Virginia Pest Control for Fox: Homeowner’s Guide
Foxes are common in both rural and suburban parts of Northern Virginia. These shy and intelligent animals don’t typically present major threats to humans, but can cause health concerns and safety risks to pets.
Here is everything you need to recognize fox activity on your property so you can safely and humanely deter them.
Fox Removal
Expert Wildlife Solutions You Can Trust
In Northern Virginia, foxes are common in both rural and suburban areas. They are beautiful, intelligent, and resourceful animals. They also happen to be graceful hunters that adapt quickly to different environments.
Foxes have sharp instincts and are cunning about finding food and shelter. While they don’t typically present any major threats to humans, foxes can cause some serious health concerns if they decide your yard is their new regular hunting grounds. They’re also a safety risks to pets
If you’ve noticed a fox roaming around your property, there are a few things you may want to do to prevent them from staying. Here is everything you need to know to recognize fox activity so you can deter them.
ARTICLE CONTENTS:
Why are Foxes a Problem?
While a fox may look reasonably harmless, they’re clever and can cause some annoying (and expensive) issues if left unchecked. They’re solitary predators and they will help keep your rodent population under control… while causing some other problems.
Here are the biggest issues foxes tend to cause for homeowners:
1. Safety Threat to Pets and Livestock
Foxes are predators by nature. They’re always looking for food. While they aren’t likely to attack large animals, they will gladly go after rabbits, chickens, and even small pets that are left unattended outside.
If they find an easy source of food, they’re likely to come back again and again. A food source could include pet food, trash cans, and, yes, small pets. If you or a neighbor has a chicken coop outside, this is especially tempting. They’ll do their best to get in and can be extremely determined.
2. Property Damage
It’s normal for a fox to dig, especially when creating their dens. They like to find safe nesting spaces, which could be under your deck, shed, porch, or even crawl space under your home.
Foxes can tear up home insulation to help make a better home for themselves. They also might leave holes throughout your yard that cause tripping hazards.
3. Disease and Health Risk
Foxes are usually shy, so they aren’t likely to make contact with a human being if they can help it. Even so, they can spread a lot of unwanted diseases around your yard.
Foxes are known to carry rabies, mange, and canine distemper virus (CDV), a highly contagious viral disease in canines.
Fox waste has also been known to cause serious problems. Their feces and urine can contain parasites that cause health risks to humans and pets. For example, it’s common for foxes to be infected with tapeworms. These can be transmitted through their feces and are extremely harmful and even fatal to humans.
4. Noise
Believe it or not, foxes are annoyingly (even disturbingly) loud. This is especially true during mating season, which is usually over the winter and peaks in February and March. Their calls sound like screams or high-pitched barks. Some people find it very unsettling.
Identifying Fox Behavior
While spotting a fox is the best way to know for sure if there’s one in your area, a fox sighting tends to be rare. Foxes are primarily nocturnal, which means they’re more active at night.
However, here are a few signs that you may have a fox on your property:
- Small, oval paw tracks similar to dog prints
- Fox scat, which is small and tubular, similar to a small dog’s
- Holes or disturbed soil, especially in garden beds or under sheds and decks
- Eerie screams or sharp barks at night, especially in mating season
- Burrows around 8-inches wide
- Dogs or cats acting skittish or anxious when out in the yard
If you notice these signs, there’s a good chance you have a fox somewhere nearby. Since foxes are most active at night, you may never actually see them roaming around your yard. Evidence of their presence is enough to know they’re nearby.
Safe Fox Removal
With any type of pest control, it’s important to be proactive but also safe. Ignoring the issue only makes it worse. The best way to keep a fox from settling in near your home or making your yard their favorite hunting ground is to implement prevention methods now.
Here are a few to try:
- Secure All Food Sources
Make sure your outdoor garbage cans have secured lids and never leave pet food unattended outside. Compost piles, bird feeders, and any other food sources should be properly secured. Foxes aren’t picky and will take whatever they can get. Remember: they’re clever and adaptable. - Secure Pets and Livestock
The last thing you want is for your family cat or small dog to be a midnight snack for the neighborhood fox. Keep them inside at night, and don’t leave them unattended outside during the day.
