We have a red fox that has been coming to our backyard for over 2 weeks now. He/She mostly sleeps during the day. When it does move around, it is limping around as if one of it's front legs is either hurt or broken. I am concerned that it will not make it through the winter and then die in my yard. It does often leave our yard and then come back. What do we do?

If you have seen the fox for over two weeks, that means it is still able to hunt or scavenge enough food to stay alive. The fact that it leaves the property is another good sign. It may take awhile for the injury to heal, but based on your description of its behavior, it doesn't sound like the fox will die in your backyard.

Any suggestions on how to get it out of my yard? I don't want it to start digging up our bushes or create a den to have babies. We are all afraid to go outside with it around.

Does it leave the yard when you go outside?

I have not gone outside since it started showing up (at least in the backyard) so I don't know if it would leave. My handyman was out there doing work and the fox hardly moved. I don't think he approached it to see if it would go anywhere though.

Typically foxes are attracted to an area if there is a good food supply (mice, voles, pet food that is left out, etc.). So the first step is to make sure you don't have a grill, pet food, or accessible garbage can that might encourage the fox to hang around. If there isn't anything like that in the yard, then there are a couple of options. The longer the fox is in the area, the more comfortable it is going to be to stay there. So when you see the fox, go out and chase it off. Yell, clap your hands, bang pots together. Anything that scares the fox (without hurting it) should make it clear that it is not welcome in your yard. You may have to do this a few times to reinforce that the fox is not welcome.

The second approach is to hire a nuisance wildlife control operator to trap and remove the fox. You can find a list of NWCO at: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/wildlife/professionals.cfm

If you have more questions, please let me know.