Albino Red Fox

Albino Red foxes are very rarely born in the wild in New York. This young male was having a difficult time, but we didn’t know why until we were able to catch him. He was extremely thin and had pneumonia. We treated his pneumonia and put weight on him, but were concerned about releasing him until we figured out why he was in such poor condition in the first place. After observing him closely on a camera and doing some simple tests, we came to realize that he has a hearing deficit. This would explain his poor condition, as Red foxes need to hear in order to locate their prey. As a little guy, he may not have been able to hear his momma calling to let him know she brought home dinner. He couldn’t hear insects, worms, frogs and small mammals scurry across the ground. We also noticed that he is very sensitive to the sunlight and is more nocturnal than any of the Reds foxes we have ever had. Because of this, the only time we really get to see him is when we use a motion-activated camera with night vision. Though fox ranchers commonly create white foxes and variations of white through breeding programs, a naturally occuring Albino fox is very rare in the wild, so we feel very blessed to have been able to save this little guy! He is the first we have ever seen or heard of in our over 30 years of working with wild Red foxes. We are unsure at this time if or when he may be released back to the wild. Much more evaluation has to be done

Fox World book is out!

I am so excited that my friend Jack’s book “Fox World” is finally out! We met years ago when he contacted me about saving a beautiful Red fox who had Sarcoptic mange. Together we devised a plan to heal this fox, and the fox repaid him with the experience of a lifetime. The book just came out, and I promise you, it is magnificent. It would make a wonderful Christmas gift for your nature-loving friends. https://www.foxworldnow.com/book.html

Fox World: 500 Miles of Walks and Talks with an Old Fox - Russell, Jack

I Think I Saved This Fox’s Life

Wow! Thank you Jim from New Jersey for sharing your wonderful story about saving this fox with Sarcoptic mange using the guidelines we created and posted on our website. Please check out our article about using Ivermectin to heal You truly did save this foxe’s life, and are an inspiration to others who also want to do something for a fox in need <3 <3 <3 <3 <3 Check out our facebook page as well

I Think I saved this fox’s life.

I live in Northern New Jersey in a small town only about 30 minutes from New York City. Because my property backs up to a 1,400 acre “Green Acres” preserve, seeing lots of wildlife in my yard is not at all unusual.

In early January this year, a red fox showed up on my front deck.  The previous Spring I had a female and her three kits living in an abandoned woodchuck burrow under this deck so seeing a red fox out there not a surprise. What did surprise was how sick he looked (severe loss of fur and numerous sores on his body).

I did some research and found an article on your web site, “Treating Sarcoptic Mange in Red Foxes”.  Following the advice in the article, I ordered the Agrimectin and the recommended syringes.  I began leaving a small amount of dog food and some hamburger twice a day to attract him to the same spot.  Every third day I would inject the dog food with the Agrimectin.  “Mangy”, as I named him, came like clockwork.  I also set up a couple trail cams to make sure it was Mangy that was eating the food.  By mid February I could see a definite change with all the bare spots filling in with fur (though his tail still looked a bit like a “rope”).  By the end of February, even his tail started to show signs of fur growing on it.  I stopped the medicine around this time but still left him some food so that I could monitor his recovery and make sure the mites did not come back.     

He looked quite healthy through most of March.  I then stopped feeding him so that he wouldn’t become dependent on my food and would hunt for himself.  He still came back at least twice a night or early morning to check for food for several weeks.  Now he comes maybe every three or four days. 

I’m sending a series of pictures.  The first five are from early January when I first began to film him.  The second five are from mid to late February.  The last is from April 20.  They are screenshots from videos so they are not as crisp as a regular photo might be.  I think I save Mangy’s life.  Thank you for posting that article.

Jim from New Jersey

January 2, 2020 coing for food daily, receiving Ivermectin, and this fox really wants to live!

