The Critter Hunter

Cute But Dangerous1

Cute But Dangerous2

It is that time of the year again where we start to get frequent calls regarding female red fox (vixen) with litters of kits (baby fox) appearing from underneath sheds, decks, and large concrete stoops. It really amazes me sometimes how people don’t even realize that a fox is living on their property until the kits start to emerge from the den.  They are roughly 4-5 weeks of age at this time. People start complaining about dead animal parts lying around in their lawn and on their decks. The vixen is starting to introduce solid foods into the kits diet. The little grayish fluffy balls of fur start to wander out of the den to check out the world outside for the first time.  At first they stay very close to the entrance of the den but soon will start to wander around and check out their surroundings, still not straying too far away. They will wait for the mother to come back and bring them birds, rabbits, chipmunks, mice and other small creatures. She is teaching them what they are going to eat when they are able to hunt for themselves. They will take the best part of the animal at first and leave the less desirable morsels strewn around the yard for later consumption. Other pieces become just toys. This will create an untidy little scene for those with weak stomachs.  What you are seeing is raw nature at its finest.  This is a photographers or wildlife observers dream.  People will ask me “can you or will you remove these animals’. They have concerns about their childs safety and safety of their pets, as well as concern for their neighbors well being.  My answer to them is of course but I also inform them this can get a little expensive and time consuming.  I also let them know that it isn’t a 100% guarantee that we can get the mom and kits. She hunts day and night to bring back enough food for all her kits.  This can make it very difficult to capture her. She will take short breaks, sometimes up to an hour to spend nursing and grooming of her babies.

If we trap the whole family, which could be very difficult and time consuming, they cannot be relocated successfully.  As strong as her motherly instincts are if relocated to a different area her own survival would become the most important thing to her. She will abandon her kits in which they will perish by starvation or predation.   In my own personal opinion do not try to approach them at all as cute as they are they are still a wild animal and pose a threat. If they are not creating a large problem they will usually be gone within another 4 weeks of foreseeing them. When they are strong enough to accompany their mother on hunting trips which is usually about 8-10 weeks of age they will leave the den. They may come back a few times but will eventually disappear and abandon the den site and will wander their territory.  If a customer wants them removed we can certainly provide them with that service. They can call an  All That’s Wildlife, Inc. professional for an assessment.  If you choose to let them be—only enjoy them from a distance.

Rick Wilberschied a/k/a The Critter Hunter