterrent
- A visual deterrent
This is because foxes instinctively feel threatened and will flee the area in an effort to avoid injury or confrontation. The recommended fox repellent and deterrent products listed below work in slightly different ways. This allows you to make a decision based on your budget, needs, and preferences.
1. The Fox Watch Ultrasonic Deterrent
FoxWatch is a small device which sits in your yard and emits high-pitched noises whenever a fox walks past its infrared motion sensor. These ultrasonic sounds are not audible by humans but foxes find them irritating. FoxWatch helps foxes associate their garden with these annoying sounds over time. This reduces the frequency of their visits and eventually leads to them leaving the area and moving on.
Being a successful fox deterrent requires patience and consistency. You are basically asking a wild animal to change their behavior and find a new home. This is not something that can be done overnight. FoxWatch’s low-maintenance nature makes it a popular deterrent for foxes. It provides the necessary level of permanence and constancy 24 hour a day without the need to be redesigned.
2. Scoot Fox Repellent
Scoot repels foxes by smelling like a predator. Foxes are territorial animals and spend a lot of time scent-marking areas of their territory. This includes your garden. The strong scents communicate to other foxes that this area should not be disturbed.
Scoot can be sprayed around your garden to disrupt the fox’s senses of security and give it a new smell. Scoot makes the fox think your garden has been invaded by another fox. After a few weeks, the fox will start moving on to another place to avoid any confrontation. Scoot is very easy to use. It gives you the pleasure of going out into your garden and taking positive steps to deter foxes. The powder comes in a spray bottle that you can mix with water. Spray the sprayer around your garden or use watering cans. The packet contains all the instructions.
3. Dig Stopper Prickle Strips
Dig Stopper Strips are plastic spikes you can use to protect your flower beds, vegetable patches, and boxes from foxes.
Although the plastic spikes aren’t too sharp to inflict injury, they are too painful for foxes. This not only stops them from feigning in areas with prickle strips, but also prevents them from digging holes.
It is easy to put the prickle strips together and to reduce them to size if necessary. To prevent persistent foxes from destroying the prickle strips, you can use sturdy U-shaped garden stakes to attach them to the ground. Dig Stopper Prickle Strips can be used to protect your garden from digging and pooping.
4. Predator Eye Pro
Animals that are active at night are more aware of the reflective eyes and movements of other predators. Predator Eye Pro units mimic the eyes of other animals, giving foxes a feeling that they’re being watched.
Foxes become nervous when this happens and will move away from the area to avoid any potential confrontations. Two flashing red LEDs are included with each unit. They charge through the day via the built-in solar panel and then turn on during the night.
Predator Eye Pros are easy to mount and require very little maintenance. They can be placed low on a fence or wall at the height of a fox’s head. This is a night-only deterrent, so it won’t work during the day.
The Best Tools For Cleaning Fox Poo
You can reduce the time spent by foxes in your garden by installing different deterrents. It can take some time for a fox’s behavior to change. It’s important to have tools to help you safely remove any fox poo left over from the deterrence process.
Fox poo can smell bad and contain many germs. Toxocariasis is caused by the roundworm in fox faeces. It’s crucial that the poo be removed quickly and properly. This is especially true if you have young children or dogs in your household, who may eat or pick up things they shouldn’t. These tools are helpful for safely disposing of fox poo and getting rid of harmful bacteria and germs.
1. Long-Handled Pooper Scooper
You could use a shovel or trowel to scoop the poo out of the ground and put it in a bag. Or you could just throw it away into the undergrowth. For those who are more cautious, it is not the best thing to do.
The long-handled pooper scooper can be a very useful tool that makes it easy to stand straight and scoop up the poop. This keeps the foul odor away and is great for seniors or people with back problems that have difficulty bending down.
This tool can be used on any surface, including gravel, grass, soil, and hard surfaces. It is ideal for those who are looking to make a horrible job a little easier.
2. Compostable Dog Poop Bags
Once you have picked up the fox poo, it is important to think about how you will dispose of it. It could end up in your rubbish bin for several weeks, depending on the schedule of your local rubbish collector. The better option is to place it in a poop bag, before you put it in your dustbin. This protects the contents from any odors that may escape if it takes a while for your bins to collect them.
This is 100% plant-based, compostable bags come in packs 320 and have carry handles that make it easy to tie them up. These bags are large enough to easily scoop up the poo and transfer it into the bag.
3. Pet-Friendly Surface Cleaner And Disinfectant
It is important to clean up any poop or urine that a fox has left on synthetic or hard surfaces. The Fresh Pet line of cleaning products disinfects and deodorizes all washable surfaces with pleasant scents such as lavender or cut grass. You can use it by spraying, brushing, wiping, or mopping.
It is a popular choice in kennels and catteries due to its animal-friendly properties. This means it can be used twice as often to clean up fox messes and other mishaps that your pet might have on their internal carpets or tiles. A quality disinfectant can be a useful tool to combat unpleasant smells in the garden and pets, especially dogs.
4. Garden Pressure Sprayer
A pressure sprayer can be a very therapeutic experience. You spray the liquid evenly and calmly around your garden using a trigger. Pressure sprayers are a great tool for cleaning up after a fox. They can be used to spray patios or decks with a uniform amount of disinfectant.
The pressure sprayer is an excellent way to distribute the Scoot Fox Deterrent in your garden. It evenly sprays over shrubbery, grass, and any other areas where the fox loves to urinate and poop. You can use pressure sprayers for many other purposes, such as to gently clean a dog or to treat green algae with weedkiller.
5. Fox Poo Removing Dog Shampoo
Long-researched animal experts have been puzzled by the reason dogs roll in fox urine (and other animals’ faeces too). They believe it may have once served a purpose during canid evolutionary history. No matter the reason, dogs love to do this and can make their hair smell bad.
Fox Poo Dog Shampoo by Animology is gentle on dogs’ skin and tough enough to get rid of fox poo. The shampoo is easy to use and you can rinse it out quickly. This Dog Shampoo is a great option if you have ever experienced the unpleasant lingering smells of fox poo on your dog’s fur.
