Injured Fox

[Novoiceleft]

The fox I mentioned in my earlier post is badly injured. Limping very badly - I fear it may be a broken front leg. I have only now seen her twice in the last 14 days.

I can keep an eye open for her and feed her if I see her - but the chances of that are quite slim as I cannot keep a 24/7 vigil. If I put food out, a different fox is taking it.

How do foxes behave in this situation? Is there anything I can do?

TIA

NoVoice

[AsleepInYorkshire]

The fox I mentioned in my earlier post is badly injured. Limping very badly - I fear it may be a broken front leg. I have only now seen her twice in the last 14 days.

I can keep an eye open for her and feed her if I see her - but the chances of that are quite slim as I cannot keep a 24/7 vigil. If I put food out, a different fox is taking it.

How do foxes behave in this situation? Is there anything I can do?

TIA

NoVoice

Foxes are small. Average weight 6-7kg's. We have two dogs. A Border Collie which weighs 22kg's and can run like a Whippet and a Labradoodle that weighs 17kg's and can run almost as fast as the Collie. They are fit. We have a fox that saunters into our garden (more likely when it's drunk) and we do hear the rumble of our two security guards earning their keep as they chase the fox away. No blood is drawn. Nor, do I suspect it ever will be. Mother nature's a smart app. We have a dog door allowing access to our fully enclosed back garden.

Foxes are usually very smart creatures. They wouldn't pick a fight with a domestic cat or another wounded fox. In such a situation even the smallest wound could lead to their demise. I'm vaguely aware of fox rescue charities up and down the country. You may have some success Googling them. It may be worth trying to find out if their is some local support?

Foxes have bad press. Yes they do take chickens from local small holdings and farms. But as a rule they only kill what they eat. However, like humans, there are some that kill for the sake of it. I'd suggest you put the food out and see where it takes you.

Take care

AiY
PS ... The average lifespan of a red fox is 2-4 years. (iirc)

[kiloran]

For years we've had loads of foxes in our garden and every now and again, we see one with a limp and bad leg. Sometimes, the leg clearly appears to be broken, and in one case last year a fox had a really bad wound to its hind quarters..... red flesh was very visible.
We always worry about whether they will survive, but in most cases they do seem to get better, even after 3-4 weeks. Maybe they have learnt to feign injury in order to persuade us to give them more food

And though a fox with a bad leg may walk very badly, it's amazing how quickly they can run on 3 legs. And in one case earlier this year, one of our foxes with a really bad limp took exception to another fox, went chasing after it and there was a right stooshie, it was certainly able to initiate a fight, bad leg or not

--kiloran