January 10, 2020 Already the redness of his skin is resolving, sores starting to close and heal
Febuary 1, 2020 REceived another treatment, feeling a LOT better, Than you Jim!
Feb 27, 2020 Still getting meds, killing any mange mites that may have hatched as treatment continues
February 28, 2020 a spring in his step!
February 2020 skin is healthy, fur is growing back !
Wow! looking great! growing his fur back slowly
April 2020, looking and feeling very healthy and relieved, ready to move on! Thank you, Jim!

Couple in Wisconsin Successfully treat a red fox for Sarcoptic mange

Scarlet
We love success stories about people helping wildlife.  We received this beautiful letter from a couple in Wisconsin who successfully treated a Red fox with Ivermectin as per instructions we have written online. Great job, Dan and Ann in Wisconsin!!
“My wife and I have had red foxes in our yard for about 5 years now. We love seeing them and helping them out with food in the winter, especially during breeding time and after, and while the female carry’s the kits.

This last year, however, a nearly dead fox showed up. Late stages of mange. This is the first we had seen this one and it wasn’t one of our regular foxes. My wife was a vet nurse for 18 years and we hate to see any animal suffering.

Our pack which consisted of a male, female and 3 kits all came down with mange. One kit died and I buried him myself. The mother was really bad, eyesight was going and losing her fur and 1 kit as well. I could see the male had it, but he was holding strong and the second kit wasn’t as bad as the first. 

All the rehab places wanted them trapped so they could provide topical treatment and our vet wasn’t too keen on any prescription. I searched online for alternative methods and couldn’t find anything. 

One day the female and one kit stopped showing up, and the male with 1 kit still came around. I was sad and desperate to find a way to save them. The male who would almost eat out of my hand disappeared and 1 kit was left. She was obviously infected as well. So I went back online and your article showed up in my search.

I immediately ordered from Amazon and started treating the remaining fox about 8 weeks ago. Hoping she would be healed and prepared with a fresh coat of fur by the time it turned cold. 

Today, I have a beautiful, healthy fox with a luxurious coat and healthy appearance. We supplement whatever food she hunts with raw eggs and uncooked chicken breast. I even save my cut offs from venison for her, which she obviously loves.

I just wanted to thank you for the information with which we saved her life. I wish I could have saved the others, especially the male as he was a regular visitor year round. I am hoping this little fox will attract a healthy mate and help regrow the family of foxes we enjoy watching.

Thank you very much. I think your article has saved a lot of foxes that otherwise would have died from mange. 

Dan & Ann”

Fox Pups Are Born Now!

 

TNursing foxhe Momma foxes are working hard to bring home food for their young. They are working 24/7, day and night. Please remember that Red foxes are NOT NOCTURNAL!  It is normal to see them at all times of the day. The moms are working especially hard to catch mice, squirrels, rats and rabbits to feed themselves and their young. They are working so hard and are so focused that they will trot right past you, through your yard, past your dogs and cats as they move from their hunting grounds to their den. They are not interested in eating your dogs or cats.

A Red fox will chase a cat that gets too close to her den- Cats are very curious and often end up in places they shouldn’t be.  A momma fox is concerned about having a cat too close to her pups, so she will chase kitty right back home, up onto your porch or tree it. She isn’t interested in eating your cat – she just wants it to go away from her pups. Please keep in mind, for the safety of your cat from other predators such as great -Horned Owls who now have hungry young in the nest, keep your cat indoors, especially at dusk and dawn when owls are hunting.

If you have a fox den, or even a skunk or raccoon with young that are in a place where you don’ want them, such as under a porch or back yard shed, its easy to convince mom to move her babies!  Coyote urine is easily purchased online (and in special circumstances, picked up, free, from us!) and no momma wants to raise her young where a coyote is hunting.  I simply put coyote urine infused pine shavings in the area where the unwanted family is.  They generally are gone in the morning!  Trying to Live trap and “relocate” a family of foxes, skunks or raccoons is a futile effort and usually ends up creating orphans.  Try the coyote urine- it works, and is humane because Momma moves the family to a different place all by herself.