You also want to take extra measures to secure your outdoor coops, whether you have rabbits, chickens, or other small animals. Enclose them with sturdy wire mesh that’s buried at least 12-inches underground to protect from digging.
- Seal Den Sites
If you’ve noticed den sites on your property and they’re inactive and empty, you want to seal these up. Otherwise, another family of foxes might move right in. It’s important to guarantee that the den is empty before sealing. Once that’s confirmed, seal it with heavy-gauge wire. - Use Deterrents
Motion-activated sprinklers, lights, and sound devices are all helpful in discouraging a fox from coming close. Remember, foxes tend to be shy. If they don’t have a good source of food or shelter, it doesn’t usually take a lot to scare them off. - Call in a Professional
If you have a stubborn fox, or if you want to make sure your pest control methods are implemented properly, Hunt Country Wildlife Control is here to help.
If you’ve noticed that a fox has put up a permanent residence near your home, never attempt to trap them or relocate them. It’s illegal and unethical to capture and relocate foxes. Not to mention, foxes can carry many serious parasites and diseases so you don’t want to get too close to them.
Always work with an experienced pest control expert. This will keep you safe while keeping your pest control efforts humane, legal, and effective.
Our Fox Removal Process
Pest control for foxes must be done carefully and strategically. Humane exclusion and harassment methods are your best option to deter foxes from your yard.
Never attempt to capture or relocate a fox, as it’s illegal and inhumane. Foxes roam through their own territories, so moving them from one area to another can cause serious problems and harm. The best way to implement proper pest control for foxes is to work with an experienced pest control expert like Hunt Country Wildlife Control.
1. Property Assessment
We will begin with a full inspection of your area, locating any dens, feeding areas, and fox entry points. We’ll take note of any risks to your pets or livestock so we have clarity on what’s attracting the fox to your yard.
2. Customized Deterrent Plan
Every property is unique. We’ll create a fully strategized fox-deterring plan tailored to you and your situation, considering the season, den locations, and surrounding environment.
3. Deterrence and Exclusion Implementation
We will implement our deterrent and exclusion plans to make your yard less attractive to the fox. We’ll keep your property safe, make it unappealing to foxes, and comply with all Virginia wildlife regulations. This will include sealing any inactive dens, reinforcing coop entry points, and recommending any property modifications to present foxes from returning.
4. Ongoing Monitoring and Support
We provide follow-up inspection to help keep your property safe from foxes long-term. At Hunt Country Wildlife, we specialize in keeping Northern Virginia homeowners safe, while maintaining effective and human animal control. Our team understands fox behavior, including their nesting habits and hunting preferences.
Areas Served
Areas We Service for Fox Pest Control
Hunt Country Wildlife Control provides humane fox control throughout Northern Virginia, including residential and commercial properties.
We serve:
Loudoun County:
- Purcellville
- Round Hill
- Leesburg
- Hamilton
- South Riding
- Ashburn
- Sterling
- Middleburg
Fairfax County:
- McLean
- Arlington
- Alexandria
If you suspect a fox is active in your area, reach out to Hunt Country Wildlife Control today.
Our team will assess your property and keep your home protected.
FAQ
Are foxes dangerous to humans?
Foxes tend to be shy around people and aren’t likely to come close, so in that way, they’re not a big threat. However, foxes often carry harmful diseases. Never approach or attempt to make contact with a fox.
How do I humanely get rid of a fox from my yard?
It’s illegal to relocate foxes. The best pest control method for foxes is to remove food sources and block den access. Working with professional pest control is the safest, most effective option.
Can foxes get under my house or deck?
Yes. Foxes love to dig dens under houses, decks, sheds, crawl spaces, and more. If you hear any strange noises or smell strange odors, you may have a fox moving in.
What scares away foxes?
Foxes are shy creatures. Loud noises, bright lights, and even motion-activated sprinklers are all great ways to make your yard feel less safe to them.
Call now for expert wildlife removal and exclusion you can trust.
Don’t wait until a small problem becomes a big one. Call now and get the peace of mind you deserve.