Hi,

I have a family of red foxes living on my farm and I have a couple of questions.

1 - Do they typically forage for food during the day or does a daytime sighting indicate possible illness? This morning at 8:00, I had an adult digging around under the bird feeders very close to my house. It did not appear sick and when it saw me come out the door, it scampered off into the woods.

2 - I have horses and keep them in a 100' x 80' dry lot. This morning, I noticed a very deep hole dug at the base of a tree in the lot, next to the fence near a brushy area. Could this be the beginnings of a winter fox den and should I discourage them from doing so? If so, how would I do that?

3 - I have Great Danes. Could exposure to fox droppings, even from healthy foxes, cause any illnesses with my dogs that I should be aware of?

4 - Obviously, rabies would be a concern although I have not heard of any cases in Scott County in recent years. With these little guys living so close to my home, is rabies something i should be overly concerned with?

Thanks for your advice! Charlene

1. Foxes are nocturnal, but it is not uncommon to see them out during the day, particularly early in the morning. If the fox did not appear sick, and ran off when it spotted you, then I would say you do not have cause for concern. Bird feeders with lots of seed underneath are attractive to small mammals such as mice and voles. And mice and voles are attractive to foxes. My guess is that the fox was looking for an easy breakfast. 2. It could be a fox den. But it could also be woodchucks or another animal. If possible, I would let the animal have their den there as long as you do not think it will disrupt the horses. Foxes should not bother the horses. But we wouldn't want them to injure themselves by stepping into a deep hole. 3 & 4. As long as your dogs are vaccinated they should be fine. Foxes can be carriers of rabies, canine distemper, and mange. Vaccinations will protect the dogs from rabies and distemper. Sarcoptic mange is highly infectious and is caused by burrowing mites. Sarcoptic mange can be transmitted to both people and pets in close contact with an infected fox. People are not a suitable host for the mite and the infection will clear on its own, though the infected skin may be itchy. Infected pets can be treated with medications prescribed by a veterinarian. It is not likely that the foxes would transmit mange to the dogs. If you have more questions about living with foxes please feel free to e-mail me.