 

Treating Sarcoptic Mange in Red Foxes – Short Version

What you will need:

Bravecto Chew for a dog , a piece for a ten pound dog. Can be divided from a larger chew. For example, the 22-44 lb size can be divided into 4 pieces and treat 4 foxes!   Can be purchased without a prescription outside of the USA online!!!   One single dose will treat the fox, and protect it for three months.  Slip the piece inside of a nice warm meatball.

https://www.bestvetcare.com/bravecto-for-medium-dogs-22-44-lbs-green-pack-103.aspx

or, you can use Ivermectin Injection for Cattle and Swine 1% Sterile Solution. You will need to give the fox multiple doses of this orally over the course of a month or two. Since Ivermectin stays in the body for 4 days, once every 5 days for one month will work.

WARNING!  Use ONLY the INJECTABLE Ivermectin NOT the “POUR ON”, as the agents for carrying the pour-on through the skin are highly toxic if ingested! If anyone tells you differently, they do not know what they are doing! Do not use the Horse wormer paste!

WARNING! Ivermectin can be deadly to collie breeds of dogs, such as Collies, Shelties, Border Collies, Australian Shepherds and high mixes of these breeds.  Please be sure before you treat a fox, that there is no chance one of these breeds can have access to the medicated food or medication.

14 or 16 Gauge needle and 3 ml syringe
1 package frozen all beef meatballs
Dry Cat food

Directions:
Step 1: Put Dry cat food on the ground in the same place every day for the fox.
Step 2: Heat up around 6 frozen meatballs, and inject each meatball with 0.2 ml Ivermectin
Step 3: Place 1 treated meatball on top of the cat food, place the other meatballs in the refrigerator.
Step 4: Every 5 days, place another treated meatball on the cat food. Do this for 3 weeks.
Step 5: Every 10 days place another treated meatball on the cat food. Do this for three more weeks.
Consideration: If you are not sure the fox is getting the meatball with the medication in it, or there are more than one ill fox, put one meatball on the cat food pile, and toss two other treated meatballs in different directions, about 50 feet from each other.

  Agri-Mectin is a generic injectible ivermectin available on Amazon.com  It comes in a 50 Ml bottle for roughly $32  it contains enough Ivermectin to treat hundreds of foxes, so it will be plenty!  When you purchase the Agri-Mectin or any other bottle of Ivermectin, it comes with a rubber stopper that you will need a syringe to draw the liquid out.

Here are the best blunt needles and 1 mL syringes available on Amazon.com  to use :  1mL Syringe with 18Ga 1.5″ Blunt Needle and Plastic Needle with Matching Cap (Pack of 10) .  They are a 1mL Syringe , so you can easily measure 0.2 Ml, just draw the ivermectin to the “.2” near                                        the opening of this syringe.  You just need a drop!

Evicting a Family of Foxes from Your Yard

Foxes will often come in close to humans to raise their young , choosing the lesser of two perceived evils- human danger or coyote danger.  Because they compete for the same food source, a coyote may kill young foxes to make sure there is plenty of food for her own pups.  Foxes  will often choose to have their pups close to humans, where the coyotes are less likely to find them when they are very  young.  As the pups get older, usually around June or July, they are more able escape a coyote on their own, and the coyotes are too busy raising their own families to bother much with foxes anymore. At this time, the young foxes will leave the safety of the yard for more wild places.  soon after that, usually starting in September, the foxes will disperse, often travelling more than 100 miles to find a new territory.

Watching a fox family grow up is a very safe, entertaining and educational way to enjoy Spring and part of Summer.  Before you decide to evict the family, consider allowing them to rent your space, and in turn, you and possibly your neighbors will have a rodent free yard and what will most likely be your best gardens ever.  In addition, you may also be able to take some very beautiful photos and cute videos!

A healthy fox family won’t hurt children or pets.  The most a protective action a parent fox might take is chase a domestic cat that gets too close to her babies back to your back deck or up a tree.  Foxes don’t want to kill or eat your dogs, cats or kids. The average fox rarely tops 11 pounds. It is very important to know that a mother fox will hunt all times of the day and night.  Often the male will leave early on, leaving the female to work very hard, hunting 24/7  to bring back food for her growing pups.Unfortunately, humans who don’t know this will be alarmed to see a fox running through their yard during the day and sometimes extreme action such as shooting the mother fox will be taken, creating orphans.  Because momma foxes are often crossing roads more often, sometimes she will be hit by a car.  If this happens, a trail cam to make sure that the pups are indeed orphaned will help to determine what action to take if any.  Often orphaned pups are old enough to survive and leave on their own.  Contacting a knowledgeable Wildlife Rehabilitator at this time can help determine the best course of action.

If you choose to convince the foxes to move, the earlier you do it, the better.  The older the family gets, the less the female is sensitive to interference.   Because a mother fox is concerned about coyotes, using coyote urine in the area will make her think a coyote is around.  It is very likely she will move her pups within days to a new secret location far from the “marked” area.  Sprinkle the coyote urine around the den area. Again, the younger the pups are, the more effective this is.

Putting a foreign object such as a chair  near the den may also help convince mom that her den has been discovered.  However, keep in mind we don’t want to frighten her too much so that she isn’t comfortable retrieving her pups and we want to make sure she has a clear and safe entrance and exit to get them out one by one.  Often simply increasing your activity in the area works.  Don’t be afraid to use your deck, mow your lawn, do your gardening.  Mother foxes aren’t aggressive protectors like grizzly bears. The most they will do is stand at a distance, watching you and bark a warning for her pups to take cover  because danger is near. This is not a warning to you, it is a warning to her pups- YOU are the danger.

Balloons are very scary to foxes, especially  when they move in the breeze.  Punch balloons, sold as children’s toys are inexpensive and  hardy and when a small handful of beads or pebbles are placed inside them before inflated,  they make scary noises too! When placed appropriately about 2 feet off the ground, they will discourage a fox from coming into or traveling through your yard.

Hiring a Nuisance Control company to trap and remove the foxes rarely works out well for the foxes or your pocketbook.  Only the very young will be captured, and usually only a few.  The parents will not be easy to catch, and relocation is not going to work. Most likely all that will happen is the fox family will be fragmented or destroyed and you will spend a lot of money. “Relocation” of a fox family by a trapper is not realistic, so please don’t fall for that.  You will be wasting your money.   As suggested earlier in this piece, to convince the female to relocate her own family using one or all of these methods mentioned  is the most effective and humane way.

Most likely, the family will be gone by late June or July. Foxes only use a den to raise their families, and the rest of the year, they are nomads, napping  under trees and wherever they find a quiet place.   If you don’t want them back again next year, mid-July is the time to do repairs and permanent exclusion from the area with strong fencing, concrete block, or rocks.  This will prevent not only  foxes, but skunks, raccoons and woodchucks from using the space to raise their young.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Snared Red fox

We don’t need to tell anyone how deadly and dangerous snares are for all animals , both wild and domestic.. This beautiful male red fox got caught in an improperly and illegally set snare trap. The wire cut deep into his neck as he ran with the device until the stake got snagged on a fence.  He was discovered by a homeowner who called for help.  the wire was cut off of his neck, but not before significant damage was done.  Though the fox was free of the wire, it had dug so deeply into his neck that nerve damage affected not only his eye, but his trachea. Because of the nature of this damage, he had to be humanely euthanized.  Did you know that there is a bill currently being sponsored  by the trapping associations to legalize these horrific snares in New York?  What a step back this would be.  

Eastern Coyote with Sarcoptic Mange gets a Second Chance

This sweetheart was found in Orchard Park, NY, dying from a nasty skin infection brought on by Sarcoptic Mange mites.  She was treated for the infection with a long-acting antibiotic, given life-saving fluids and mange medicine was applied.  She is presently being cared for at Fox Wood, and is a model patient – compliant and gentle.  Because the Mange and infection creates a situation where they are also starving, she is being fed small amounts of easily digested food many times a day.  Please check out our wishlist on Amazon.com if you would like to contribute to her care.  We are also accepting donations through PayPal (foxladye@yahoo.com).   We are hoping to be able to release her in Spring .